With asanas specially designed for them, children bend their bodies the yogic way

Mumbai: Kids of all ages converged onto Marine Drive early Sunday morning, brimming with excitement to contort their bodies the yogic way. Far from running amuck, as children as young as 5 are wont to do, these tots were able to channel their energies to fuller effect at Yoga by the Bay, some of them learning for the first time, the playful goodness of this ancient discipline.Bringing her daughters all the way from Andheri was Jigna Sanghvi, who hoped to inspire them into the practice. “I’ve been doing yoga since my childhood when I was taught by my father, and it has always helped bring me peace of mind, bust stress and provide energy,” she said. “Now my kids can learn in this beautiful setting.”
The asanas were specifically tailored for kids, who followed a programme called ‘Grow Tall with Mickey Mehta’. “What we instil into kids today in terms of wellness will be their fundamental foundation for growth tomorrow,” explained Mehta, adding, “They will become more optimistic, more constructive in their behaviour, and all this from outdoor exercise and yoga because when you breathe in fresh oxygen, the child develops a different perspective that helps with immunity and digestion as well.”
On the last Sunday of every month since July last year, thousands of people have thronged the sea face, yoga mats in hand, for Yoga by the Bay, a joint initiative by Shaina NC, her father Nana Chudasama’s NGO I Love Mumbai and holistic health guru Mickey Mehta, which is supported by The Times of India. “You know in Mumbai, I have two kids myself and I see that they’re just couch potatoes only into junk food, so I think yoga just nullifies it,” said BJP politician Shaina NC.
“The event started after the tremendous response to World Yoga Day on June 21 when around 8,000 people came out despite the rain,” Shaina NC added. The 1.3km stretch extends from Pizza By The Bay at Kilachand Chowk to the Marine Drive flyover. In the past, themes have ranged from ‘Yoga for senior citizens’ – Mehta had designed a special workout for the occasion – to ‘Clean Mumbai, Green Mumbai,’ which was marked by the distribution of saplings.
Specially-abled children from The Spastics Society of India, now known as ADAPT (Able Disabled All People Together), practised up front, enjoying the exercise with full vigour. “Yoga has been part of our curriculum from the beginning, It helps these kids calm down and focus, like meditation,” said Reshma Tandon, special educator and deputy director at ADAPT. “We don’t know what’s going on inside of them sometimes, as kids with celebral palsy might not be able to communicate, but yoga helps calm them.”
Also in attendance were celebrities like actor and emcee Rashmi Nigam, who has become a regular at the event, as well as actress Amrit Raichand who brought along her son. “I do yoga four times a week and believe it benefits you to the max. My son has done it before in school, but he’s terrible at it, and I thought what better opportunity to teach him than here,” she said.
BJP MLA Raj Purohit came by to participate, having first experienced the event at its inauguration. “I am very impressed with this initiative,” he said. “It’s not just me, I know people in the area also love it and I’m glad to have supported it from the beginning. I feel that this kind of movement should exist all over Mumbai.”