TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Yoga Gembira Festival offers Jakartans healthy living
Exercise, exercise: People participate in a mass yoga session in Menteng Park in Menteng, Central Jakarta on Saturday
Change Size
Exercise, exercise: People participate in a mass yoga session in Menteng Park in Menteng, Central Jakarta on Saturday. JP/Awo
Hundreds of people were on hand in Menteng Park, Central Jakarta, on Saturday for the second day of the Yoga Gembira Festival 2015 (YogFest).
Yoga teacher Deera Dewi had almost 90 participants join her two-hour session at 9 a.m.
Herdiana, 30, came to Menteng Park from Tebet, South Jakarta, for the class.
'Deera's classes are always challenging, but the way she teaches is fun, making us excited about doing her challenges,' she said.
Another yoga teacher, Ryan Purinawa, introduced acro vinyasa yoga to attendees in his session.
'This Sydney-originated yoga is a combination of vinyasa yoga and acrobatics,' he said, adding that the participants would get more benefit from the practice compared with vinyasa yoga alone.
'They will learn to trust each other, since you have to trust your yoga partner in doing the poses,' he said.
Visitors also sampled the wares at 20 booths offering healthy food and beverages, food supplements, yoga equipment and essentials oils, among other things.
Arie Rukmantara, 36, a member of the Yoga Gembira community, said that he was intrigued by the food on offer.
'The food bazaar is one of the interesting parts of this festival,' he said while showing the bottle of coconut water he bought from a booth that also sold raw almond milk.
Herdiana said that after finishing her class she would visit Burgreens, a vegetarian-friendly burger vendor that was one of the most visited booths in the festival, according to organizers.
YogFest committee member Dandi Arimurti said he was confident this year's event would attract more than last year's, which had 100 attendees.
'We anticipate welcoming around 900 visitors to the festival during Saturday and Sunday,' he said, adding that more than 200 persons attended the festival on Friday.
Yudhi Widdyantoro, the initiator of the Yoga Gembira community, said on Saturday that Sunday's classes would feature well-known teachers and offer interesting experiences to visitors.
'Martin Elianto will teach energetic yoga to build up a body's strength and balance, while in the other class Stefano Notarbartolo will teach you the art of relaxation through yoga,' he said.
Tina Maladi, a yoga-for-kids teacher, will start teaching a class at 9 a.m. on Sunday for children from the DILTS Foundation, which will receive some of the proceeds of the festival
Organik Klub will also hold a smoothie and nutmilk-making class hosted by its owner, Santi Wibisono, on Sunday at 12 noon.
Tickets for the event, which ends Sunday, cost Rp 130,000 (US$10) for one session or Rp 300,000 for a daily pass valid for three classes, and Rp 800,000 for a three-day pass. (prm)
