Lucknow: Rediscovering the joy of living with mass yoga class

LUCKNOW: In lush green surroundings and amid sacred chants of ‘Om’, a motley crowd of fitness enthusiasts discovered the beauty of body, mind and soul as they inhaled peace and exhaled worries to mark the International Day of Yoga.
The 11 city recreation zones — including Begum Hazrat Mahal Park, Ram Manohar Lohia Park, Janeshwar Mishra Park and Aurobindo Park — that hosted yoga sessions from 6am to 8am on Friday witnessed a total footfall of over 2,500.Participants came armed with colourful mats and chic yoga accessories while organisers — LDA, LMC and Awas Vikas — made arrangements for light refreshment that included fruit juice.
Age no bar
Septuagenarian Krishna Kumar was among the 500-odd yoga buffs bending and twisting at Begum Hazrat Mahal Park. At 72, his limbs are weak and his eyesight poor, but that doesn’t deter his determination to practise yoga every day. “Asanas have been a morning routine for two years now. I think my vision is improving, thanks to the physical and mental discipline yoga brings,” he said. At Janeshwar Mishra Park, Chowk resident Suman Sharma (65) said yoga helped him stay fit. Stuti Singhal and Rajesh Jaiswal, who have been practising yoga for 40 years, agreed. “Our stress level has decreased to a great extent,” Singhal said.

Healing touch
Like Kumar, many believe in yoga’s healing effect. Gomtinagar resident Ramesh Singh who met with a debilitating bike accident in 2012 took to yoga on the advice of doctors. “I never did asanas before my accident. But, after I dislocated my knee, doctors asked me to practise yoga for speedy recovery after a surgery. There has been no looking back,” he said.
Stretching the benefits
Besides LMC, LDA and Awas Vikas, the Lucknow Cantonment Board and Lucknow Metro Rail Corproration also held yoga sessions as did schools, colleges and universities in the city. Physical education professors led the show at Lucknow University, Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation, Dr APJ Kalam Technical University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambdekar University and Karamat Husain Muslim Girls’ PG College. Delhi Public School, City Montessori School and Lucknow Public School were among cradles that tuned in to yoga for an hour or more.
Sadhguru’s yoga session
Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation, led the yoga session at the Indian Navy Floating Dock in Port Blair on Friday. Over 500 officers from the joint services command participated in the yoga session along with their families.
Sadhguru said, “Our soldiers in Andaman and Nicobar are putting their lives at stake to protect the nation. Our activities & achievements rest upon the sacrifices of these brave soldiers. It is of utmost importance to equip them with the yogic tools of transformation for inner well-being.”