For long, Goa has been one of the hot spots for learning and teaching yoga, for practitioners and
students from across the world. The yoga community in the state is growing,
with many people exploring and practising this form of exercise. Some do it as
a stress reliever, while others do it for meditation and to stay fit. Many yoga
practitioners believe that the benefits of yoga are endless. The physical
benefits are that it helps with fitness and cardiovascular health, helping the
body with cleansing of organs, muscle tissue and joints. Yoga also creates a
healthy weight and balanced metabolic system, while helping the body with
muscle stretching and toning.
The traditional form of yoga in itself is divided into multiple
styles like Ashtanga, Hatha, Kundalini, etc. But with changing times, newer
forms of yoga have been introduced and have become quite the rage in India. In
Goa too, some of these forms of yoga have found takers aplenty. For example,
Ziva Suites, a brand new hotel property in Vaddi, Siolim, recently held their
debut Aqua Yoga session and is planning to make it a regular affair. The
session was held by Yashaswini of the Vagator-based ‘Be Yoga Bound’ (BYB) – a
small team of yoga practitioners “with a karma to practise yoga and dharma to
share this with human kind”.
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For the uninitiated, Aqua Yoga is the body workout performed in
the water, mostly in a swimming pool, with different yoga postures. Mukti Devi,
an aqua yoga instructor who shuttles between Coimbatore, Goa and Delhi, says,
“It gives all the benefits of the yoga poses we normally do, while also strengthening
and toning the body, relieving tension and renewing energy. It brings the
benefits of yoga to the people who are not able to practise on the mat on the
ground due to physical limitations or injury. When you do the yoga pose in the
water, it helps to have the optimum stretch, because of the release of
gravity.”
Budokon Yoga, another version of yoga, has been doing the rounds
lately, mostly in metro cities such as Pune and Mumbai, and is most likely to
be on its way to Goa. Aarti Shivam, a yoga instructor who specialises in this
form of yoga, is on her way to starting an experimental session in Assagao
soon. Dubbed as the fusion of yoga, martial arts, and animal locomotion,
Budokon Yoga is used to help one attain a toned body, according to experts.
Aarti says, “Literally meaning, ‘the way of the warrior spirit’, Budokon (yoga)
helps one achieve athletic strength and higher levels of mobility, as it is
influenced by distinct martial arts and the dynamic practice of animal
locomotion. Unlike other forms of yoga, Budokon provides an extra dimension
that involves continuous circular movement in all planes of motion. We focus
more on the transitions between the poses rather than holding the poses
themselves, which means we discover how to move gracefully and fluidly from one
pose to another.”
Aarti also has a word of caution: “You might not like it the
first time you try it, but over time and with a little practice, you will get
the hang of it. It takes time and lots of practice to become comfortable with
Budokon, as you’re moving in a way that you wouldn’t normally.”
Down south in Agonda, Acro Yoga is another form of yoga that is
gaining popularity. Acro Yoga employs acrobatics and gymnastic techniques to
build strength, flexibility and trust between partners. Shweta Pradhan, the
yoga instructor who conducts these sessions, says, “In couples, each person
plays a key role. The bases spend most of their time on the ground, usually
with their back square to the ground in a static pose with their feet and hands
being the main points of contact, with a strong focus on core strength. The
flyer is lifted off the ground by the base, conducting either static or moving
postures.”
While
purists may dismiss these newer forms of yoga, terming them as anything but yoga,
at the end of the day, it’s difficult to define what yoga needs in order to
establish its ‘realness’. After all, even traditional yogis who don’t
incorporate beat bumping playlists into their classes agree that all forms of
yoga have bent the rules at some point. Yoga has undergone tremendous change
over the recent years, and is likely to continue to do so. So, we suggest
watching the ‘Yoga’ space for more and newer inventions.
