Bend it for good health

Yoga has been an integral part of our culture since generations. While many use it to alleviate  specific fitness problems or health issues, it can be a popular choice amongst people of all ages to maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to Krishna Raman, “It is a common misconception that yoga is practised by people suffering from an ailment, but it can become a part of normal routine for everybody — from sportsmen to CEOs, homemakers to dancers.”

Dr Krishna Raman was inclined towards the science of anatomy and fitness from childhood. Trained in the BKS Iyengar School of yoga, RIM Yoga Institute, Pune, he is the author of A Matter of Health -— Integration of Yoga and Western Medicine for Prevention and Cure (1998, East West Books, Chennai, India) and Yoga and Medical Science: FAQ, which has, for the first time, incorporated ultrasound imaging of yoga poses and over 500 questions on yoga.

At the Krishna Raman Yoga Institute, every patient or student is attended to individually. “Based on the problem or pain, we prepare the sequence of the asanas. All asanas are grouped into categories, depending on their benefits. For example, back bends are good for blood circulation in the aorta. Surya Namaskaram can be practised by anyone,” says the doctor who won the award for the Best Paper at the Natya Kala Conference, Chennai, 2004.

Most dance institutions now make yoga a mandatory class. “Dancers today have a back-to-back schedule of performances. The continuous stamping of the feet injures their heels. Besides, most dancers dance on a concrete floor and not a wooden one and there is no time for a warm-up or warm-down,” Raman points out. According to the Yoga Sastra, certain asanas have to be done in order to remove the widening circles of mental agitation and to purify the mind, says Raman. “They also promote steadiness of faith, establish jnana and arouse the Kundalini shakti latent in man,” says Krishna Raman. The benefits of yoga, however, take time to show, one needs to practice it on a long-term basis for it to cure ailments. One can make it a point to allot an hour for yoga every day or even every alternate day to reap its benefits.