Confessions Of A Yoga Junkie

Did we need a Narendra Modi to introduce a “Yoga Day” to the world? There’s probably not a single day in a year when some yoga fanatic somewhere is not twisting a torso to achieve some unattainable posture. But there’s another way to look at it. If one has experienced certain benefits from any regimen, it is only right that one endorses it with passion. And if you’re a yogi and a prime minister, who’s gonna stop you?

Mortals like me endorse it by teaching some poses to enthusiastic friends or correcting postures of colleagues in the newsroom or penning down true stories that eventually becomes a book.

I am with Modi on this one. If the world can set aside a day in a year to celebrate a Mother, Father, Sibling, Secretary, Boss, Valentine, Pet, Loyalty and Batman, let’s not waste time in questioning something that clearly has more restoration values than critics would like to believe.

When I was sent to work in one of the biggest Reuters newsrooms in India in 2006, little did I know the path would gradually lead me to a small yoga studio in Mysore. I did do some yoga and meditation when I was in New Jersey, picking up my mat and rushing to a studio sometimes before heading to the daycare after work. But it was only when I reached India that it all came together – the havoc from hormones after a new baby, the demanding hours at work and my relentless type-A personality – there was help needed. The body requested I slow down but I ignored it, until I was sent rushing to the Emergency Room in Morristown, New Jersey, while on vacation.

Yoga came as a gentle prescription by a medical doctor who was concerned by my stress levels. And before I knew, the Y bug sorted my chakras out – you’ll know how to interpret this if you’re into holistic medicine. But simply put, it aligned and restored everything in me that had gone or was threatening to go awry.

I found myself dreaming of the mat at work, imagining myself perfecting a posture or listening to a meditative chant at the end of the day. For me, being on the mat is not a form of exercise. It is the place where I find myself every day through my body, my mind, my breath. If I want to sweat, I run. If I want to find peace and alignment, I do yoga and I meditate. It relaxes my mind and helps me be more decisive, less confused.

And so, it was only right for me to join in the celebrations on Sunday in Singapore. There were 50 locations chosen, in keeping with Singapore’s 50th anniversary, and about 5,000 people practiced yoga in the island. “We were estimating about 3,000 people to register but we went way over capacity,” Vijay Thakur Singh, High Commissioner of India in Singapore, clad in her Yoga Day t-shirt and black slacks told an audience sitting on mats early morning. I sat at the back, joining her and others in some simple stretches for an hour, enjoying a free mat and a goodie bag. 

At the end of the day, no one was hurt, no religious sentiments hampered and no egos shattered. The calmness it brings can be addictive, something much needed in today’s frenzied world. No harm done in picking up that mat. If nothing, it can only help you escape the vagaries of modern living the moment you shut your eyes. 

(Kavita Chandran is a journalist with Reuters and all views expressed are her own. She is also the author of a book about yoga that will be published by Wisdom Tree Publishers this year)