Visakhapatnam: Breathe in.. breathe out...for a holistic health

Visakhapatnam : From enhancing flexibility to managing temper, reducing back pain to improving core strength, calming the mind to leading a stress-free life and boosting productivity levels, the list of benefits yoga practitioners derive seems to be lengthy.

As India is bracing for the ninth ‘International Day of Yoga’ on June 21, professionals from diverse backgrounds share how the ancient practice has transformed the way they perceive things, handle day-to-day life stress-free and enhance their overall wellbeing, connecting mind, body and soul.

In a fast-paced life where time is an ever-elusive factor, Vuppada Venkatesh, a software engineer, lays emphasis on stealing time to invest in oneself. “Brushing aside time for exercising is a constraint for many. But the desk job that I am into requires long sitting hours. However, it did come at a price as I developed back pain very soon. Before it took control over me, I wanted to control it. That’s when I got introduced to yoga,” explains Venkatesh. With a combination of diet that excludes white rice along with a set of asanas and pranayama, yoga has not only provided relief to the 30-year-old software engineer in more ways than one but also increased his productivity level way better.

Although the result that yoga practitioners experience is pretty slow, they underline the fact that they are certain to emerge with a positive outcome. “There is a need to choose the right set of asanas, breathing techniques followed by a few minutes of meditation. Each body demands attention and it varies from person to person. Yoga aids in making the spine stretch and improves core strength. It is highly recommended for today’s kids whose life is far too stressful than how it used to be for us when we were younger,” compares M Panduranga Kumari, a radiation oncologist, who has been practicing yoga for the past nine years.

Five years back, PV Achari, who has been into the profession of tailoring for the past 25 years, found it challenging to keep his temper in check. “I just could not manage my temper. The staff found it tough to work with me as I made their life difficult too due to my uncontrollable temper. But after four years of practicing yoga, it’s a different story now,” admits Achari. Today, his long-standing team sees a transformed master who is much calmer and cool and handles any challenging situation with ease.

The after effects of Covid-19 made Bhawana Agarwal Kadiri, a pre-primary teacher, pretty weak. “Apart from gaining a lot of weight, I suffered from bloating and gastric problems. My health condition used to make me more irritable. Treating myself to an hour-long yoga session made me get rid of health problems. Eventually, I became much healthier and efficient at work,” elaborates the 38-year-old teacher, who practices yoga for the past three years.

As a number of youngsters are now looking forward to yoga as a holistic workout regimen, founder of Aum Free Yoga Centre Chilaka Venkata Ramesh says that those aged between 25-30 years are now suffering from a plethora of lifestyle diseases. “Asanas combined with pranayama techniques work wonders on one’s body and mind. When practiced regularly, it not only builds physical strength but also mental toughness. With many falling prey to depression and stress-laden life nowadays, yoga serves as a great tool to relieve them from such problems and allows practitioners to see a positive perspective in everything they deal with,” shares Venkata Ramesh. Besides the umpteen health benefits yoga provides, the trainers say, one can also exercise control over distractions and weaknesses by following the ancient regimen.