Eighteen yoga masters graduated from an intensive master yoga course under the guidance of Dr. Nouf Al-Marwaai, the president and founder of Arab Yoga Foundation. Consul General of India B.S. Mubarak presented Master of Yoga certificates to this first batch of graduates trained by Arab Yoga Foundation at a function here recently. Mubarak thanked and appreciated the efforts of Arab Yoga Foundation for partnering with the Consulate General of India in promoting yoga. "Yoga is the best gift India gives to the world," he said. He also thanked the foundation for its contribution in celebrating the international yoga day and the two-day conference on yoga and health. Arab Yoga Foundation was established in 2010 by Saudi yogacharya (certified teacher) Nouf Al-Marwaai, a Saudi woman. Nouf started practicing yoga in 1998 when she was 18 years old. She was certified as a yoga teacher in 2005. Since then she has been associated with yoga. Her personal journey into yoga began when she was sick and having problems with her joints. The 18 graduates who were honored by the Indian consul general spent years under Nouf's guidance and practiced yoga daily. The graduates are: Dana Khalid Algosaibi, who ranked first in performance, had been training under Dr. Nouf since 2012 and assisting teaching and practicing on a daily basis since then. Mawada Wajih Ismail, who ranked second in performance, had been practicing and learning under Dr. Nouf since 2011. Rana Najeh Tabbaa ranked third, Anicetas "Saffa" ranked fourth. M. Bakhit, a dietitian and fitness instructor who had been taking yoga seriously, Bana Aswad, Arwa Saeed Alrefaee, a physiotherapist and fitness instructor, Sara Ahmed Amoudi, Mishael Sulaiman Alswailim, Samar Abdullah Alalwan, Renad Jamal Khalid, Fatin Nazer Sonbol, Ghada Abdulghaffar Algadi, Souad Belyazid, Asthma Yousuf Kaki, Batool Sabaab, who survived breast cancer recently, Sara Abdullkarem Alsabari, Rachel Ramaswamy, Murali Krishna, who didn't graduate from the Arab Yoga Foundation but has just returned from Rishikish in the Himalayas after completing a masters in yoga, were the other graduates. Thanking their guru Nouf, the graduates said, "We promise to teach yoga and spread more awareness among people."
