Eduardo Pimentel Vázquez, International Yoga Master.

A millennial practice of Indian origin, spread worldwide, which benefits the physical, mental and spiritual health of the human being, has also managed to insert itself, for good, in the daily life of Cuba, in all age groups.

It came to Cuba with Reiki and Tai Chi, at the end of the 19th century, brought by instructors and amateurs who came from other places in Latin America, Spain and the United States. It started gaining impetus, until in 1960, 21 lodges with 589 members were reported, distributed in all the provinces, according to www.cubanos.guru.

Since then, its acceptance and extension has continued in crescendo, a story that, to tell it, one must refer to an inescapable figure: Professor Eduardo Pimentel Vázquez, Cuban Yoga teacher accredited by the International Federation of Yoga and Yoga Alliance, and president of the Cuban Yoga Association (ACY).

In an interview with the Cuban Juventud Rebelde newspaper, he explained that “the rise of yoga in Cuba is due to the work carried out. Since we founded the ACY, we have taught more than 50,000 people, including musicians, scientists, actors, visual artists and many people interested in improving their physical and mental health. This work is supported by the training of instructors through a program of 250 hours (about two years).”

INDER: International Day of Yoga.

As he said, exclusively to TTC: “I started practicing Yoga in 1972, inspired by the books of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, both in its physical and mental and spiritual teachings. I soon recognized Yoga as a complete system of personal fulfillment. In 1976, I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Culture and, by 1983, I decided to open a modest space in my home to teach. I am considered a pioneer in the dissemination and teaching of Yoga in Cuba, since I founded, in May 1990, the Cuban Yoga Association.”

Pimentel is the director and teacher of the Vidya Yoga Studio in Havana, where he gives regular classes, trainings, workshops and lectures; he directs the annual Retreats of the Canadian Mhai Yoga Foundation, in Cuban beaches, together with invited foreign teachers; and he organizes World Yoga Day in Cuba, sponsored by the Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER).

www.mhaiyoga.com