Connecting body and mind

The art of practicing Yoga is a centuries-old method that people have relied on to manage issues related to their mind, body and soul as it brings together physical and mental disciplines to foster peace. Khaleej Times talked with Ms Lalitha Viswanath, founder of Pratimoksha, a Yoga centre that teaches traditional and unique Yoga courses, on how Yoga helps manage stress and anxiety and keeps you relaxed.

How can Yoga benefit one’s quality of life?

A happy, peaceful, and energetic state reflects one’s physical and mental health. From time immemorial, Yoga has emphasised the mind-body and spirit connection and how all three need equal attention for a person to achieve his or her full potential. A better understanding of the inner self helps us work on those emotions and thoughts that do not serve us. By replacing these with kinder, more ennobling thoughts, we gradually refine our minds. We learn to direct our energy in more positive ways, paying more attention to our bodies, our diets, our words, actions. No other form of exercise can add so much value to your life as Yoga can.

How much time should one dedicate to a Yoga routine to be able to gain flexibility and mental peace?

There is an erroneous belief that Yoga is about weight loss and acquiring flexibility. However, this 5,000 year-old science goes beyond Asanas — the physical poses — and exercises. Yoga is as much about the flexibility of the mind, how you open yourself up to pathways that you might never have considered taking, because you felt your body wouldn’t support you, or because you had not worked on your self-belief and confidence. In fact, once you begin your journey into Yoga, you will want to do it every single day. Even when you are unwell, or find yourself under work pressure, or being pulled in different directions by the demands of the day, you will want to roll out your mat and spend some time in meditation or Yoga Nidra. In fact, at Pratimoksha, we teach our students how to pick and choose Asanas that best serve them and their needs on any given day.

Yoga has become extremely popular over time, and especially so since the pandemic. How does Pratimoksha stand out?

In all humility, we believe that no one in this city teaches Yoga like we do at Pratimoksha. We believe in a holistic approach, where our students enrolling for the ‘Beyond courses,’ are led level by level, through the eight-fold path of Ashtanga Yoga. They learn the Yamas and Niyamas — broadly speaking the principles that Yoga prescribes — breath control, postures, and the higher meditative practices. All this helps in their self-transformation towards the best versions of themselves. Since we are a therapy-based Yoga center, Pratimoksha caters to those presenting with a number of chronic musculoskeletal issues, helping them strengthen their muscles, improving posture and helping them get into our regular Yoga programmes.

What are the benefits of Yoga for pregnant women? How helpful are prenatal classes?

Yoga when done under proper professional guidance — and this cannot be over emphasised — is enormously beneficial for expecting mothers as it helps in them having a faster, easier natural delivery. Postures that strengthen the all-important pelvic floor muscles are regularly practiced, and we also help them find ways to release the stress and anxiety that they must naturally feel during this time. Breathing techniques are taught to avoid any pressure in the abdominal region for safer Asana practice. Various other breathing techniques are taught to release stress and anxiety. Pratimoksha also provides counselling and short talks depending upon each individual’s needs. By tending to their needs in a holistic way, women have reported that they feel Yoga has helped reduce feelings of nausea and headache during pregnancy and helped them experience a smoother pregnancy all round.

Experts believe that Yoga's advantages are best supported by a healthy diet and disciplined lifestyle. Do you agree?

Yes, of course. In fact that goes for all exercise regimens. However, Yoga helps one inculcate the willpower through which one begins to discipline oneself. With this, one begins to stay true to one’s goals and aspirations by committing to a daily practice and a nutritious diet and affirmations that make you more positive and confident. Yoga provides us with all the tools needed to help us in our journey towards health and self-transformation. That’s why we must practice it holistically and not reduce Yoga to a mere workout and weight-loss regimen.

Why must Yoga be incorporated into corporate programmes?

Lack of physical fitness, stress and poor work-life balance does impact companies world over in the form of low productivity, absenteeism and myriad health issues. A recent WHO study has revealed that the global economy loses about $1 trillion per year due to poor productivity that results when issues such as depression and anxiety are not given due attention. We are fortunate that we are living in a country and a city that values every individual’s happiness. As such, all companies in the UAE must have programmes in place that cater to the happiness and wellbeing of all their staff. And Yoga with its all-round emphasis on the mind, body and spirit, gives every company such great value because you can cater to so many issues — poor fitness, physiological and psychological imbalances, stress — with a holistic Yoga programme. And you don’t need complicated gym equipment, fitness gear etc to practice Yoga. In fact, we have programmes that employees can be guided through right at their desks, in their work clothes. They won’t even need a mat. So the process of weaving in a 45-minute Yoga session during the workday is quite seamless, with minimal loss of time. In fact, I believe that by spending those 45 minutes on deep breathing and feel-good stretches, employees do not just perk up at work, but when they go home they are not tired, as a result of which, they give quality time to their families too.

*What are the different types of Yoga and what is best to be added to a daily routine?

Once again, I would like to emphasise the holistic teaching of Yoga, because it is way beyond just asanas, and caters to a person’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Various forms of Yoga that are commonly practised all over the world include Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Insight and Prop Yoga, and we at Pratimoksha offer all of them based on individual needs and interest and the course selected. We are a therapy-based Yoga centre, and as such, our team integrates those postures and styles that best facilitate quick relief and independent self-practice for each person. All forms of Yoga benefit an individual holistically, and to gain those benefits it’s very important that you check the Yoga credentials of your instructor. Pratimoksha has so far taught more than 15 Yoga teachers through our grueling and in-depth Yoga Alliance certified Teachers’ Training Course.

What are the benefits of Yoga for children? At what age can they begin to learn?

This is yet another area, where Yoga excels, once again because it addresses not just a child or a teenager’s growing body, but also, their fast-expanding minds. Through Yoga, and its consistent, holistic practice, children develop better focus, discipline, self-esteem and confidence, concentration, memory… I could go on. The immune system is strengthened. For a younger age group, the emphasis is on making them comfortable with Yoga and its simpler Asanas. We engage their attention with short stories about how the Asanas got their names, how to do them properly, the precautions one must take etc.

Does Pratimoksha intend to participate in the Dubai Fitness Challenge? If so, how?

Absolutely. In fact, this year we have a host of programmes just for the fitness challenge. We have our own 30-day Yoga challenge to be held 5 days a week with 2 days of home practice. We are planning social media campaigns on all our platforms to create greater awareness about authentic, holistic Yoga. We are making it easier for corporates to take part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge by offering 3 packages — 8, 16 or all 30 days. And the team is eager to roll out one-off workshops to mark the event too. So do watch out for Pratimoksha this year. And do take part. Thirty days is ideal to build a habit. So the Fitness Challenge is an ingenious idea to get the people of Dubai more committed to their health.