11:00 PM
17
January
2013
Vishnu Prasad has developed ‘Swasthi Yoga’ based on the principles of Hatha Yoga.
Photograph: Najeer Feroke
By Usha Desai
“Yoga should be beneficial to both mind and body. That’s the basic concept of yoga. But due to the modifications in its practice over the years, today people think yoga is just for flexibility. I always tell them if we have to focus only on flexibility, then one can do gymnastics or [join the] circus,” says Vishnu Prasad, a yoga instructor with Doha’s Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village and Spa.
At 30 years, his understanding of yoga and its impact on our overall well-being seems quite profound. “Yoga is a complete science where each pose (posture or asana) activates different systems in our body. Each pose is like meditation and is done with highest level of consciousness and awareness,” he explains.
According to Vishnu, the various styles of yoga being practised today have standardised the poses. “What’s happening nowadays is that the teachers teach their students yoga like an exercise programme — ‘raise your hands, stretch your legs’ — and the students will simply follow the instructions without understanding why they are doing it.
“This standardisation creates limitations on their practice because they keep doing the same poses again and again. Eventually this leads to monotony and lack of motivation. Also the physical aspect of yoga is getting all the focus where as it is actually a combination of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.”
Vishnu has devised his own style of practice which he calls as ‘Swasthi Yoga’ based on Hatha Yoga principles. In this technique, he claims that there is no standardisation of poses as he sees each person/student as a unique individual and is taught the asanas as per his physical and mental condition.
“When I do group classes involving both beginners and advanced learners, if an individual can’t do a particular asana, I give him options. I say ‘you can do this’ instead of ‘you should do this.’ I always try to keep them motivated.”
Another important aspect of his technique, Vishnu says is that he teaches collective poses wherein learning one pose helps to perform more poses. “At the same time, I try to open up the entire dimension of that body part thereby providing maximum benefit. So the progress in an individual’s practice will be faster,” explains Vishnu adding that through a combination of breathing techniques and postures, Swasthi Yoga activates six systems in the body — cardiovascular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, spinal and respiratory systems.
Vishnu says he lays lot of importance on the involvement of mind during the practice. “To get the best out of your practice, your mind has to co-operate. So we have to first train the mind and then the body. When they both are equally involved in practice, then the progress will be faster.”
Vishnu’s technique and the rationale behind it seems to have proved beneficial not only for his guests/students but for himself as well — he won the Best Spa Therapist award in the Middle East Spa Awards 2011 organised by the Hotel Show in Dubai. “The award made my team very proud. This year too I’m planning to participate. Such recognitions motivate you to do your best,” he concludes.
Breathing exercise for stress relief
To combat stress effectively, we need to activate the body’s natural relaxation response. Breathing exercises are an ideal way to relieve stress as they are quick, simple and can be performed by just about anyone.
Anulom Vilom is a great breathing exercise based on ancient Hatha Yoga techniques. It helps to reduce physical stress and aids relaxation at any time. You can also practise it after giving a gap of five hours after eating. This will help the consumed food to get digested. The best time to practice this exercise is considered to be early in the morning before having breakfast.
Technique
1. Sit comfortably, with the spine upright.
2. Close your eyes and relax all your muscles.
3. Inhale from your left nostril while keeping your right nostril closed with the thumb of your right hand.
4. Retain the breath for a few seconds and exhale from your right nostril with your small and ring fingers closing your left nostril.
5. Now breathe from your right nostril.
6. Retain the breath for a few seconds.
7. Exhale from your left nostril while closing your right nostril with your thumb.
8. This will complete one round of the breath control (Pranayama)
9. You can practice Pranayama cycle for about 5-6 minutes per day.
(All breathing should be abdominal breathing, do not use chest and shoulder breathing)
Benefits
This exercise can be successfully used for the following conditions: feelings of tension, hyperventilation, burnout, headache, chronic fatigue, sleeping problems, concentration problems, anxiety and phobia, panic disorder and depression.
It is important to note that breathing exercises should not replace a doctor’s care in the treatment of serious conditions, but they can be an effective part of a medically-approved treatment.
Photograph: Najeer Feroke
By Usha Desai
“Yoga should be beneficial to both mind and body. That’s the basic concept of yoga. But due to the modifications in its practice over the years, today people think yoga is just for flexibility. I always tell them if we have to focus only on flexibility, then one can do gymnastics or [join the] circus,” says Vishnu Prasad, a yoga instructor with Doha’s Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village and Spa.
At 30 years, his understanding of yoga and its impact on our overall well-being seems quite profound. “Yoga is a complete science where each pose (posture or asana) activates different systems in our body. Each pose is like meditation and is done with highest level of consciousness and awareness,” he explains.
According to Vishnu, the various styles of yoga being practised today have standardised the poses. “What’s happening nowadays is that the teachers teach their students yoga like an exercise programme — ‘raise your hands, stretch your legs’ — and the students will simply follow the instructions without understanding why they are doing it.
“This standardisation creates limitations on their practice because they keep doing the same poses again and again. Eventually this leads to monotony and lack of motivation. Also the physical aspect of yoga is getting all the focus where as it is actually a combination of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.”
Vishnu has devised his own style of practice which he calls as ‘Swasthi Yoga’ based on Hatha Yoga principles. In this technique, he claims that there is no standardisation of poses as he sees each person/student as a unique individual and is taught the asanas as per his physical and mental condition.
“When I do group classes involving both beginners and advanced learners, if an individual can’t do a particular asana, I give him options. I say ‘you can do this’ instead of ‘you should do this.’ I always try to keep them motivated.”
Another important aspect of his technique, Vishnu says is that he teaches collective poses wherein learning one pose helps to perform more poses. “At the same time, I try to open up the entire dimension of that body part thereby providing maximum benefit. So the progress in an individual’s practice will be faster,” explains Vishnu adding that through a combination of breathing techniques and postures, Swasthi Yoga activates six systems in the body — cardiovascular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, spinal and respiratory systems.
Vishnu says he lays lot of importance on the involvement of mind during the practice. “To get the best out of your practice, your mind has to co-operate. So we have to first train the mind and then the body. When they both are equally involved in practice, then the progress will be faster.”
Vishnu’s technique and the rationale behind it seems to have proved beneficial not only for his guests/students but for himself as well — he won the Best Spa Therapist award in the Middle East Spa Awards 2011 organised by the Hotel Show in Dubai. “The award made my team very proud. This year too I’m planning to participate. Such recognitions motivate you to do your best,” he concludes.
Breathing exercise for stress relief
To combat stress effectively, we need to activate the body’s natural relaxation response. Breathing exercises are an ideal way to relieve stress as they are quick, simple and can be performed by just about anyone.
Anulom Vilom is a great breathing exercise based on ancient Hatha Yoga techniques. It helps to reduce physical stress and aids relaxation at any time. You can also practise it after giving a gap of five hours after eating. This will help the consumed food to get digested. The best time to practice this exercise is considered to be early in the morning before having breakfast.
Technique
1. Sit comfortably, with the spine upright.
2. Close your eyes and relax all your muscles.
3. Inhale from your left nostril while keeping your right nostril closed with the thumb of your right hand.
4. Retain the breath for a few seconds and exhale from your right nostril with your small and ring fingers closing your left nostril.
5. Now breathe from your right nostril.
6. Retain the breath for a few seconds.
7. Exhale from your left nostril while closing your right nostril with your thumb.
8. This will complete one round of the breath control (Pranayama)
9. You can practice Pranayama cycle for about 5-6 minutes per day.
(All breathing should be abdominal breathing, do not use chest and shoulder breathing)
Benefits
This exercise can be successfully used for the following conditions: feelings of tension, hyperventilation, burnout, headache, chronic fatigue, sleeping problems, concentration problems, anxiety and phobia, panic disorder and depression.
It is important to note that breathing exercises should not replace a doctor’s care in the treatment of serious conditions, but they can be an effective part of a medically-approved treatment.
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