Well-being | Fans celebrate International Yoga Day on Sunday

Kerill Ezzy and Rita Gonçalves

Two yoga practitioners in the city are set to hold an outdoor yoga session on Sunday to celebrate the upcoming second International Yoga Day which takes place every June 21.
Kerill Ezzy and Rita Gonçalves, both yoga experts, will lead an outdoor activity at Grand Coloane Resort, aiming to continue to raise awareness of yoga practice. Gonçalves told the Times she had already witnessed an International Yoga Day in Portugal even before it was given recognition by the United Nations General Assembly.
“It feels legitimate. There are so many international days. Why not a day that comes out to the open […] to celebrate that there are people all over the world practicing yoga and it’s a healthy activity,” she stressed.
The experts revealed that the yoga community in the city continues to grow among both expatriates and local residents. Although they admitted that the language barrier would always push away some of their clients, they said numerous locals would still stay as long as they understood the practice.
“It’s a strong community. I see a lot of cross culturalism which is really beautiful,” said Ezzy. “That’s where race, language, creed [and] sex gets broken down and that’s special.”
Ezzy admitted that several years ago, yoga was just for the “hippies and widows” which only shows that yoga is continually evolving. She added that yoga is a philosophy rather than a religion, which the public recognizes.
“[It is] seen as connected to Hinduism because of the Indian background but if you actually look at the history of yoga, it isn’t faith, it’s practice,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile according to Gonçalves, the International Day of Yoga is “walking the opposite direction,” to the public’s idea of the practice, which is seen as religion. She believes it is time to “move out of that obscurity.”
Aside from promoting yoga, Sunday’s activities will focus on introducing the practice to residents of all ages. The free outdoor yoga session will feature “Yoga on the Lawn” and “Yoga Chill,” which start at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. respectively. Participants can also enjoy several discounts on the Grand Coloane Resort’s pool pass, restaurants, and the club’s annual and monthly membership sign up. Staff reporter