Chennai: Ever wondered what yoga does for the person in you? Well, experts have stated that it brings inner peace, improves concentration and helps bring out the best in you.
Practicing the ancient art form from a young age can contribute to the same much more effectively and helping young ones master the art is Manavala Kalai Mandram at Ambattur in the city.
The centre has been providing free Yoga training to school students for more than three decades.
Present at Laini Ammal Street, Krishnapuram, in the locality, trainers from the mandram make it a point that they reach out to government schools in the neighbourhood and offer classes to students at the school premises.
Speaking to ‘News Today’ about the services they offer, Sekar, one of the masters, said,”We start with basic exercises first. We teach asanas and meditation in the first stage. Once they cross that, we teach kaayakalpa, which is a rejuvenation technique mentioned in our ancient Vedic texts.”
Once students get the hang of above mentioned methods, they are taken to the second stage which is called Agathaayu, which has three stages, Sekar said.
The mandram had recently trained students of Kamarajar Girls Higher Secondary School at Venkatapuram.
Asked about their motive Sekar said,”We want to bring peace among people through Yoga. It concentrates on a persons body and soul. It boosts self-confidence. We want to take Yoga to people of all sections and across age groups.”
“Times have changed now. People are running all the time. One purpose of yoga is stress management. When they master it, we have seen proof of people becoming more creative and acceptive of the society,” added Sekar, who is part of a 40-member team which helps school children.
With stress management being the talk of the hour, Sekar was asked if he believes youngsters nowadays are affected more than expected.
“Unfortunately, yes. We see women going to yoga classes more nowadays because they are not able to handle pressure. Health problems due to lifestyle changes have made things worse still. That is why we start with the students. By the time they become adults, they will be better in tackling pressure in any form,” he replied and signed off.