A webinar held on World Yoga Day discussed how the practices can clear lungs, build immunity and also keep co-morbidities at bay. “The pranayam of controlled breathing through a nostril at a time — anulom vilom — has become quite popular during the pandemic and many are performing it, but there are others like jalandar bandha and sheetali pranayam that are beneficial too,” said Mriganka Sankar Poddar, an ardent practitioner of yoga and professor of philosophy at Mahadevananda Mahavidyalaya in Barrackpore.

Poddar was a speaker at the webinar conducted jointly by the college and AB Block-based Rama Ghosh and Sunil Chandra Ghosh Memorial Trust.

He explained how the jalandar bandha (chin lock) increases the capacity of the lungs, sheetali pranayam (cooling breath) increase lung power. “The bhastrika pranayam further clears congestion from the lungs,” he said, demonstrating asanas like noukasana (boat pose) and bhujangasana (cobra pose) that would help reduce obesity and control co-morbidities. “But yoga is not just about physical health. Consistent practice makes one spiritual.”

Sonali Nag perfoms a dance using yoga poses like Natrajasana Sourced by the correspondent

A student, Sonali Nag, then performed a dance to Shivtandav stotra exclusively using yogic asanas. “While I have never learnt yoga formally, I learn Bharatnatyam, a dance that requires much flexibility. While choreographing the song, I realised many poses are similar. I used the Natarajasana and steps from the surya namaskar,” said the undergraduate student.

Students of physical education demonstrated some asanas and explained their benefits and Pratiti Ghosh, head of the department of physiology, West Bengal State University, debated whether yoga and modern medicines are contradictory or complementary.

“Modern medicine is used more in times of emergency. It is curative, used after one acquires a disease. Yoga, on the other hand, is preventive and, if practised consistently for some months, improves aspects like one’s cardio vascular and neurological state as also endocrine gland secretion, digestion, posture, immunity etc,” she said.

She added that modern medical tests like MRI and EEG had scanned the brains of people in meditation and during pranayam, and found them to become calmer, more alert, with increased concentration. “Today yoga has been moulded into gymnastics, dance, Bikram hot Yoga… In its true form, the difference between sports and yoga is that the latter also provides mental and spiritual benefits.”

Principal Nayan Kumar Sarkar advocated not just starting yoga young but incorporating it in one’s daily routine. “People are usually too lazy to work out, say they have no time or lack the motivation after one or two days. But if it becomes a part of your routine like brushing your teeth you will never skip it,” says the daily practitioner of asanas. “Also, just like many turn to Rabindrasangeet only on pochishe Baisakh, they turn to yoga only on June 21. This must change.”

Arijit Karmakar, a teacher at the college and managing trustee of the AB Block-based Trust that partnered the webinar, said one of the aims of their group was to promote health and wellness. “If it wasn’t for the pandemic, we might have held yoga camps across blocks in Salt Lake but for now online events will have to do,” he said.

Contest in confinement

Participants perform bhujangasana and ushtrasana for the contest

On the eve of World Yoga Day, enthusiasts signed up for an online contest organised by the Uniworld City-based Art of Mind and Body Yoga. The centre is run by instructor Ritu Singh, who has shifted to online classes during the pandemic.

“We held the contest on June 20 as it was a Sunday,” said Singh. “We had two categories — for those over and under the age of 40. Contenders had to perform a set of four compulsory asanas and one of their choice. I, along with two more judges, watched and marked the online event on Zoom.”

The contest drew about 50 participants. Mukti Gupta, a resident of Rosedale Garden, won in the 40-plus category. “I was an athlete in college but my five years of practising yoga with Ritu has increased my flexibility and made me fit. That I managed all chores without a domestic help during the lockdown is all thanks to yoga,” she said.

Kirti Parashar of Uniworld City came second in the category and credited yoga for keeping her thyroid in check.

There were participants from the US, Europe and Australia too. Ragini Bhowmik, a former student of the institute whose parents still live at Uniworld City, won best chakrasana, having performed it from Switzerland.

The contest gave students something to look forward to, said Singh. “They started practising their asanas ever since the contest was announced. In fact, they perfected tougher asanas like Natarajasana and chakrasana while stumbling with easier ones like paschimottanasana and gomukhasana.”