Great Indian rope trick
Rope Wall Yoga is quickly gaining popularity
By : samyuktha k.
Update: 2015-04-23 00:02 GMT
Hyderabad: It involves hanging upside down. And yes, you have a little help from a rope for you to stay above ground. Here’s introducing the Rope Wall Yoga... not for the squeamish, but the city sure is loving it.
While the last year saw the beginning of anti-gravity fitness fads across the globe; now our city is catching up with what late yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar had developed and called “yoga karunta” or “yoga puppetry”.
The practise has several benefits and allows those with just a few years of practise do some very advanced asanas such as inversions or head stands that bring a lot of health benefits like easing back pains and those almost-impossible-to-beat migraines.
Rope wall for all
With 16 years of experience in practicing yoga and teaching for 11 years, Uttara Sharma is among those in the city who has a studio for Rope Wall Yoga. “Although it is comparatively new here as opposed to cities like LA, it is taking off,” she says. She set up the rope wall about a year ago. The ropes used are the same ones used for trekking and are fixed on the wall with hooks.
“There is no risk,” she says, allaying apprehensions of many when they hear of the practise. “There are misconceptions that this may not be safe for particular body types or heavier people. That is not true at all. For different body types we just pick different asanas and different approaches to training and practise, that’s all.”
Miracle cure
Twenty-three-year-old Shravya, who has been practising Yoga for 10 years now, took to Rope Wall Yoga last year. “My migraines have completely vanished now,” she says. “Yes, when I saw it I was very scared to try it, but then it was worth it. I feel far more flexible too,” she adds.
Besides flexibility, the blood flow to the head does amazing things to your body, mind and the soul. Uttara explains, “Skin clears up, acquires a healthy glow and wrinkles are delayed. Blood flow to your head will ensure hormonal balance. Besides pituitary gland, even the pineal gland — the spiritual centre of your brain — is also activated.”
Yoga catching up
Rina Hindocha, a trainer and practitioner herself, turned to yoga as part of the larger trend of moving away from fitness modes like aerobics. “Even men are taking to yoga, which wasn’t seen before,” observes Rina.
“One benefit of Rope Wall Yoga is that you can do inversions — which sometimes take five years of practise — with ease with the help of the ropes. This elongates your spine and relaxes tense and tight muscles. It’s a miracle cure for back pain if you do it regularly — twice a week for a month,” she adds.
Another well-known yoga instructor in the city, Sharmila Hirendernath, who also has classes on the Iyengar system of Yoga, points out an important shift in the approach to yoga that this practise brings in India.
“At our classes, we ensure that beginners aren’t using props till they are comfortable with their bodies. But yes, yoga needs to be seen as a therapeutic method and not just about losing weight. Yoga is a discipline that, with practise and with patience, will ensure that you achieve the much-needed settlement in life in all of its aspects.”