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Taste of the yogic tonic

Photo: M. Moorthy

Stretching hard To keep fit

Yoga, they say, is the path towards attaining a beautiful spirit and a stress-free life. But I am outside an yoga centre in the hope of attaining Kareena Kapoor’s much-awed ‘size zero’. Enthusiastically I reach the Amirtha Yoga Cent re much before other students walk in. Waiting for the class to kick up, my impatience shows up and I blurt out the inevitable to trainer P. Vijay Kumar: “How much I need to work down to size zero?” He returns a disapproving look: “Yoga is not just about losing weight. It’s about staying fit.”

“But doesn’t losing weight mean staying fit?” I persist. “Not really, look at the normal-built people doing wonders with yogasanas.” No further argument I unfurl the mat to take position. With the warm-ups on, Vijay Kumar explains how yoga primarily corrects one’s postures, among other benefits. “Students in particular, who sit for hours in uncomfortable seats, bending down on their notes, Yoga helps to strengthen their spine.”

Now we are on to serious business. The neck gets a thorough workout with snail-paced movements followed by the hands, legs and the hip. I finish the last exercise, swirling the body, with an I-made-it grin. To my surprise, I find the rest of the class still at the first one, on neck movement. I can’t hide my glee but the master cuts me short, “Yoga is all about sustenance. It has to be done at a slow tempo. You will pick it up with time.” Most posture-correcting exercises in yoga have complementary exercises. For instance, Padahasthana, where one bows down to touch the feet, has to be followed with Artachakrasana, which requires bending backwards. Both strengthen the spine, improve digestive capacity and trim abdominal girth. I am not in a mood to give up and dutifully try them all.

There are few self-complementary exercises like ‘arthamastyandrasana,’ where one is required to twist the body in the opposite direction of the folded legs. I manage this one too and my new found optimism hits a high only to crash down soon.

For, the students next curved backwards into a full arch, touching the ground with palms. My head feels heavy and I stagger while bending 10 degrees backward. I regain my position and quickly move on to the next asana, which turns out to be even more tough. But rest of the team members do the “sarvanganasa” effortlessly, lifting their legs up and balancing their weight on shoulders. For me, the best part of the class turns out to be the rounding-off “shavasanasa.” It is simple as we lie on the mat stock-still for 10 minutes, a yogic way of unwinding after the workout. “Practice will bring in the flexibility,” Vijay Kumar assures me as I take leave, feeling a sparkle of delight all over. Perhaps size zero and poised posture aren’t far off really.

If interested, contactVijay Kumar on 98424 12247

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