THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The very hip South Korea is taking the yoga route - and how! The land is peppered with yoga studios. “It is like a typical Korean thing. Everybody loves yoga. You can see yoga studios everywhere. It is not for specific people, it is for everybody,” says Ji Hee Kim, the secretary of the Korean Yoga Federation.
Korea is growing fast, and with the economy booming, people are spending more on health and fitness, she tells you. For the past 15 years, yoga is being practised in South Korea, even in schools, where one can opt it as a physical activity. But of late, it has garnered more traction, with many celebrities endorsing it. And the fixation to get fit and healthy is driving more and more South Koreans to the art form.
“People are getting tired of the fast, competitive life. Yoga will relieve them of the problems and help them enjoy life,” says Seung-Hwan Lee, senior vice-president, Asian Yoga Federation and the president of Korean Yoga Federation. He has established 13 yoga centres in the country and was instrumental in introducing sports yoga in the country.
The government grants complete support to sports yoga . “With the support being extended by the government, we could introduce more people into yoga,” he says. “Yoga isn’t just a physical sport, it is a spiritual one. In order to get real healthy, you need to train not only your body, but also your mind and that is why I chose to learn yoga,” he recalls.
A large population is okay with the chanting of mantras but some still associate yoga with religion, like Ji Hee Kim’s mother. “Most people are okay with the chanting of mantras when we explain it. We tell them that it is the sound of the universe. But few people who are crazy about their religion, like my mom, don’t understand it,” she laughs. An ardent skier, she says doing yoga before and after the sport helps her relieve the pain and stress. For the duo, yoga is the core of their life.
Promoting yoga
Seung-Hwan Lee and Ji Hee Kim, aim to introduce yoga as a sport and the science of yoga in schools and in sports education universities. There is also a lot of government support for yoga.
The mega yoga extravaganza that the capital city witnessed in the past four days came to a resounding end on Sunday. The eighth edition of the Asian Yoga Sports Championship was replete with stellar performances as participants across Asia enthralled the audience with their brilliant execution of yoga postures and conjuring up a world of magnificence with their moves. Participants from ten Asian countries battled it out in the various yoga sports categories.