While the original meaning of the word ‘Yoga’ in Vedic Sanskrit runs the gamut from “to add” to “to unite”, these days, especially among the South Bombay and Bandra crowd, it has come to refer to physical exercises only. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Not really. While the practice of Yoga is an ancient one, one of the reasons it has survived for so long is because it hasn’t become redundant or ‘uncool’. Instead, it has been re-invented and appropriated in multiple ways to still seem relevant. In honour of International Yoga Day, we celebrate a few cool ‘yogis’ and ‘yoginis’ who have taken this ancient art and given it their own distinct touch. And while we may mourn the fact that everybody practises Yoga but hardly anybody understands it, hey, at least its still alive and breathing and not a relic relegated to the history books and wall engravings.
Radhika Bose (@Yogasini)
“Some people do yoga on a flat ground, I do it mid-air, Some do it in active wear, I do it in a brocade lehenga, Some do yoga in a studio or at home, I do it in the middle of Chawri Bazar, With people staring at me, And surprisingly this is not my first time doing yoga in a lehenga, Yes I do weird things and call it art. Where do you do Yoga?”
So goes the caption on one of Bose’s Instagram posts and perhaps, this sums up who she is and what she considers Yoga to be. For Bose, Yoga is an art form and she documents it almost daily on the social media app.
Deepika Mehta (@deepikamehtayoga)
If you’re ever having a bad day and feel like you’re not worth it, head over to Mehta’s account. Her captions are inspiring and bound to make you feel good about yourself. Mehta wasn’t into Yoga or any other form of discipline earlier but an accident changed all that. Today, she practises Yoga for many reasons, one of them being the fact that it helps her overcome her fears and channel all her feelings and energy into doing something so beautiful and productive.
Tim Senesi (@timsenesiyoga)
Everybody has different ways of approaching a thing but the one constant that we’ve found in all the accounts catalogued here is that they try to consciously practise gratitude. Maybe it comes from Yoga – the ability to connect with your limbs and mind so intimately is bound to make people happy. Senesi is ample proof of that. For him, Yoga is about awakening and on this International Yoga Day, it would be wise for us to try and do as he does.
Sarvesh Shashi (@sarvesh_shashi)
Shashi is a Yogi turned entrepreneur who believes that “yoga is a lifestyle that positively impacts the physical, mental, philosophical and spiritual aspects of one’s life”. At the age of 17, Shashi met his Guruji who introduced him to the discipline of Yoga and inspired him to seek answers to the inexplicable questions that crowded his mind. Shashi decided to join hands with Talwalkars Better Value Fitness and has started on a path to create India’s Largest Chain of Yoga Studios. Today Zorba is spread across 70+ studios in 40+ cities in India.
Jacob Manning (@jacobmanningyoga)
It is a commonly believed idea in most religions and ancient ways of living that ‘thoughts become things’. The power of the mind and what we allow inside it is well documented. “Sometimes when I’m alone and in my head, I forget how blessed I am for what yoga has done for me on the inside,” Manning writes on one of his recent posts. “Being able to connect to all of my spirit even when in pain, hurt and sadness is what keeps me returning to my mat,” he adds.
Sam Gach (@samgachyoga)
Two things we are absolutely in love with today is Yoga and dogs. Loving dogs is an everyday thing, to be honest. If you admire these two things too, then treat yourself to Sam Gach’s Instagram page this International Yoga Day. It’s bound to make you happy and isn’t that the whole point of Yoga, really?
