30 yoga practitioners have been arrested in the northern city of Gorgan in Iran.
Masoud Soleimani, a local judicial official said these people were gathered in a residential home in Gorgan to practice yoga with “inappropriate outfits.”
According to Soleimani, the instructor advertised the yoga class on Instagram. “The instructor did not have a yoga studio license and students exhibited inappropriate behavior”, Soleimani added.
30 participants in a yoga session were arrested during a private class, reports suggest, causing a buzz across the country’s social media.
It seems the class was a mixed-gender event, because the arrested people are both male and female.
Many mixed-gender activities are banned in Iran. The Islamic Republic’s officials consider them to be against Islamic culture and norms, especially during the holy month of Ramadan which ends in Tuesday, 5 June.
Practicing yoga is not illegal in Iran. According to Iran’s Yoga association dozens of yoga studios are operating in Iran.
This is not the first time that Iranian security service targets fitness classes.
On 2017, Iranian officials arrested six people because of teaching Zumba and trying to “change Islamic lifestyles” and “promote anti-Hijab activities”.
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