It’s a matter of pride and Hon. Deepak Obhrai (MP) flew from Ottawa specially for the event and brought wishes of appreciation from Leader of opposition , Hon. Andrew Scheer.
The events were graced by hundreds of enthusiasts, supporters and contributors. Also , the graceful presence of Jinny Sims (Minister for Citizen Services, British Columbia). In the morning yoga session, yoga festival and expo souvenir was launched by Hon. Abhilasha Joshi and Mr. Adtiya Tawatia (Founder and President, Yoga Festival and Expo).
Events which are close to the heart and require you to work hard towards for a long time can leave you with a feeling of emptiness once they have been achieved. Yet, now on the day after the completion of the 4th Yoga festival and Expo, I sit with a sense of peace and calmness.
Yoga has resonated very closely with the people of Vancouver who attended the festival in great numbers and made it a success. My aim behind this festival has always been to be able to bring a piece of Indian culture and life to Canada. Seeing so many people experience a slice of satvic life made my heart gladden.
I would also like to thank all of the yoga schools and teachers that took part in this festival. All of them put their best foot forward and ensured that the unadulterated and true message of yoga could be spread to everyone who attended.
An endeavor like this would also not be possible without our sponsors. I am happy to say that corporations were happy to support our cause and be a part of this event. The idea of sustainable living, respecting the environment, using resources responsibly, eating local, and adopting a simple vegan lifestyle as the yogis in India did thousands of years ago is something that is becoming more popular with people around the world.
The fact that I and my team could help put together an event that is built around these ideas is immensely satisfying.
We were also lucky to have dignitaries like Mr. Deepak Obhrai (Senior MP), Jinny Sims (Minister of Citizen services, British Columbia) and Ms. Abhilasha Joshi (Counsel General of India) to grace the occasion of the Yoga Festival and the dinner that followed it. Mr. Obhrai especially came from Ottawa to present Yoga festival and Expo with the award for service to the community on behalf of Hon. Andrew Scheer (Leader of Opposition, Canada). Aditya Tawatia (Founder, Yoga festival and Expo) received the award. Having these leading names of the society associated with the occasion elevated it to a completely different level and will also help spread awareness about it to more people.
Every time Yoga Festival & Expo conduct this event, I am immediately flooded with ideas as to how the next year’s event can be made even better. I hope that everyone who was a part of this event this year will return next year and join the thousands that will become a part of our family for the first time.
I firmly believe that the world is aligning with ideas proposed by Indian scholars and yogic practitioners thousands of years ago and will continue to work in between events to help spread awareness about the same.
To see that our event was attended by young people in majority made my heart gladden and fills me with hope for the future.
