Fitness

Vaishnavi Hegde

Yoga goes online in lockdown

EVESCAPE News Features/ GOA: While yoga is termed as a sustainable practice and a holistic health option that everyone can access, adapt and learn, especially in times of social distancing and ‘work from home’ scenario -- practitioners and instructors of the age old discipline have now shifted to online classes. 

In the same spirit, Ponda based yoga teacher Dr. Aruna Bhadauria uses the zoom app to teach yoga. Pranayam Bhastrika, Kapalbharti, Anulom Vilom, Bhramari and Udgeeth are some of the asanas best fit for practicing from home, says the Patanjali Yog Samithi in charge. "These asanas can be performed easily at home to improve immunity. It has been suggested by renowned yoga guru Baba Ramdev. Yoga helps improve mental and physical health," says Bhadauria.

Yoga teachers have long wanted to get online, appreciating the power of the internet to help touch more lives with their teaching, but fear of the camera and confusion about the equipment and technology required, has been an obstacle, says Shivleela Gore. 

"I’m no expert in remote teaching and I am learning from constant mistakes.

Shivleela Gore

But my live virtual classes are up and running, I have a functioning system in place. I'm using applications such as Zoom, Microsoft and my students seem to be appreciating my offering and the opportunity for regular connection while stuck in their homes. "My wellness center is closed. All studios, yoga therapy clinics, distress centres and fitness centres that I work for are temporarily closed and I’m stuck at home," complains Gore who has been conducting virtual classes through a variety of mediums -- audio, video, pre-shot, online live-streaming, etc.heir homes," the yoga and wellness expert tells EVESCAPE.

Vaishnavi  Hegde, a certified yoga instructor  and Art of Living counsellor has also started online sessions with a firm belief that yoga is the way towards the wholesome development of an individual. She claims that the session catering to everyone who wishes to make a personal difference, would facilitate “peace of mind, increase energy levels, better body posture, bring in positivity, improve focus and concentration, healthier centration, healthier lifestyle and weight loss.”

Rhiya Shirwaiker

Another young yoga enthusiast is Rhiya Shirwaiker who has recently started conducting online sessions. “Yoga has changed my life and I think it is that change that I would like people to experience. It wasn’t about keeping my mind blank and meditating or becoming a ‘calm’ person. It’s more about being conscious of your thoughts. It is that practice that I want everyone to have. As a teacher it takes me deeper into my practice and it gives me an inexplicable sense of euphoria,” she asserts.

Not just individuals but institutions too are going online with yoga sessions. Ambika Yog Kutir -- a pioneering yoga centre in Margao has recently started free online yoga classes on zoom. Vishwanath Swar, vice president of the Kutir and a well know yoga teacher informed EVESCAPE that he has already conducted online yoga classes for lawyers and children.

Student of Ambika Yog Kutir

Swar has accepted the challenges of a virtual classroom. Listing the challenges, he says, "In an online session, there is no scope for personal interaction, so the yoga instructor feels that he/she is not in a position to give 100 percent. Plus there are connectivity issues." However he says that some 21 people on an average participate in the classes and he is happy that yoga enthusiasts are finding online classes a good option.

With social-distancing reducing physical movements, these experts feel it is important to uplift vitality without stepping out of the home. And even as they recommend asanas for staying fit along with the practice of good hygiene -- fitness enthusiasts like Manju Bohra finds yoga to be a sustainable practice and a holistic health option that everyone can access. "Lockdown cannot come in the way of your fitness routine,” she says.