A life-changing pose

KOCHI: When Sudhakaran K A, a native of Thiruvamkulam in Ernakulam, approached yoga master S Rajendran sometime in 2013, he was looking for a solution to something that had been bothering him for a while -- he was overweight, diabetic and had sleep issues.“I was not able to control my diet,” he says. Though he was overweight in his 20s, his weight kept increasing, even after his marriage, says Sudhakaran. He tried other physical activities to reduce his weight, before turning to yoga.

“I used to walk briskly from my home in Thiruvankulam to Chottanikkara and back, a distance of six kilometres every day. But, it was in vain,” he explains.Around this time, a friend informed him about the benefits of yoga in reducing weight and disciplining life, thereby creating better dietary habits. The friend suggested him to attend Rajendran’s yoga class at Sri Ramakrishna Math in Vyttila, Kochi.

Sudhakaran, then aged 50, finally began his yoga classes under the tutelage of Rajendran on March 1, 2013. More than seven years into yoga, the changes are visible. His weight has decreased from 91 kgs to 65 kgs and at 57 years now, he is fit as a fiddle. Sudhakaran’s food habits have drastically changed. Before yoga, he used to primarily consume non-vegetarian food, but now he is strictly adhering to what he calls a ‘sattvic diet’ which includes brown rice, millets, salads and fruits.

He now wakes up at 4.30 am, does yoga for about an hour, a regimen that he has been following for the last seven years.Yoga master Rajendran says yoga is a way of life. “Many people practise yoga to achieve various purposes,” he says. “What Sudhakaran has achieved is through sheer dedication,” says the yoga master, who was featured in ‘The Real Marigold’, the BBC series inspired by the 2011 British blockbuster movie by the same name. Rajendran also conducts yoga training in the USA, UK, Australia, Israel, Dubai and Sharjah.

Sudhakaran adds that he has stopped taking medicine for diabetics, after consulting his doctor. Further, he has also been able to rediscover the joy of having a good sleep. “I wind up my day early and hit the bed at 9.30 pm,” he says.At a time when many Keralites are battling lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and geriatric problems yoga could be a long-term solution.