Yogis face hardship to practice around the world
In my posts, I talk a lot about great fun places for yoga travel.
But in a few spots around the world, people brave bomb blasts to do yoga or fight for their right to practice.
I’m not hoping a plane to Afghanistan or Malaysia any time soon, but yogis in each country are working to make practicing safe and public.
According to this McClatchy Newspapers article, a yoga class in Afghanistan costs $4 and the windows are covered with sandbags to keep it safer in case a car bomb goes off during practice. The Fig Health Centre serves mostly aid workers, diplomats and foreign journalists so it has to keep a low outward profile for fear of attacks.
But as the article notes, it’s not the only spot for yoga in Kabul. The Norwegian Embassy also hosts a yoga class. So proud of my Norwegian roots.
Yoga faces different challenges in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Despite being a yoga travel hotspot, Indonesia followed Malaysia’s lead when religious leaders issued restrictions that Muslim’s could participate in yoga as exercise but are not allowed to chant Hindu mantras.
The religious edicts called fatwas are not legally binding but could be considered a sin.
This month, Malaysia censored a yoga star’s television show for what it included, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Ninie Ahmad’s website posted that her show was not going to run because the “QC dept said that under the Fatwa law, they couldn’t air a Malay person teaching Yoga.”
Ahmad has since left the country to travel the world and teach yoga.
“I’ll come back when you are ready for me,” she stated on her site.
“But as for now, let me go.”
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