Ukrainian soldiers roll out yoga mats on the front lines of the Ukrainian war. A 37-year-old commander at the 225th Independent Assault Brigade HQ says yoga has changed his life. “In 2014, before the full-scale war began, I was drafted into infantry operations and injured my spine. In 2016 I started doing yoga regularly. All my problems disappeared,” says the young commander. Yoga now helps him fulfill his responsibilities in the war. “I always try to do asanas, nauli and pranayama. I also read the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Yoga helps me to control my emotions better and plan things during the mission.”
Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in conflict-hit Ukraine for its health, recovery and healing benefits. There are projects supporting yoga teachers in Ukraine and giving them tools to deal with trauma and PTSD. Some special forces, such as the Ukrainian Army’s Falcon Force, are even incorporating yoga into their training.
The Healthy Ukraine program, an initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that began in 2021, gave yoga a big boost. As part of this program, the project Active Parks transformed public parks into weekend fitness clubs, where instructors held free classes. “The response to yoga was overwhelming,” says Elena Siderska, who developed yoga for the project. “Active Parks now supports studios and clubs that work on trauma, PTSD and the rehabilitation of soldiers,” Siderska added.
Siderska’s father, Andriy Siderskay, a Ukrainian yoga guru, says Indian yoga has long roots in Ukraine. “In fact, Ukrainians were exposed to yoga as far back as the 19th century. After World War II, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov became Soviet yoga centers,” Siderskay says.
Today, yoga has traveled around the world and has returned to Ukraine. Yulia Denisova works with the charity Fierce Calm. She has helped wounded Ukrainian soldiers with yoga in four rehabilitation centers. “Yoga Nidra and Pranayama have had a huge effect on veterans dealing with sleep disorders, PTSD and amputation-related challenges,” Denisova asserts. Valeria Samborskaya, who runs a project promoting trauma-sensitive yoga in Ukraine, agrees. “I have seen that affected soldiers are afraid to go near parks because they were injured in forested areas on the front line. But after a few sessions of yoga, especially Pranayama, they are able to overcome their mental trauma,” she says. Denisova adds, “As a Ukrainian, I cannot thank India enough for giving and preserving this wonderful ancient knowledge to the world.”
Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in conflict-hit Ukraine for its health, recovery and healing benefits. There are projects supporting yoga teachers in Ukraine and giving them tools to deal with trauma and PTSD. Some special forces, such as the Ukrainian Army’s Falcon Force, are even incorporating yoga into their training.
The Healthy Ukraine program, an initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that began in 2021, gave yoga a big boost. As part of this program, the project Active Parks transformed public parks into weekend fitness clubs, where instructors held free classes. “The response to yoga was overwhelming,” says Elena Siderska, who developed yoga for the project. “Active Parks now supports studios and clubs that work on trauma, PTSD and the rehabilitation of soldiers,” Siderska added.
Siderska’s father, Andriy Siderskay, a Ukrainian yoga guru, says Indian yoga has long roots in Ukraine. “In fact, Ukrainians were exposed to yoga as far back as the 19th century. After World War II, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov became Soviet yoga centers,” Siderskay says.
Today, yoga has traveled around the world and has returned to Ukraine. Yulia Denisova works with the charity Fierce Calm. She has helped wounded Ukrainian soldiers with yoga in four rehabilitation centers. “Yoga Nidra and Pranayama have had a huge effect on veterans dealing with sleep disorders, PTSD and amputation-related challenges,” Denisova asserts. Valeria Samborskaya, who runs a project promoting trauma-sensitive yoga in Ukraine, agrees. “I have seen that affected soldiers are afraid to go near parks because they were injured in forested areas on the front line. But after a few sessions of yoga, especially Pranayama, they are able to overcome their mental trauma,” she says. Denisova adds, “As a Ukrainian, I cannot thank India enough for giving and preserving this wonderful ancient knowledge to the world.”
