With Egyptians showing great interest in practicing yoga, India has hosted a major seminar here to “get the true meaning” of the ancient exercise form.

The seminar, held by the Indian Embassy in Cairo on Thursday in cooperation with the Ministry of AYUSH, offered the care and advice of qualified Ayurveda and yoga experts and therapists.

During the seminar, India’s Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said discussions are very useful as it gets the message around so that more people are aware and conscious of it and get the true meaning of yoga.

Over the last few years, the interest in yoga has grown enormously in Egypt with many young Egyptians prefer to practice it and know more about it, he had earlier said.

Currently, there are over 40 yoga schools in Cairo.

Last year, the Embassy held the first Yoga Championship, a landmark event in an Arab country, which attracted over 35 highly proficient Egyptian and foreign participants aged from 6 to 71 years.

“When we did our first Yoga Day two years ago over here there was such a large group of people who were attracted to come and join us,” Mr. Bhattacharyya said.

During the seminar, speakers demystified traditional Indian medicine and holistic and spiritual discipline of yoga to focus on both physical and mental health.

‘India by the Nile’, a cultural extravaganza presented by the Embassy of India in Cairo and Teamwork Arts, runs until April 27 in different Egyptian governorates with many cultural events including music and dance shows, puppet theater, Indian food festival, exhibitions and seminars.