Yoga catching up in Hyderabad city

Hyderabad: Yoga is being taken seriously and how! According to the Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Vedanta Centre, about 8,000 practitioners opt yoga as a profession every year in the city. The number could be much more as there is no study undertaken.

In the last few years, a number of yoga institutes have sprung up in the city, each offering a type of yoga. Madhu Nair, a nutritionist, says, "There is so much awareness now and one can choose from Power Yoga to Ashtanga Yoga Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Jivamukhi Yoga, Sivananda Yoga and many more."

Yoga is considered more as a profession than a hobby in Hyderabad, say Sadhgurus, yoga practitioners and founders of yoga institutes. Derived from the Sankrit word 'yuj' which means 'to unite or integrate,' yoga is a 5,000-year-old Indian body of knowledge. Art of Living and the Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Vedanta Centre list out more than 8000 practitioners every year opting yoga as a profession in India.

Vanibala, Yoga Trainer and member of Art of Living, says, "Yoga is loved by all age groups. Mostly women along with her children are preferring to come for yoga these days. Yoga is turning as a profession. At over 120 branches of ours in India, at each centre we observe at least of five professional practitioners coming out." "Yoga sets straight the mind and empowers positivity within human mind" she adds.

Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Vedanta Centre has 830 branches all over India. It says 3-5 practitioners from every batch are choosing yoga as profession. "Yoga is the solution to all the present problems of mankind like disintegration of families and social systems and disturbed mind, because of which ailments, violence, ecological imbalance etc happen.

Yoga in our Kendra is not presented as yoga therapy but a way of life, which would bring about paradigm shift, which would change the present reductionist way of life and bring Integral holistic way of life," says Ravi Sharma, Yoga Trainer, Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Vedanta Centre. Speaking of yoga for all age groups, Madhu, a Yoga trainer, says kids are excited about yoga and women take it seriously for health development and older adults who practise it are more likely to be in better mental and physical shape.

Age gracefully

Yoga helps facilitate ageing gracefully and for many reasons every age group loves yoga and thus it's growing more as a profession. Older people can be in the midst of pretty big life changes such as going from work to retirement, children leaving home and bodies changing. It brings everything into a state of balance. "People often also say it helps with aches and pains, high blood pressure." she added.

Food rules for yoga

A healthy diet is crucial when you practise any physical exercise intensely. According to yogis and the trainers, diet is an integral part of yoga. "Knowledge of 'Amruthahara' will help to attain best results along with yoga, nuts and guards packed with disease-fighting antioxidants and rich in fiber that helps keep hunger at bay, thus adding these in the diet will benefit health for yoga practitioners," says Dr Bhavani, Superintendent, Nature Cure Hospital. "Following a schedule and balance diet everyday will ease and cure half of abnormalities, Yoga shouldn't be practiced immediately after lunch but must have 2 and half hour time gap" she added.

Yoga controls diabetes type-2

Yoga can do more than just relax your body in mind especially if you're living with diabetes. Certain poses may help lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels while also improving circulation, Regular practice may even help reduce your risk for other complications of diabetes, such as heart disease.

"Yoga practice is useful in the management of various lifestyle diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Psycho-neuro-endocrine and immune mechanisms are involved in the beneficial effects of yoga on diabetes. Yoga participation has been correlated with fruit and vegetable intake, as well as improved eating habits and mindful eating practices," according to Sujatha Stephen, Nutritionist, Yashoda Hospital. Meditation and ability to heighten mindfulness may be beneficial in controlling binge-eating patterns. Mindful eating in diabetes has shown to facilitate improvements in dietary intake, modest weight loss, and glycemic control, she added.