Dubai: Celebrations of the International Day of Yoga on Wednesday reached literally the highest level on its ninth edition with UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi observing the day on board the International Space Station (ISS).
The Sultan of Space, who is on the longest Arab space mission on the ISS, shared a social media post of his yoga day celebration.
He posted a photo of him striking a lotus pose (Padmasana in yoga) and said: “Today is #InternationalYogaDay and here is me practicing a bit of yoga on the ISS.”
Wearing a smile on his face even as he remains in the yoga pose with his eyes shut, Al Neyadi is seen balancing his act by slightly touching the walls of the microgravity orbital laboratory.
The Emirati astronaut revealed that yoga is his “personal favourite.” He also enlisted the benefits of yoga saying it “not only strengthens the body but also sharpens the mind and reduces stress.”
Making the tweet interactive, Al Neyadi also asked his followers: “Which is your favourite yoga pose?”
Best Yoga Day gift
The UAE has witnessed a series of events to celebrate the yoga day since last weekend. Al Neyadi’s yoga post from over 400km above Earth came as a special gift to the yoga enthusiasts in the country.
Sam Suresh Babu, a yoga instructor in Dubai who has been practising the ancient Indian practice for 34 years, said he was thrilled to see the post from Al Neyadi. “This is the best gift for yoga practitioners across the world. I really appreciate his effort in promoting the benefits of yoga and thank him for that.”
Earlier in May, Al Neyadi had made history by becoming the first person to practise jiu-jitsu in space. He has also shared pictures and videos of his exercise regime onboard the space station on different occasions and highlighted the need to stay fit whether in space or on Earth.
