The 2022 celebration of the International Day of Yoga will witness a unique blending of the ancient Indian practice along with the traditional healing methods of Canada’s indigenous First Nations.
This event, titled Yoga Day – Indigenous Way, will begin on Tuesday in Toronto and has been jointly organised by the Consulate General of India in Toronto and the Canada India Foundation (CIF). It is backed by the Vedic Spiritual Heritage Foundation and Anishnawbe Health Toronto.
The event will, according to the CIF “showcase and celebrate yoga, India’s gift of holistic health to the world, and traditional healing as Canada’s Indigenous way for overall wellness”.
It also recognises that both the International Day of Yoga and the National Indigenous People’s Day in Canada fall on June 21.
“Yoga brings communities and cultures together. Celebrating International Day of Yoga and National Indigenous People’s Day together is to showcase the richness of both traditions and to see how they can be integrated with modern medicine for overall good health and wellbeing of all Canadians,” CIF’s chair Satish Thakkar said.
Along with the asanas integral to yoga, it will also see indigenous healing practices including the smudging ceremony, which involved burning of traditional medicinal plants to create a sacred, healing smoke.
Anishnawbe Health Toronto “offers access to health care practitioners from many disciplines including Traditional Healers, Elders and Medicine People. Ancient ceremonies and traditions, intrinsic to our health care model are available,” according to its website.
This will also be the first time in over two years that International Day of Yoga will be celebrated in person by practitioners and enthusiasts, as the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in the day being observed virtually, barring very small and physically distanced gatherings.
This event is part of multiple such marking International Day of Yoga in Canada, in cities across the country. The iconic Niagara Falls will be the venue for another event, while on Saturday, Toronto’s CN Tower, a city landmark, witnessed EdgeWalk Yoga, at an elevation of 356 metre. CN Tower hosts the EdgeWalk, which is walking 116 storeys above Toronto, with nothing but a harness to secure the person undertaking the hands-free thrilling adventure.
