Yoga has helped her explore her inner self. It has raised her awareness at all levels and has opened the door to a spiritual journey. Manisha Kharbanda — a gold medalist, national yoga player, a certified international yoga trainer and founder of BrahmYog — has been spreading awareness and teaching people the benefits of yoga. The 32-year-old, who has been a proponent of yoga for two-and-a-half decades, tells us more about its healing powers.
How can millennials look at yoga as a therapy and a medium to heal the mind?
Yoga is a spiritual tool, the physical and mental benefits being its by-products. The movement in asanas, combined with breathwork makes it therapeutic. The practice of asanas followed by calming pranayama and ‘Om’ chanting is a medium to heal the mind. While everyday workout at the gym/ running is important, yoga is essential for agility and strength.
To achieve overall fitness, how can one combine yoga and other physical activities?
One can kickstart the practice with mild weight training or running to warm up and follow it up with asanas to stretch and strengthen the core. Yoga can also be practised as a calming exercise before any rigorous sports activity. You can be creative and fit in yoga anywhere, that is the beauty of it.
What are some of the basic asanas one can practise at home?
To get started, all you need is a quiet corner in your home, a yoga strap, yoga block and an organic mat. Make yoga a part of your morning ritual and start with Surya Namaskara, Sarvanga Asana (inversion), Padahasta Asana (forward fold), Bhujanga Asana (a mild backbend), Vruksh Asana (balance), Ananda Bala Asana (relaxation), Anulom Vilom and Kapalabhati for five minutes each.
What are some of the misconceptions associated with yoga and what must one keep in mind while practising it?
One of the major misconceptions is that yoga is slow and is often perceived as boring. However, the right sequence of asanas and quality investment in pranayama can leave you fresh and energetic at the end of the session.
Another misconception is that you necessarily need to hit the gym and not a yoga class for strength training. Interestingly, yoga allows you to lift your own body weight and balance with the help of your own muscles. So the upshot is that yoga can be as effective as weights.
How important is hydration for yoga? Is there an ideal time to practise it?
Hydration is crucial to prevent any muscle soreness the following day. It is advisable to drink water frequently throughout the day but not during your practice. Sipping water during the session is akin to pouring water over the inner fire that kindles our practice. It is necessary to bring this self discipline or tapas for swift transformation. If at all the need persists, sip mindfully.
Ideally, yoga should be practised during dawn or dusk since these specific hours are known to influence spiritual activities. Due to time constraints, if one needs to practise it at any other hour, meals should be taken at least two hours prior to it.
A lot of people club yoga with music or opt for aqua yoga. Is that okay?
Personally, I feel yoga, in its purest form, is quite engaging when you consistently practise different asanas and their variations. When you practise it with, say music, it might make your mind feel relaxed, but it deviates oneself from the real essence of it — to sync every breath with your body movements and be self aware towards your body and mind.
There is no harm in practising yoga in supported environments as a therapy, such as aqua yoga, which is known to reverse chronic pain and rebuild muscle slowly. I feel however, it loses its true soul.
Should one follow an ideal diet when practising yoga?
The great yoga text Hatha Yoga Pradipika talks about the concept of ‘Mitahara’, meaning moderation in diet for a yoga practitioner. It recommends that one must eat only when hungry, neither overeat nor starve. The stomach must be three-quarters full with food and water, and one-quarter empty. Also, one must avoid stale, impure and tamasic food.
Social media has started to promote yoga in a big way. What are your thoughts on that?
Social media has catapulted it with thousands of yoga profiles floating around and gaining followers. It makes me proud that it originated from our land and spread throughout the world. If anything, it is a boon to humankind. As long as people are practising it and bringing back the balance in their lives, it really does not matter where the shift is coming from; yoga belongs to the whole of humankind.
