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EU Sport Values Diplomacy

Maya Shishkova - Karaslavov

"SPORT IS MOVEMENT, AND MOVEMENT IS LIFE. ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIFE."

I have worked as a journalist and PR expert and/or manager in many different sectors and professional fields, but always alongside Yoga.

Currently I am teaching Iyengar yoga practices. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is a collection of 196 sutras, each addressing a different aspect of the path to enlightenment through yoga. The treatise was composed over 2000 years ago and is recognized as one of the most profound and educational studies of human nature in search of spiritual liberation.

Iyengar (1918 - 2014) is considered by many to be the most influential yoga teacher of our time.

Sport always teaches discipline and calmness in crisis situations. These help me in communicating with people from the professional sphere and I think it is a positive and adds benefits to the teamwork skill. Now I work for a huge global company focused on renewable energy infrastructure and the skills gained in sport teach me how to deal with crisis situations. I try to first understand the different values, people of different nations and backgrounds I work with treasure most and then respect these values. 

I am aware that sport diplomacy is the use of sports as a tool to promote international relations, peace, and understanding between nations. That is why we often use the organization of joint sports events, and sports as a platform to address social issues. In the rural areas our company builds its RE powerplants sport diplomacy aims to bridge cultural and political divides, promote mutual respect and understanding between local community and business, and build relationships between all community members through the common language of sports – traditional sports and games of different ethnic minorities are  highly preferred when we organize sport events.

In professional sports - winning is the only motivation. But Yoga is rather a prevention for health of body and mind. If it must be categorized under sports it falls under the category of "grassroot" sports. There the most important thing is to participate, overcoming your own resistances. This is also the case with traditional games.

I treat all my yoga trainees with respect, regardless of their progress, aptness, abilities.

My trainees learn patience, tolerance, acceptance of the different as well as of themselves. I personally acquired these qualities along the way, through the experiences I received.

I think that it is necessary for coaches to have an approach, pedagogical training, and psychological education as well to be able to transfer and explain the values of sport - in the form of regular training through the federations, clubs, universities etc. There are various innovative methods to quickly put the information in a digestible form, for example through various role plays, practices, through which a direct effect and awareness is gained.