“The principle of yoga is to unbend the C posture we adopt most of the day. Yoga teaches self -discipline and moderation”, says Lieutenant General (Retd.) Zameer Uddin Shah, the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, who himself has been practicing yoga for more than four decades and admits “having reaped the fruit of this form of exercise.” The C posture, as the shape of this English letter suggests, is the posture when our spine is rounded forward. A term used in golf, C posture can afflict teachers, students, researchers and other professionals who have to sit long hours at their desk with incorrect posture, and not necessarily golfers when they address the ball. The habitual rounding of back can lead to discomfort in some cases and to chronic back problems in others. Experts suggest that the problem of hunchback posture can be corrected not simply by adopting a correct posture but by regular exercise.
Shah’s solution is based on sound reason and personal experience. Ever since he took charge of the University he has paid special attention to physical fitness, and that includes his interest in yoga. Last year on the International Yoga Day he led his team of teachers and students to perform yoga. This year also efforts are afoot to organise a special yoga session on 21 June which is likely to be attended by a sizable number of university teachers and students. The falling of Yoga Day during the summer vacation presents a problem before the university administration but the event is still likely to be well-attended as was the case last year.
