Yoga at Expo 58 or hike the Metronome: Global Wellness Day debuts in Prague

Global Wellness Day, which is celebrated around the world on the second Saturday of June, is making its debut in the Czech Republic this weekend with a host of fit, fun, and mostly free events.

Dating back to 2012, this year's event takes place in more than 100 countries simultaneously and promotes a balanced lifestyle around the globe. The purpose of the project is to raise awareness about living well and increase motivation – and not just for a day but for the remaining 364. 

Such an initiative is particularly important at a time when sedentary lifestyles are deeply impacting the overall health and quality of life in the Czech Republic.

Research conducted by MNFORCE for the Havas Prague communication agency found that while 43 percent of people in the Czech Republic regularly engage in some kind of wellness activity, only eight percent manage to find time for wellness every day. For 39 percent of Czechs, the frequency of such activities is once a week or once a month; 14 percent say they participate in a wellness activity once a year.

In the Czech Republic, the initiative is being launched by Vladimir Finsterle, Founder and CEO of Lékárna.cz, and Gilles Berouard, Founder and CEO of Havas Prague. 

"I like the idea of sharing joy and well-being and changing one's own path to health. The body and mind should be in balance – after all, it is not only good physiques or healthy joints that provide joy in life," says Finsterle. 

The first Czech Global Wellness Day is being supported by some high-profile public figures in the world of sports and wellness including climber Klára Kolouchová, the first Czech woman in history to climb the three highest mountains on Earth, Alexandra Gálová, yoga, and pilates instructor and healthy lifestyle consultant, and Jana Havrdová, president of the Czech Aerobics and Fitness Association and founder of the Czech Republic Moves project.

Kolouchová will lead a Saturday morning event that lets participants replicate a "1% Mount Everest hike" by scaling one of Prague's most famous landmarks, the Letná Metronome (meet at 9 am under the Metronome stairs).

At the same time on Saturday, Gálová will be hosting a morning yoga session on the newly opened terrace of the Brussels pavilion Expo 58 in Letenské sady. Admission is free; just bring a yoga mat.

Other activities include a Chi-kung practice in the Borovičky Forest Park (called "Qigong in Chinese, the practice is a system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation) public dance lessons, and shopping discounts on Puaree natural cosmetics and water bottles at Lékárna.cz.

Anyone in Czechia or anywhere around the world can get involved on June 11 by simply taking a walk, organizing group exercise at work, eating a healthy meal, or playing sports with friends.

Though many people in the Czech Republic associate wellness with a massage or a spa treatment the purpose of the Global Wellness Day is to highlight the real meaning of the word: a regular activity aimed at inducing mental and physical well-being. 

"During the pandemic and amidst the negativity in the world, we have all realized how critical it is to work together to change people’s lives in a positive and meaningful way," says Global Wellness Day ambassador Berouard. "Although Global Wellness Day lasts for 24 hours, its message is intended to last a lifetime.” 

Read more at globalwellnessday.cz.