The Anna Nagar Tower clock strikes 6 a.m. I quietly place my shoes on one side, and sit next to a middle-aged woman. Eyes closed, she presses her right thumb on her right nostril. I carefully ape what she does. Someone in the front, 10 rows ahead, shouts instructions: “Inhale...Exhale…” Now, her middle and ring fingers press the left nostril. I am still looking at her, when she opens her eyes and reels back, shocked. “Is this your first yoga class?” she whispers. I want to tell her that I’ve sat through enough classes back in school, but it is too late. She stands up and waves at the instructor, one nostril still closed.
I’m upgraded to the first row; at an arm’s length from the instructor, and between two sexagenarians. Breathing exercises done, the lot — a majority of them are over 40 years old — is suddenly on its hands and knees, heads raised upwards, like a hip freestyle dance move. That’s easy, I think, until all of them stick their tongues out and growl in the Simhasana (lion face). Hot with shame, I give out a hesitant roar. Following this, things get a little sweaty. Lying on our backs, facing the sky that is slowly turning blue, we are asked to lift our legs, first individually, then both together; we cycle, circle and wiggle them in thin air.
An hour later, we lie motionless with our legs and hands spread apart, in Savasana or the corpse pose. The instructor’s lullaby — “relax your hand, palm, fingers...feet” — intermittently fades out. But soon, everyone is back in Padmasana (lotus posture) and Vajrasana (kneeling on heels), and chant a small prayer to heal the world. The mats are folded and shoes laced up. The group will be here tomorrow, and the days after, at 5.45 a.m., to repeat the whole process again.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, a fit elderly man sits on a side bench, watching. T.S. Duraiswamy, 78, one of the senior-most instructors in the area, is at the park at the same time every day “to oversee the sessions and clear the doubts of participants”. Sometimes, the number is over 100; sometimes less than 20. The classes go on, irrespective. Duraiswamy claims that he was trained under Baba Ramdev himself, at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 15 years ago. “Six of us got trained, and came back with a simple plan: spread the ancient wisdom across Tamil Nadu,” he says. And, they did. In the early 2000s, Duraiswamy and his group made trips to Tiruchi, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Coimbatore, Ranipet and Erode, picking a handful of those interested, training them and slowly whipping up a yoga revolution — far from the sophisticated boutiques and air-conditioned fitness studios mushrooming parallely.
“In the city, we were the first to use public spaces for yoga. In batches of 60, we incubated organised yoga classes in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Anna Nagar, T. Nagar, Pallavaram, Chromepet, Ashok Nagar, CMBT, Mylapore… Once that was done, we charted a timetable and distributed classes among the six of us,” he recalls. “Whenever we got requests from people in a new area, or even colonies, we took it up; I still do — all for free. In 2011, there was a move by then Mayor M. Subramanian to pay all instructors on a monthly basis, but it never really took off,” says Duraiswamy, who now conducts paid personal yoga sessions at homes and for corporates, besides a free Sunday class at the park.
Now, there are around 150 centres — including small ones in places such as Kaveri Rangan Park in Saligramam and a bigger one in Nageswara Rao Park, Mylapore. “The instructors meet up monthly to discuss areas of improvement; during the Guru Purnima Day celebrations in June; and occasional training camps,”says R. Krishnan, who used to train at the Natesa Nagar Park, Virugambakkam, for over seven years, till he donated a kidney two years ago. A relatively smaller park, the 6 a.m. crowd here is more diverse. Kids, teenagers and women in saris occupy the first few rows.
R. Chinnaiah, instructor for the day, is giving tips to a fresher to cope with his back ache. Besides belting out instructions about asanas, instructors are equipped with knowledge about how much and what best to eat according to one’s age. The ideal routine, according to them, is: Wake up at 3 a.m., drink a quarter litre of water, freshen up, and do yoga (includes chanting Om, Surya Namaskar, and Pranayama) between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. “But 6 a.m. is good enough,” he reassures. “The air is pure and fresh after a lull in traffic during the night.”
Yoga has helped chain-smokers kick the butt, and given life to those with suicidal tendencies. Practise everyday, and in due time, your immunity increases, the lungs get clearer, your organs function better, digestion improves, blood pressure is controlled, the memory gets sharper, the skin glows…they say. It’s hard to believe, but it wouldn’t take a penny to find out.
Pump up for yoga
Location Find a park nearest to your place — there is probably a class happening there every morning. While there are a few evening classes in places such as Trustpuram, most yoga sessions begin at 5.45 a.m.
Rules There is no registration (mats are also provided in most places). Just show up in comfortable clothes, and carry a water bottle.
Why a park? According to a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , feelings of vigour and vitality are increased when people spend time outdoors. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that beautiful scenery, as compared to closed walls, helps generate feel-good hormones. Plus, there is free flow of oxygen.
