Chennai, Mar 4: To serve in the city police department is no easy task. They are on duty for 24 hours on all seven days. In most cases, they do not have time to even address the fact that they are stressed out.
However, things have changed in the past few months, with the police personnel undergoing yoga, conducted by Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha at Alcott School, at Besant Nagar.
How the officers, including the Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner, came out to attend yoga sessions, is an interesting story.
S Dhanasekar, Adyar Unit secretary of Ananda Marg is a resident of Nehru Nagar, Adyar. He runs a cool drinks shop near Adyar Police Station which is frequented by the men in uniform. ‘The policemen often told me about the stress they endure while on duty from morning till night. By the end of the day, only their physical body is intact, but the mind is exhausted,’ he says.
Deputy Commissioner Pakalavan was subsequently approached with the idea of yoga sessions, which he appreciated and gave his nod.
The move has been producing the desired effect, so to say. Sub-Inspector Senthil Kumar who is a participant, says that the experience and technique taught here is beneficial.
The life of a policeman is pressurising and multi-directional. It is also physically taxing. For all this, yoga is useful. I knew that my life would be hard when I joined the department. But with no weekends off, I failed to bring in a work-life balance. Now my depression has reduced. When I face challenging situations, I take five minutes for yoga and do self-analysis. It stabilises my mind, he states.
Tatvikk Poyyamozhi, member of Ananda Marga adds, “We teach them asanas to controls their glands, that control the mind and the nervous system.”