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Tuning body and mind

Many people in the city are turning to Yoga to shape up, reports MANU REMAKANT

REJUVENATING Yoga is becoming a way of life

Whether it is to get rid of stress or to tone up the body, more and more people are turning to Yoga to tune their body and mind. Thus early morning finds many men, women and children learning to breathe, meditate and exercise at different places in the city. A fad?

"No, it is not a fad. They can't stand the stress in modern life," feels Veena, director of Sivananda Yoga Center.

Still sceptical? Come to the yoga centres in the city to witness the crowded halls, mornings and evenings.

So who needs yoga? P.K. Jayarus, Head of Holistic Medicine and Stress Research Unit, Trivandrum Medical College, says, "Illnesses result in a lot of stress among patients. We found that Yoga makes them more harmonised to deal with problems, physical and psychological."

So what about healthy people? Again, stress is the villain.

" Pressure, heart diseases, alcoholism, suicides... stress plays a role in all problems. So we offer yoga to healthy people to make them comfortable with themselves," explains Dr. Jayarus who introduced Yoga sessions in Trivandrum Medical College in 2000.

Individual sessions

Vasudeva Vilasom Nursing Home and Bethany Nature Cure and Yoga Center also teach Yoga to help deal with the diseases of the mind and the body.

R.P. Rahul, consultant physician, Vasudeva Vilasom Nursing home, explains, "We conduct a few sessions with the patient to understand his problems. For instance there are different asanas for indigestion and an entirely different set for diabetes."

It is this curative aspect of Yoga that has attracted many to make it a way of life. A fact emphasised by Father Philip Neri, naturopathy physician of Bethany Ashram who has specialised in yoga. "It is a way of life that Pathanjali prescribed for mankind."

Inspired by Yoga, Father Neri travelled to many places in India to acquire the techniques of Yoga before he began his sessions in Bethany Yoga Center in 1976.

"The only thing we insist is a strict vegetarian diet and a commitment to the true spirit of Yoga." He discounts the relation between yoga and religion.

However, Sivananda Yoga Center at Fort stresses on the need to communicate spiritual values along with Yoga.

Says Veena: "We have satsang sessions, meditation programmes, Sanskrit classes; in fact everything that is part of the Indian culture. Yoga is not putting your body into fancy postures. First, you have to prepare your mind for that. If you are not comfortable with your posture, how can you relax your mind?" she asks.

Tara Laju who runs Yuj Wellness Centre in Kanakanagar, agrees with Veena's view.

"My students are taught asanas only after a number of exercises to tone up the body. It is very important to have personal sessions with the individual before we proceed."

Many go for Yoga to trim their body, and to shed weight. "Weight reduction is a supplementary product. Yoga make you comfortable with yourself," says Tara.

In addition to teaching Yoga, many of the centres also teach pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation techniques. Some centres have separate sessions for women and children.

Although centres claiming to teach Yoga are mushrooming all over the city, some of the practitioners feel that much more is needed to make people aware of the benefits of Yoga.

"It is not enough," says Dr. Rahul who is sure that there will come a time when Indians will have to seek the help of foreigners to learn Yoga.

"See, I am an example," says Veena, who was born and brought up in South Africa.

"I was initiated into Yoga six years back." Veena finds it amusing to see the reaction of her students when they see that their teacher is not an Indian. It is not only the residents in the city who are making a beeline for Yoga centres. Many tourists also try to get acquainted with Yoga during their stay in the city.

Sreelal Sankar, medical officer, Somatheeram Ayurvedic Hospital, says that some tourists find out the number of days they would have to stay in the city to be treated for various ailments. "We offer Yoga sessions along with other treatments depending on their ailment," adds Dr. Sreelal.

However, the city has not yet evolved as a business centre for Yoga. Many of the teachers do it as a service. "Since my childhood I have been practising Yoga. I do not see it as a way to earn my livelihood," says Tara.

Sivananda Ashram, which has many centres around the world, is a voluntary organisation thriving on donations and not on fees. For Bethany Center also it is more of a service.

It is clear that many residents are heads over heels in love with Yoga and their numbers are growing.

Soaking in the sun

Every morning before sunrise, nearly a hundred people gather at Putharikandam Maidan to wait for the first rays of the sun.

All participants of The Surya Yog foundation, established in Mumbai by the Suryathejasi, are there to soak in the sun.

The foundation began functioning in the city on March 23. There is no fee for this `course.' The participants are required to watch the rising sun for a few minutes. They are required to visualise themselves drawing energy directly from the sun to purify themselves. After the sun salutation they do different kriyas to pep up the body. Clapping their hands is one method.

"There are thousands of nerve endings at the tip of our fingers. You charge them by clapping your hands," says Manoj Manacaud, coordinator of the foundation in the city.

The onset of the monsoon does not dampen their enthusiasm. They plan to continue their sessions under a roof.

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