“Yoga is not just physical exercise. It is a journey that leads to self-understanding and ensures mental well-being” states Ramesh Babu, head of the department at Andhra University’s Yoga and Consciousness. Popularly known as Yoga Village, the department was established in 1985.Ramesh who joined the institute as a yoga instructor over 25 years ago has been a witness to the growth of the department and how yoga has become popular with the city’s residents. When he decided to study yoga in the early 90s, he says he had no idea it would be a force the world would reckon with. “Yoga was looked on more as an exercise regimen of the elderly ,” he says. Today, all age groups attend his classes. From teenagers to senior citizens, everyone seems to have realised the importance of yoga.
Ramesh’s father, a school teacher who was an ardent practitioner of yoga introduced it to him. Right from his childhood he learnt asanas and practised them under the watchful eye of his father. Hence, it was no surprise when he decided to make a career out of it. He earned a diploma in Yoga from Vemana Yoga Research Institute. He followed that with a post graduation(diploma) from S V Yogadhyayana Kendram, Tirupati. In 1993, he joined the Institute of Yoga and Consciousness (known today as Department of Yoga and Consciousness).“The institute is one of its kind in the State,” says Ramesh with pride. it began by offering a three-month certificate course and today conducts seven full-fledged courses teaching Yoga. “While several universitiesoffer yoga courses as part of their department of physical education, Andhra University is a rare one that has a dedicated department for it,” he says. Adding to its charm is the fact that it has a four-acre lush green campus overlooking the waters of Bay of Bengal. Apart from the academic courses, the institute also offers general and therapeutic yoga classes to the public. “Anxiety, obesity and ailments are the three major factors that draw people towards yoga. Globally, people have started realising the power of yoga and are turning to it,” he says.
K Ramesh Babu, HOD of Yoga and Consciousness, Andhra University who has been working with there for the past 25 yearsduring a yoga session
In the past decade, yoga has metamorphosed from being a form of exercise to a lifestyle. June 21 is even declared as International Yoga Day. An increasing number of people find the asanas a perfect way to counter hours spent hunched over computers, says Ramesh. “When I joined this institute way back in 1993, there were hardly 50 students with four instructors. Today, we have over 500 people visiting the village each day to learn yoga. This is how much it has become a part and parcel of their lives.”
- Available courses at the Yoga Village:
- A three-month certificate course
- A six-month Diploma in Yoga
- A year long Post Graduation Diploma
- A two-year MA in Yoga and Consciousness (started in 2012)
- An M.Phil and PhD programmes
- Department of Yoga and Consciousness, Beach Road
- 0891 2566640
It was in the late 2000s that private yoga studios and classes started mushrooming in the city. “Most of the instructors at these studios are a product of Yoga Village,” smiles Ramesh.
The demand for Yoga will only increase as lives get busier, believes Ramesh. “In the midst of hectic routines, yoga provides people stillness and peace.”
(Living Vizag is a weekly column that profiles people who makes this city special, and explore it through their eyes.)
