Heels over heads in love with yoga

YOGA, though born in India, has made a bigger mark abroad in recent times. And now, it’s come a full circle, catching on with a vengeance in India, especially Mumbai. Yoga is no longer considered an age-old mysterious science, but is recognised as a holistic way of achieving mental and physical health amidst all the stresses and strains of urban life.
Yoga teachers say classes are full and waiting lists are getting longer.Such is the enthusiasm that renowned guru B K S Iyengar is opening a research institute dedicated to keeping yoga heritage alive at Lower Parel today.
Remarks yoga teacher Zubin Zarthoshtimanesh, who runs the Iyengar Yogabhyasa, “Though yoga has its origins here, it is achieving cult status in the West because of the tremendously positive health benefits. Yet, what yoga has to give is applicable everywhere. Nervous stress and strain are the same in the West and East. There is no Western diabetes or Eastern diabetes.� He adds, “Some Westerners, having benefited tremendously, are seeking to spread it with a missionary zeal. This renewed interest has made people look at our own heritage and discover its benefits.�
In fact, like all things American, the yoga revolution too has turned into big business. In Beverly Hills, Bikram Choudhury who calls himself the ‘Guru of the Stars,’ has trademarked his favourite yoga pose so nobody can teach it unless he gets a cut. In New York, Jivamukti Yoga Centre teaches 2,000 students a week and boasts of celebrity clients like actor Steve Martin and Monica Lewinsky.
Yoga centres exist even in South America — like the Ashthanga Yoga Centre in Chile — and Europe. But the revolution there leading to increased membership here is the “tragedy of yoga,� says Dr Jayadeva Yogendra, director of the 80-year-old Yoga Institute at Santa Cruz. On a positive note, he adds, “The interest of Americans may dwindle but the interest of Indians will remain.�
West or East, health disorders in urban areas are the same. Stress, psychosomatic disease and respiratory disorders draw a large number of people towards yoga to find solutions which modern day medicine cannot offer. Yoga classes are attended by a spectrum of people — teachers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, artists and dancers.
Says Ravi Dixit, a teacher at Kaivalyadhama Ishwardas Chunilal Yogic Health Centre, “Nowadays, everybody is into yoga since it’s so complete — mental and physical. Yoga is for anybody from age 9 to 99. Even in the West, in the last five years, it’s understood and accepted.�