Master yoga for a living
YOGA WAS one of the most important subjects of study in our ancient schools of learning. Sages who practised yoga taught the same to their disciples. Yoga is a universal and evolutionary science that deals with philosophical as well as practical aspects of life. As per sage Patanjali, yoga involves eight steps. These steps make the mind still, calm, quiet and free from distractions. Now, a formal course in yoga set to address modern conditions is available.
Mangalore University offers a two-year postgraduate course (M.Sc) in Human Consciousness and Yogic Sciences. It is a four-semester course. Any graduate can get admission to the course through an entrance test conducted by the Department of Human Consciousness and Yogic Science. Eligible candidates can enrol for the Ph.D. programme in the same department, said K. Krishna Bhat, Professor and Chairman of the department.
The university is the first in Karnataka to start such a post-graduation course. The total intake is 24, with 12 general merit seats and 12 payment seats. So far, 40 students in five batches have passed out of the department. Of them, 27 are employed.
According to Mr. Bhat, those passing out can join ayurvedic and other hospitals as yoga therapists or can offer yoga therapy independently. Those who join hospitals get a monthly salary ranging from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 20,000 a month. Those who offer yoga therapy independently earn Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 a month depending on the area where they practice. A yoga therapist in Delhi earns Rs. 1 lakh a month.
Mr. Bhat, who was formerly Head of the Department of Yoga, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital at Manipal, said there is a huge demand for yoga therapists in foreign countries. Information Technology companies and others too conduct stress management programmes for their employees. Such companies look for yoga therapists.
Mr. Bhat, who is also honorary professor at Udupi Ayurvedic College, said that some of the students who have passed out of the department have joined hospitals such as Yogic and Naturopathy Hospital, Dharmasthala; Jindal's ayurvedic hospital at Bangalore; and the ayurvedic hospital at Bejai, Mangalore.
Many foreigners come to the country to learn yoga. A yoga ashrama in Mysore attracts nearly 2,000 foreigners annually.
UGC sanction
MANGALORE UNIVERSITY is one of the few in the country that offer a M.Sc. course in Human Consciousness and Yogic Sciences. The course has been on for the past five years.
The University Grants Commission has sanctioned the same course to nine other universities in the country. But it is immediately not known whether those universities have started the course.
The universities are Andhra University; Allahabad University; Karnatak University (Dharwad); Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); Gurukula Kangdi University, Haridwar; Chitrakoota University near Nasik; Bombay University; Bharatidasan University (Tamil Nadu); and Sagar University (Madhya Pradesh).
According to K. Krishna Bhat, Chairman of the Department of Human Consciousness and Yogic Sciences, Mangalore University, 63 universities in the country have yoga centres. But they do not give degrees; they teach yoga as per needs.
RAVIPRASAD KAMILA
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