Yoga all the way!

Today Yoga has evolved and has taken various forms and many people are taking up it as a profession and imparting the knowledge of yoga. In the city, we found myriad institutes which teach different types of yoga like Hatha Yoga, Power Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Traditional Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Aerial Yoga, Acro Yoga and Astanga Yoga. All these forms are hit among people and there is a visible growth in the number of health enthusiasts veering towards it be it any form.

We spoke to a few professionals about the different forms, experience and craze of yoga today in Hyderabad. Pratibha Agarwal is the founder, director and instructor of Anahata Yoga Zone, located in Trimulgherry, Sainikpuri and Kothaguda. She has over seven years of experience in teaching yoga to students aged between six – 85. She teaches different forms of yoga such as Hatha Yoga, Power Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Traditional Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Aerial Yoga, Acro Yoga and Pilates.

Sharing about her experience Pratibha said, “After my marriage, I had put on a lot of weight so I joined yoga and then decided to take it up as a profession. I used to do yoga since my childhood. And that’s how I wanted to know how yoga is helping people in leading a healthy life.” “Many people liked my classes and from there, members started increasing and then I started my studio ‘Anahata Yoga Zone’ in Trimulgherry in 2011.

We grew from strength to strength, and within a short span of three years, in July 2013, we set up our second studio in Sainikpuri, to cater to our growing client base. Our classes are specially designed to expand and deepen the students’ experience of yoga. More than 1,500 people come to learn yoga and some of them have taken it as a profession too,” she added.

Explaining about the different forms of yoga she said, “We do all forms of yoga. It is a multiplex studio. Every form has something special in it for example in ‘Iyengar Yoga’ we use a lot of props and it helps to open up the body and build up more flexibility. Props like a chair, pillow, and small table are used while practising it.

‘Acro yoga’ is more dynamic like Bikram, Vinyasa or Ashtanga. It develops stamina and strength in the muscles and joints. Yin yoga is comprised of seated or lying down postures. This practice emphasises work on the tendons, ligaments and fascia of the hips, legs and lower back. I always advocate ‘Yin Yoga’ because it is very essential as we are always in physical or mental stress and it has become a part of our daily life, and Yin Yoga helps in overcoming these problems.

The poses are typically held for a longer duration (2 to 5 minutes), and the pacing and transitions are much slower. The idea is to stretch deeply and then hold the stretch, finding and staying with your "edge" in the pose. This can sometimes feel pretty intense but will result in greatly enhanced flexibility in the long run.

‘Aerial Yoga’ is done using hammocks and it is very gentle on muscles and joints, which makes it a great choice for people of all levels of fitness. Aerial yoga provides deep stretch and a workout for the whole body; decompressing the spine as the body hangs freely. It allows a practitioner to access deep backbends and inversions without strain.”

“When I adopted these 8 years back there was only one form of yoga and there were no yoga studios near my area but now it is almost four to five yoga centres and that shows how much it has grown,” she concluded. Sunny, a student of Prathiba was diagnosed with annular disc bulges in his cervical and lumbar spine.

Most of the doctors suggested him to take epidural injections or suggested surgery which scared him. After trying various medications and treatments like Sujok, acupuncture, homoeopathy, allopathic, etc, he decided to try yoga as a last resort. “I went to Prathiba with my medical reports and did a few personalised classes with her. I could immediately see the difference in two weeks and that motivated me to continue with different types of yoga. I currently practice Ashtanga and Aerial yoga,” he shared.

“It has been more than two years since I have taken any painkillers. It has also motivated several people like me to practice yoga. Hyderabad is still way behind, but for a city this big where people are running in a corporate rat race - Yoga has found its way into their hearts. Yoga is not just about your physical health, it also teaches us to be humble, to be appreciative of what we are and who we are. It's a journey to knowing yourself,” he added.

Freelance Yoga instructor Susheel Jain completed MBA from the University of Hyderabad and worked as a Financial Analyst in an MNC. And, as a part-time job he has been teaching from 2009 at hotels, health care institutes and corporates. Tapping into his passion and after being certified by the International Yoga Alliance in 2015, he has taken up the mission to impart this venerable lifestyle to the people, who wish to adopt a healthy and conscious living.

“I have been practising Yoga since one year and Vinyasa, a form of yoga that involves a continuous flow of various Asanas while coordinating one's breath, for over three years. I feel people are more health oriented now and want to adopt yoga as it is more holistic and it helps to cure a lot of lifestyle diseases and also keeps the weight in check. I feel many more efforts should be taken to make yoga accessible to middle and lower class people and there is a need for good yoga teachers.”

Ramya, yoga instructor said, “I don’t have my own yoga studio but I usually take yoga classes every two weeks at Infinity Yoga Studio, Jubilee Hills. I teach Hatha yoga and Ashtanga yoga and a mixture of traditional yoga. I am doing it for eight years and took it up as a profession since two years. Those who want to stay healthy and fit should definitely take up yoga.”

By Heena Mishra