Stretching and twisting

Nothing like seeing the youngsters taking an interest in Yoga. 

International Yoga day was celebrated last Wednesday and the participants were  a mix of the elderly and young ones. 

For those who could not sit on the floor, special chairs were provided. 

Stretching is one of those basic body movements that we forget to do on a daily basis. 

And the same goes for twisting. With proper guidance from the instructors, practically all could do it well. 

Some exercises work well with the help of a partner. While performing there is also a sense of “helping each other” 

While doing the “vrikshasan” alone, your raised palm goes only up to the top of your head, whereas while doing it with a partner your palm moves further by which there is a good stretch on the side ribs. 

The eye exercise is very relevant especially in the present era of computer screens 

I captured the complete program in a video of 16 minutes, but had to break it up in parts to send it across in 1.5 min capsules through WhatsApp. (the latest mode of communication for all) 

On the whole a good experience. My recommendation - make Yoga a daily habit.

Doing Yoga the right way

It is said that the breathing technique that Lance Naik Hanumanthappa learned in Yoga, helped him in staying alive (for 5 days) even after being buried under 35 feet of snow at an altitude of 20500 feet.

Last week was International Yoga Day and the Yoga class which I attend, decided to have the class in the open. For a change I did not take part, but decided to click some pictures. 

It was good to see the young and the not so young doing it together. 

I have attended a few yoga classes earlier conducted by different people, but there is a refreshing change in the way this class is conducted. The instructors are sincere and always makes an effort to see that the students do it the right way. 

They also know that each one has a different capacity and the aasanas are done as per the limitations of each individual. 

Emphasis is given in stretching each part of the body, something that we rarely do on a day to day basis. 

The routine keeps changing on a daily basis and as we do the aasanas we know that “today we are working on the lower limb” or “looks like today we are strengthening the lower back”

While I was shooting, I found this little guy busy on my tripod camera, trying to quickly spin a web. I did not disturb him, but at the end of the session I did not see any web, and our friend was missing. He must have moved on to the nearby tree to get his breakfast. 

I made two videos by compiling all that I captured. The first one is a one minute trailer and the second one runs for about 11 minutes.

Little Angels

Came to know about this school through a common friend. The Little Angels school, situated on the Undri road (Pune) is for the differently-abled children. 

I fixed an appointment and visited the school to have a look at their daily routine.  When I reached the school, they were having their regular outdoor activities. I found this boy, happy and content being in the swing all the time. 

One teacher told me that it was a big leap for many considering the fact that at one point of time they could hardly do any activity independently  and now they can balance and pedal a cycle on their own.

Each one was an “expert” at something or another. This boy had mastered the trampoline and tried to go higher and higher with each jump

Jumping over small hurdles, co-ordination of mind and body. 

Throwing the coloured balls across the net was a fun event for many

I was surprised at the ease with which they balanced and skated around.  

Some of them looked forward to the daily practice of Yoga 

I was admiring the patience and resilience of the teaching staff as each student is in a different mood and need a lot of coaxing to get into some activity. 

The outdoor activities are held in the first session so that their pent up energy is released and they are calm in the classroom during the second session.

The class rooms may look small but that helps in giving individual attention to each one as the absorbing capacity of each student is different.

They have a class for vocational training in which the students are encouraged to make handmade articles 

The first school was started by Mr Jehangir Afshari in Mumbai about 13 years ago. The aim of the school is to give the children an opportunity to live independently away from their families. The second one (a pre-primary school) was opened in Bandra, and a training school was opened in Lonavala. 

Items made by the students  

At present the students in the Mumbai school are capable of taking the Govt. examinations i.e. National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) – X & XI and is also planning to do the same in Pune.

There was a cultural program in which stalls were put up by the school and it was good to see the students and the staff, turn out in their Sunday best. You can see more pictures in the video.