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With Saturday 22nd June set to mark the fifth International Yoga Day, thousands of locations around the world will be celebrating with yoga activities for the public.

In Auckland, the Day will be marked by local group Meditation New Zealand staging an afternoon of dynamic and restorative yoga at the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall.

This year the classes will be led by leading kiwi yoga instructor Nikki Ralston, who owns two yoga studios (Urban Ashram) in Auckland, and Australian yoga instructor and ayurvedic expert Samantha Doyle.

Ralston has been at the forefront of popularising yoga in New Zealand working with everyone from high performance athletes and teams, stressed out executives, and those undergoing injury and trauma recovery.

Committed to honouring the ancient practice of yoga while making it functional, and relevant for the modern lifestyle, she explains "Yoga Day was started to promote this ancient practice. The great thing about Yoga is that it is more than just a physical exercise, it also has many psychological benefits such as relaxation.

"The biggest myth about yoga is that you have to be flexible to do it. Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced practitioner there will be something for everyone at Yoga Day. We want everyone to try yoga, and if you have a community services card you can get free entry" says Nikki Ralston.

The International Day of Yoga was initiated by the Indian Government with the United Nations in 2015 and is now celebrated annually by millions around the world.

Derived from Sanskrit, the word yoga means to unite. It is with this spirit in mind that Meditation New Zealand has put on this community-conscious event in the hope that it will contribute to world peace and harmony.

Last year there were 300 people who attended the Auckland yoga day celebration, and with the increase in popularity of yoga it is expected that this year’s event will be even more popular. The International Yoga Day 2019 event will also include meditation sessions, guided relaxation and talks on yoga wisdom.

Doyle, who will be leading two classes and a talk at Yoga Day 2019, adds “as well as leading dynamic and restorative yoga classes, I will be giving a talk on how people can include apparently complex ayurvedic concepts in their everyday modern life.”

Proceeds from ticket sales will support this event and Meditation New Zealand’s free Prison and Community Programs.

Click here to view the event’s Facebook page.

Image: Meditation New Zealand 

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