In an unprecedented move to help people cope with the stress and tension that the Corona pandemic has brought along for them, The Art of Living Foundation in partnership with Sri Sri School of Yoga and other Yoga Schools is hosting the 1st global Online Yoga Festival for Mental Health this Sunday, June 14.
In a bid to showcase practical tools and techniques that a Yoga practice, which includes meditation and breathwork, offers for emotional wellbeing, this event will be free of charge and features a mix of various workshop sessions to join in, as well as speeches from experts from different Yoga-Schools and traditions.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of The Art of Living Foundation and one of the world's most renowned Yoga master, will inaugurate the event. Further speakers and workshop leaders include among others H.E. Ms. Gaitri Issar Kumar, Ambassador of India to the EU and Belgium, Prof. Adolfo Panfili, President of the International Association for Orthomolecular Medicine, Italy, Doug Swenson, Founder of Sadhana Chi Yoga, USA, Dr. Ronald Steiner, Physician for sports medicine, scientist with research focus on prevention & rehabilitation from Germany, and many more.
The festival comes as a response to the current pandemic that has changed the way we live, work and interact with each other. Across the world isolation, fear, insecurity, economic turmoil, a feeling of powerlessness and loss of loved ones have affected lives of citizens. Levels of stress and anxiety have risen substantially. Substance and alcohol dependency are expected to be on a rise, while self-harm and suicide rates among vulnerable in the society are also likely to increase. The United Nations officially warn of a sharp rise in mental health problems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the 1st Online Yoga Festival for Mental Health, The Art of Living Foundation wants to bring a wave of relaxation to citizens and contribute to a healthy and peaceful community by offering a variety of free workshops. It is the first time that the Yoga community is collectively uniting and offering a free online program to help our society cope with the effects of the current crisis. The festival also aims to draw attention on the need for addressing mental health and showcase Yoga as an important tool and technique for emotional wellbeing.
'Free of charge event'
The Online Yoga Festival for Mental Health is a free of charge event. A prior registration is required in order to sign up for the workshops and receive the Zoom links to the online sessions
Background Over the past 39 years, The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has played a big role in sensitizing the world about the essence and individual as well as societal benefits of Yoga. From the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to Capitol Hill and the Unites Nations in the US, the according to Forbes Magazine 5th most important Indian has travelled around the globe to demystify yoga and make it more acceptable and appealing. His pragmatic approach of presenting yoga away from dogmatic beliefs has helped in taking yoga to people of all class, creeds, and religions. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has designed programs that provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life by putting the individual's mental health and inner peace at the core of all activities as the basis for a peaceful, violence-free society. As an ambassador of peace, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also plays a key role in conflict resolution and spreads his vision of non-violence at public forums and gatherings worldwide. For further information visit www.artofliving.org.
