Over 1000 people take part in India-China Yoga conference

BEIJING: Over 1,000 Chinese Yoga enthusiasts today participated in the India-China Yoga conference in the country's Southwest Kunming city.

The five-day conference that began today will feature activities including courses from Indian Yoga masters and Yoga introductions for various communities.

The event is sponsored by the municipal government of Kunming and jointly organised by the foreign affairs and overseas Chinese affairs offices under the municipal government and the China-India Yoga College in Kunming.

The college established during the last year's visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China is based in Yunnan Minzu (Nationalities) University.

It was opened in November last year as China's first Yoga- dedicated college.

Official media reports here said the college is a big hit as over 3000 enthusiasts have turned up for training.

Under the agreement between the two countries, India sends at least two tutors to the college.

Currently the college does not issue degrees, but students who want a degree in Yoga can pursue further studies at Indian colleges.

College head Fang Zhen said yoga's similarity to Chinese Tai Chi helps explain its growing popularity in China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Another international Yoga conference conducted by China's famous private Yoga institute 'Yogi Yoga' concluded in Beijing in which large number of youth took part to undergo training.

Another Yoga conference is planned to be held in Guangzhou next month.

Yoga was first introduced into China by Hong Kong practitioner Wai Lana in the 1980s.

Her workout programmes aired daily on China's Central Television were the starting point for many Chinese Yoga students and struck a chord with China's white collar workers.

Last year thousands participated in the first UN's International Yoga Day held on June 21.