Health enthusiasts thrilled at Swami Ramdev's yoga camp during DSF 2008

This year, DSF will feature a three-day workshop on yogic breathing exercises to be conducted by renowned yoga guru, Swami Ramdev, for benefits like a healthy, disease-free body and a calm and alert mind. The camp will be organized by the Eurostar Group at the Airport Expo Dubai, between 6.00 am and 8.30 am, from 25 to 27 January, 2008.

Swami Ramdev, a household name in India and increasingly popular abroad, is credited with simplifying and reinventing yoga and making it available to both the classes as well as the masses. His school of yoga emphasizes more on breathing techniques, pranayama, instead of the body contorting postures, asanas, which are not easy to perform for all. Recently he conducted highly successful workshops in the US, Britain, East Africa and Canada. An ardent advocate of a disease-free world, Swami Ramdev received an invitation from the United Nations to do a standup march against poverty.

Yousif Mubarak, DSF Events, Operations, and Logistics Director said, "More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of yoga and its inclusion in the DSF 2008 calendar of events is a indication of the variety of activity we accommodate within every DSF edition. DSF 2008 will have events that cover entertainment, shopping, art, culture, sport, and heritage to name a few."

In his comments about the camp, which is part of Dubai-based Eurostar Group's social initiatives, Raju T. Jethwani, Chairman, Eurostar Group, said, "Arab society has limited awareness about the long-term benefits of yoga. The three-day workshop, which has attracted considerable interest from Arab nationals, will increase knowledge about yoga practices and its benefits, thereby dispelling myths surrounding this ancient Indian science. Its techniques will be useful to the average resident of the Middle East region in terms of stress management and improving the quality of life. Key health issues and diseases peculiar to the region will be dealt with at the workshop."

Significantly, Swami Ramdev's message to the world is "health is the birthright of every human being." His simplified style of yoga does not require trainers or gruelling sessions. It can be practised by a student in the comfort of his or her home with minimal effort and maximum benefits. He, however, strongly recommends meditation, rational diet and a lifestyle that is close to nature to derive maximum benefits from Pranayama (breathing exercises).

During Pranayama a person inhales 10 times more oxygen than he or she would, while breathing normally. This surplus oxygen reaching the body's cells, wards off diseases like cancer, a fact that has been validated by scientific studies. Additionally, Swami Ramdev is confident that health conditions common in the region like diabetes and infertility are curable through regular practice of Pranayama. There are also several simple stress buster exercises that can be performed by motorists while driving to improve concentration and alertness.

For those, who are too busy to perform an entire set of yoga asanas or breathing exercises, he suggests the performance of specific exercises which provide relief from a particular type of health problem or disease. Yoga has moral benefits as well and those who practice it regularly develop patience and strength of character.