It was only in 2017 that Saudi Arabia was formally and officially introduced to yoga, back then taking baby steps to the practice through a virtual introductory lesson. Six years and countless initiatives later, Saudi Arabia's national team is a part of their first ever international contest, Mt. Everest International Yoga Championship scheduled in Kathmandu, Nepal from June 8-10.
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The team arrived in Kathmandu on June 1 and has been undergoing training under head coach Vijay Yadav since then. Applauding the efforts and the achievement, Nouf Al-Marwaai, president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, said she was proud of the team and expressed confidence that they wouldn't go home empty hand. The team includes Ahmed Shilati, Samaher Al-Malki, Jouda Sharaf, Joud Abed and Bader Al-Ghamdi.
Nouf Al-Marwaai, prior to arriving in Kathmandu, represented Saudi Arabia in the working group for civil society C20 under the G20 summit. Bader Al-Ghamdi, aged 8 years, is the youngest athlete of the crew and also the nation. Representing Saudi Arabia in junior category, he hopes to win a medal like his senior team members. What he likes about yoga is the art and technique of breathing and balancing.
 

The women at the forefront 

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Bader Al-Ghamdi
When Saudi Arabia's Mashael Akram Abdulrasheed graduated among the first batch of Yoga asana referees last October, little did she know she'd soon script another history. On Thursday, she became the first Saudi woman to referee at the Mt. Everest International Yoga Championship. Back in October she was one of the first batch of 19 females and two male yogasana referees to have graduated at an event in Riyadh.
 
saudi arabia yoga

It takes immense amount of effort and planning to be able to qualify for, let alone excel to referee, in a practice or sport not belonging to the home country. Applauding the efforts and the achievement, Nouf Al-Marwaai, president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, said she was proud that Abdulrasheed was also one of the participants of the Saudi team, and she'll be competing for the first time in an international championship.

saudi arabia yoga

However, the road till here has not been easy. Nouf Al-Marwaai also said that unrelenting efforts had gone into ensuring that more Saudis became certified referees so they could work at local, regional and international competitions. "With the increasing number of yoga practitioners and professionals in all parts of the Kingdom, there has been an urgent need to equip national cadres of male and female referees to supervise the arbitration of local championships."

She also said, that extensive training was provided to young cadres through different measures. "To achieve this goal, the Saudi Yoga Committee hosted experts from the Asian Yoga Federation to qualify young cadres of both sexes through training courses and intensive training for referees." The Mt Everest International Yoga Championship, into its second edition, has been organized by the Nepal Yoga Association and International Yoga Sports Federation.

The pioneer of yoga in Saudi Arabia 

Nouf Al-Marwaai, Saudi Arabia's first certified yoga teacher, and a Padma Shree awardee has been intensively involved in both promoting and redefining the practice in Arab countries. As the head of the Saudi Yoga Committee, her past efforts include bringing yoga to delegates from 11 Arab countries through workshops. "Everybody should have access to this practice to enhance the quality of their life," she said in the past while in India. Preferring to call yoga a "wellness sport," Nouf Al-Marwaai was awarded the Padma Shree in 2018.

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