Not just the spiritually minded city folks, yoga and its newer hybrid versions are drawing the attention of many young professionals who are seeking to look beyond the swanky gyms to a more holistic approach to wellbeing and fitness.
With the United Nations declaring June 21 as the International Day of Yoga after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a global celebration of yoga, it has further helped to spread awareness of the many mental, physical and spiritual benefits of this ancient practice. Several new trends of yoga have come up taking a fresh look at how to practise and a new way of finding your Zen. One of the trends that has picked up pace in the city is that of Vinyasa flow yoga, a style of yoga characterised by stringing postures together so that you move from one to another, fluidly.
Colourful yoga mats are drawn out at a fitness studio at the Naval Base in Dolphins Hill. Here a group of young women, standing with their spine straight, are all set for a 60-minute Vinyasa flow yoga following the instructions of yoga trainer Mahua Deb.
Back in the city at Starlite Nutrition and Wellness Centre, Peda Waltair, Ms Deb attends to another batch of young professionals and homemakers who follow a series of yoga asanas to the beats of progressive trance music. “This is one of the latest trends of yoga and has caught on well, especially with young age group of 20s and 30s,” said Ms Deb, who has been practising yoga from her childhood.
After topping the batch in the PG Diploma in Yoga from Andhra University, the 40-year-old has been conducting classes at various places in the city and has also conducted yoga workshop for corporates.
“For youngsters, especially adolescents, yoga helps immensely in posture correction and helps the individual to be confident, besides its mental benefits like strengthening memory power,” she added. The new forms of yoga like Vinyasa flow has a series of asanas done in a row, breaking the slow monotony of yoga asanas.
“This element of fluidity finds many takers among the youngsters,” she added. The market today has several yoga accessories like yoga props and bands that help the practitioners to get the ‘perfect’ yoga posture. According to Ms Deb, yoga props helps in being motivated and the music adds a sense of fluidity.
Fitness regime
For 29-year-old Rashmi Srivastava, gynaecologist, Vinyasa and power yoga came in as a big help to address her weight issues. “I had suddenly gained 10 kgs within a span of a month after being detected with thyroid. Being a national-level sportsperson, it came as a rude shock. I tried gym and Zumba, but soon developed joint pains due to low calcium count. With Vinyasa yoga, you can really burn calories fast and helped me get back in shape,” said Dr Shrivastava, who never misses her yoga sessions.
Many yoga practitioners say incorporating newness in yoga helps keep them stay motivated and continue with the fitness regime. The Vinyasa yoga is also an effective practice for breathing smooth and body toning as it involves movement and stretching of all body parts.