A special class

We had a very interesting session this Saturday, 13th March 2010, with yoga trainer Gurpreet Singh, (from the Bharat Thakur yoga clan teaching in Moscow at present) seen on the extreme right in the first picture . He was here in Ahmedabad for the weekend and his friend turned out to be my student Meera who was sweet enough to arrange the session with us. The highlight of the session of course was partner stretching (cudnt take those pictures as was busy enjoying the session) towards the end of the class which made everybody relax and unwind.

I am always very keen on inviting other teachers to the centre as it gives all the members a refreshing change from my 5 days a week sessions. Moreover, i strongly believe that there is something to learn from all whether he / she is a beginner or a seasoned instructor. Everyone is a different human being and their classes reflect their experience, training and thoughts which are bound to be different. It gives me a different perspective and opens up my mind.

A few weeks back i had Nipa (a friend and a yoga trainer from New York) take a session here. The highlight of her session was her absolutely articulate instructions and her way of conveying YOGA to the class.

It's a delight to get flavors of YOGA from around the world.

Yoga and sports

Last Saturday, i held my tennis racquet after a gap of almost 10 years. i love the game i picked up in school and continued playing till college, and would definitely like to keep going. The reason why i m writing this and its connection to yoga i chanced upon when i was giving my first session of play (after a long sabbatical) an after thought.

All those who have played tennis or any other sport for that matter must know that it requires a lot of strength, stamina, reflexes, concentration, co-ordination etc. My first day of play was a surprise to me, i m not saying that i was hitting aces and winners, i could barely connect at first but i observed a few interesting things.

- my reflex action was quicker

- my shoulder and arm strength had improved

- my wrists felt stronger

- my racquet was less wobbly while doing strong volleys

- the day after soreness was NOT there

- i was covering the court well and anticipating better

- i was less breathless

All this after 10 years of not playing!!! I attribute this solely to my yoga practice (yoga lifestyle, asanas, pranayamas, concentration). So i firmly believe that whatever you are doing in the world in any field and all sport, yoga can help you get BETTER.

ps: above is a pic of Rafa Nadal one of the best amongst the current players