Ten years back Feroze and Sameer Khan opened their yoga centre in Brussels, starting initially in the auditorium of the Indian embassy. Today, they are household names in the European Union (EU) circles on yoga.

In a run-up to the International Day of Yoga on 21 June, Sameer Khan led a special yoga session in Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission, in the Belgian capital on Thursday. Among those who participated was Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU’s trade commissioner.

Feroze and Sameer Khan hail from Pune and learnt their yoga from the famed BKS Iyengar. They are certified yoga trainers from the Bikram Yoga College of India in the Los Angeles and are affiliated yoga instructors at the European Commission since 2006.

As Feroze Khan heads to New Delhi to participate in the International Conference on Yoga being organised to mark the International Day of Yoga, analysts opined that their role in extending India’s soft power in Europe will certainly be acknowledged.

The elder Feroze is now successfully running Bikram Yoga centres also in Frankfurt in Germany. He has developed a very large following and has taught more that 15,000 students in groups and through individual classes.