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Here a stretch, there a stretch
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S.N. Omkar's yoga classes are so popular that even cricket celebs and ace athletes like P.T. Usha seek his expert advice
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Sachin Tendulkar gets a few tips from Dr. Omkar
JUST LIKE a gazillion other Indians, what S.N. Omkar really loves is a good cricket match. He watches them carefully on television, noticing every player's forearm movement, stress on their feet, bounce, and body posture. He, especially, waits for the replays to check exactly how their bodies move. But while a gazillion other Indians merely heave a collective sigh or cheer as play progresses, Dr. Omkar saves his comments for the player of the Indian cricket team who solicits his expert advice.
Dr. Omkar is the Indian team's yoga instructor. He's been in the business 25 years and has been teaching sportspersons yoga for the last 12 years. He initially worked with Brijesh Patel, training local talent, but soon met Srinath and Kumble, offering them help with injuries and yoga techniques to prevent further mishaps.
Whenever the Indian cricket team was in Bangalore, Dr. Omkar would conduct sessions with them individually. And then in May 2000, it was official: Dr. Omkar began taking class for the whole team as they trained for the World Cup.
Saurav's boys trained in the B.K.S. Iyengar system of yoga, since that's what Dr. Omkar practises. He says it's especially useful for sportspersons, because "simple props are used judiciously in this system. Since sports is basically asymmetrical, core stability is fundamental to an injury free sports session." Dr. Omkar admits he faced "some inhibition" when he began taking yoga classes 10 years ago at a World Cup camp; many cricketers didn't really accept the importance of yoga. But now, he says, youngsters seek him out, realising that yoga is "both physiology and psychology; the breathing and relaxing works on both body and mind, making you calm while active and active while calm."
Former athlete P.T. Usha and the Indian archery team have been beneficiaries of Dr. Omkar's yoga techniques, and, analysing his special fascination with yoga for sports people, he says he only realised how potent his yoga was when he began working with Srinath and Kumble, devising asanas (stretches) tailor-made to their injuries and needs. He then realised there was a lot yoga could do, and now he is fascinated with yoga for sport.
Apart from conducting a one-week training session exclusively for pace bowlers (who apparently place on their ankle a weight that is six to eight times their body weight), Dr. Omkar has innovated with traditional yoga to come up with special postures to enhance flexibility, prevention of injury as well as yoga for rehab. Although Dr. Omkar doesn't travel with the Indian team, he seems pleased that current coach John Wright and physiotherapist Gregory King are taking yoga seriously enough to insist on regular sessions. King apparently also plays a CD Dr. Omkar made, so that team members can play it and practise.
Bangaloreans can learn yoga from Dr. Omkar at his classes every evening at the Yoga Mandir in Banashankari, apart from which he has hosted his own show for the past five years on Udaya TV. It's still on at 6.30 a.m. everyday.
At a more academic level, Dr. Omkar, who has already published papers on Sports Dynamism at a sports conference in Melbourne, wants to look at the impact of yoga on sports in more depth. He wants to measure its effect on heart rate, blood pressure, and endurance through scientific studies, which would require funding and research through teamwork.
You can contact Dr. Omkar at yogaomkar@yahoo.com.
HEMANGINI GUPTA
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