It is six in the morning. There is only the sound of birds chirping and the leaves rustling. The thoughts of deadlines melt away as I meditate under the watchful eye of Eesha, a Korean who has come all the way to India to pursue a career in yoga.
At 136.1 Yoga Studio, yoga gets a modern twist. Headed by a young team, consisting of Reejo Joy, Aravind, Eesha and Reeshikumar Santosh, it offers attractive packages that combine zumba with aerobics and yoga. There are also yoga boot camps where the participants run around like they do in the military, do aerobics and yoga. “You choose the combination that is comfortable for you,” says Reejo .
In the last few years, yoga centres have mushroomed in the city. The trainers are young, in their late 20s and early 30s. Reeshikumar says their main intention is to market yoga to the youngsters. “They should not get bored with the same asanas . So what’s wrong if they can combine it with zumba and aerobics,” he asks.
Reeshikumar has a Masters from Yoga Bharathi in Bihar and spent six years in South Korea teaching yoga to students at the Wonkwang University. It is the first digital university that offers online yoga courses and lectures. Eesha was his student there. She worked as a receptionist and the long hours took a toll on her health. “After I joined the course the change was tremendous. I was happier and healthier. I chucked my job and decided to become a yoga teacher,” she says. Eesha says that there is a big surge in the interest in yoga among Koreans. “It is a compulsory curriculum in many schools. The Korean council is also organising a yoga marathon in the country.”
The 20-year-old Integral Yoga Institute, set up by Sri Swami Satchidananda, in R.S. Puram has a more traditional approach to yoga. Trainers are in traditional attire and there is silence everywhere. In the meditation hall , 27-year old trainer Renuka is demonstrating soorya namaskar to her students who are taking a teachers’ training course. Renuka joined the institute at the age of 17 to become a receptionist. However, the positive influence of yoga on her physical and mental being made her decide to take up a career here. She also urged her 22-year-old sister Savithri, who has done her post graduation in social work, to join her. “Working with children with special needs is a part of my course. Yoga is used as a therapy in the institute for special children. There are so many NGOs now working in this direction,” says Savithri.
Yoga is indeed a lucrative career in the fitness field, says 21-year-old Satyakrishnan, a yoga trainer at Amrutha Yoga Centre in Sai Baba Colony. Satyakrishnan says an average trainer can earn up to Rs. 25,000 per month. “’Moreover you can go abroad. Yoga is so much in demand there.” With the schools organising yoga competitions , there is an increase in interest for yoga among students too, he says. “Many associations and schools are holding yoga competitions. The idea of winning prizes and certificates makes yoga all the more interesting for the kids. We also encourage them to take part in such events.”
At Isha Yoga Centre, young professionals and corporates who are looking for an alternative life style take to yoga for various reasons. Maa. Ayurtatwa , a Chennai based doctor, realised that there were limitations to physical medicine. She became a volunteer at the centre and now is the coordinator for yoga activities for the Coimbatore zone. She says, “I have become a more sensitive and aware person now.”Equal importance is given to theory and practice, here. “There are presentations, talks on Indian philosophy and intense mediation practices,” she says. She feels that there has been an increase in the intake of young crowd, who are in their mid 20s. “Many of them who join us as volunteers are from the software engineering field. These have chucked their well paying jobs to volunteer here. Some of them find it hard to adjust to the new routine. But we make sure we orient them well. And they find this a refreshing break from their busy lives.”
June 21, in Coimbatore…
Integral Yoga Institute conducts 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Isha Yoga Cente holds free yoga workshops on Sunday morning till evening at Peelamedu, Gandhipuram, Ganapathy, Selvapuram, Sundarapuram and Singanallur. For details, call 94868-94868 or visit http://isha.sadhguru.org/
Art of Living holds free yoga session at Race Course from 6.30 a.m. to 7.30 a.m.
Pranava Peetam Trust holds Yoga Marathon 2015 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Decathlon, Neelambur.
136.1 Yoga Studio, Trichy Road holds a session of pranayama and keerthans from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
