Yoga class for SCO youth held at Youth Assembly in Dongfang, China

A yoga class for the Assembly's guests and participants became a highlight of the SCO Youth Assembly held in Dongfang on 8-10 November.

The Assembly's participants gathered in a picturesque and peaceful garden next to a water reservoir to gain an insight into the ancient Indian practice of physical and spiritual development.

"The yoga class turned out to be a very useful event that helped us relax after heated discussions on the Assembly's venues," the Assembly participant from Kazakhstan Olzhas Akhmetov said after the yoga class.

Wu Yunna, a yoga master, showed the participants key yoga exercises for muscles, breathing techniques, concentration and meditation

"I have just discovered the amazing world of yoga for myself. I could never have imagined I would feel such incredible lightness and peace," Farida Amonzoda, an Assembly participant from Tajikistan, revealed.

"I have been doing race walking for about two decades," the SCO Secretary-General said. "I take any chance to walk eight kilometres in the early morning. It gives me an energy charge I need so badly. We made special arrangements in the Assembly's programme for athletic exercises," he added. "Yoga, like any other physical activity, offers an opportunity to affirm the world's culture, prosperity and dignity. I believe a yoga group class strengthens the team spirit, helps improve mutual understanding and enhance young people's friendship," Rashid Alimov noted.

Yoga is a set of spiritual, mental and physical practices aimed at managing mental and physiological functions of the body for an individual to achieve an elevated spiritual and mental state.