Yoga Day 2019: TV celebs want yoga to be introduced in schools; read why

Mumbai: International Yoga Day is here and TV actors give their take on the art form, say it must be introduced in schools.

Ira Sone: Yoga is not just about practising difficult asanas but to do so with awareness and ease. With daily practice, you become more intuitive and aware. You become friendlier and more confident.  Yoga is not a status symbol but a way of living that aims towards a healthy mind in a healthy body. I practice inner engineering (shambhavi mahamudra) by Sadhguru on a daily basis and over the years it has helped me to be aware of my thoughts and feelings and act with composure. I strongly feel that yoga should be part of the education system and should be taught in schools and colleges as it helps a child feel confident and build concentration hence feel a part of a healthy, non-competitive group.

Rahul Sharma: Yoga is very important and I think that it is one of the gifts from our ancestors to us because it is ancient and knowledgeable as well. Those people were aware of the fact that yoga would help the mind, body, and soul. So I think that it is a gift to us from our people. I do practice yoga and it is part of my daily schedule as whenever I finish my gym, I practice yoga. There are a lot of asanas which I perform and after that, I end my yoga practice by meditation, which gives me peace of mind and a good start for the day. I don't think that it is a status symbol because people who practice yoga are definitely aware of how it helps them grow. If these people show it off than they have not achieved what yoga teaches. For me, it's not a status symbol it’s a status of peace of mind. Schools and colleges should allow practising Yoga on a daily basis. When I was studying in my school which was Adarsh Vidhya Mandir my hometown, the best part about that school was that we used to practice yoga at the time of prayers and also did other activities. So that's how I felt the connection with our culture and the connection with the flexibility of our body and mind.

Arif Zakaria: Yoga is truly the best holistic experience we can have with ourselves. I do practice it occasionally since the last few years and it has immense benefits. I favour yoga being made mandatory in all school, colleges and institutions. The benefits are immense both physically and mentally.

Sachin Parikh: Yes, I strongly believe yoga is one of the most important factors for keeping our body and mind in sync. Frankly, I am not practising yoga regularly but whenever I get time, I do practice a couple of steps on and off. I seriously don't think yoga is a status symbol but if people think and tell just for the sake of telling that they are into yoga than I believe it’s not right. Yoga should be definitely be introduced as one of the subjects for students, if not from primary at least from secondary, when students start knowing why exactly they are doing yoga.

Shiny Doshi: I feel there should be yoga taught in schools and colleges because, in the school which I have studied in Pune, we had one class every Friday where you could choose between yoga or dance and we also had a sports period. So, I feel Yoga is very important. I practice yoga, my mother is a yoga teacher so she teaches me yoga and she is the one who got me into yoga and workout. I believe yoga gives you a lot of mental peace. Everybody should practice it as it benefits you physically as well as mentally.

Aastha Chaudhary: Yoga and meditation are the two important things which everyone should try because it not only keeps us healthy but also makes us emotionally and mentally strong. I think today yoga has started becoming a status symbol but there is nothing bad in it because if someone is practising it then eventually it is giving health benefits. I used to practice yoga earlier but presently my schedules are very hectic so I am not able to do it. I am not a gym person so I prefer yoga and I have been doing yoga for many years. Yoga should be introduced in schools and colleges also as the students are under a lot of stress so yoga would keep them healthy. Yoga has many types of asanas which can control stress and make them healthy. Also, today's eating habits among kids is only about eating junk, so if they practice yoga then they would become healthier and mentally strong and it would be a good thing if it is made compulsory in schools and colleges.

Gaurav Gera: I don’t do yoga but have been thinking about starting it. I definitely feel it should be in schools so as to make kids familiar with it. I wish it was at my school. Even if it’s being portrayed as a cool factor, it is only going to benefit one. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry internationally and we ignore it here even though it is ours. Anyway, it’s never too late to start yoga and I am going to start it soon.

Rahuol Lohani: I feel the teenagers, rather than going to the gym, should do yoga because going to gym, gymnastics, aerobics; these type of exercises are only for your physical well being, for the better shape of your body. But when you talk about yoga you are talking about your mind, soul and body because it’s also about breathing. In intense situations when you are horrified or scared your breathing goes fast. When you are calm down, you breathe normally. So yoga talks about breathing exercises. My dad used to do yoga a lot and even today he does that. I have done yoga but the kind of field I am in and the schedule we have its difficult because yoga has some basic rules like you have to be on an empty stomach so then it’s difficult to on a daily basis. Yoga should be introduced in school for sure. I am not able to do yoga but I do a lot of meditation which also talks about internal happiness, beauty and health.

Rajesh Kumar: Yoga means union, the union of yourself and existence. Yoga is not an exercise form, exercise and health is a by-product of yoga. Just turning and twisting your body is nothing but the reverberation of American yoga, hot yoga and power yoga, all these are bullshit. Real yoga is about arbitrating the boundary between you and your existence. I do practice yoga, not because of any status symbol, but because it’s not at all about the status symbol. If you are there the existence is there, it’s about you, not anyone else, so that’s one reason.  It should be made compulsory in all schools. Few people think that if they have yoga in school its a Hindu thing or a Hindu culture so to clear that I would quote Sadhguru, when someone asked him that is yoga Hindu and should we introduce yoga in school because we have people from various religions who might or might not believe in yoga, he replied if yoga is Hindu then gravity is Christian, why are you not floating, why are you not walking on this planet? Yoga should be there in schools to create a balance in mind and the body. I feel mental health is as important as your physical health, you might be physically fit but you might be agitated all the time. As yoga has stayed with us for 15,000 years it will be for long and I feel blessed to be a part of this yogic world.

Ansh Bagri: Yoga is very important, I have done yoga. I have learnt Shishupal asana and Surya Namaskar at Sadhguru. I had back problems and yoga helped me in back strengthening. We get mental peace because of yoga so it’s very good for your mind and soul. I feel we all should do or follow yoga. I feel schools should teach yoga like any other activities because of its good for health.

Asmita Sood: Yoga is one of the best form of workouts as per me. You see results almost immediately and it helps in relaxing your mind and body alike. I practice yoga at least twice or thrice a week depending on my schedule. I discovered its benefits recently. In fact, it was my mom who inspired me to do yoga. I saw her doing headstands on her own which inspired me. I don’t know about whether people flaunt it as a status symbol or not but for me, it is an essential part now. Yes, yoga should be introduced in schools and colleges for students and they should discover its benefits as early as possible.

Malhar Pandya: I used to practice yoga but these days I am focusing more on workout so that’s why I am unable to do it. I feel that if yoga is thought in school like in abroad in China and Japan, they teach martial arts in the school itself so that the kids learn that as well with education. I feel that the government should make yoga compulsory in school so that the kids get to know in their childhood itself about yoga. Yoga will help them in studies, they can concentrate and focus more. So, till the time they become teenagers all things get sorted automatically. Talking about my own experience, I used to do power yoga and I can tell you that your body and muscles get relaxed because of it. So let you be in any profession you remain fit and healthy. So I feel that the government should add yoga as a subject.

Kinshuk Vaidya: My viewpoint about yoga is that I always felt yoga is not for me, I am too young to do yoga, it’s for uncle and aunties and all those old age people. I thought I am young and I can do those exercises with heavy weights and all but as now recently I started reading about yoga and have started practising the easy asanas. I realise it now that it’s not only for aged people but for younger guys also. It is so scientific and deep which I am realising now. I feel everyone should experience it and not judge it before they try it. I am not saying it so that I can just claim it, it’s very deep and scientific. I feel yoga should be introduced in schools and colleges so that they don't have the misconceptions as I had.

Tinaa Dattaa: The art of practising yoga helps in controlling an individual’s mind, body and soul. It brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful body and mind. It also helps in increasing flexibility, muscle strength and body tone. It improves respiration, energy and vitality. Practising yoga might seem like just stretching, but it can do much more for your body from the way you feel, look and move. I practice Yoga and I believe kids should explore to this form. Yoga is definitely not a status symbol, people who are healthy they know that Yoga is a useful way of staying healthy.

Jasmin Bhasin: Yogic exercises recharge the body with cosmic energy. It also promotes self- healing. It removes negative blocks from the mind and toxins from the body. In my day to day life whenever I get time, I try to do yoga. And I feel Yoga is not a status symbol it is the necessity. Yoga should be introduced from school level, kids will get to know many useful aspects of yoga.  

Jason Shah: Yoga has so much significance. Reduces stress and tension in the physical body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Yoga also helps in attention, focus and concentration, especially important for children. So, it should be introduced from a basic level and that is from school. Yoga is very much in trend for last many years and it was always in trend in the West. I don’t think it’s a status symbol, people are very much conscious about their health.

Gaurav Sharma: I practice Yoga on alternate days as I am a regular gym goer. Yoga is good for your physical as well as mental health. It helps you to become flexible and keeps your core strong. In ancient times this used to be the most important exercise for those who wanted a healthy body. I strongly recommend Yoga to all the students too It should be a part of their physical training, not a status symbol.

Subuhi Joshi: Yoga means to unite, and it does exactly what it means. It unites one’s body, soul and mind. It improves physical as well as a mental state. The kind of lifestyle we have today, it is very important to practice yoga to keep balance. Also, yoga is something which can be practised by people of all age. I am dealing with a lot of physical and hormonal problems right now and I’ve been advised to not to do any kind of heavy workout and that’s why I try to do basic asanas like pranayama every morning. I’ve also had sinus since childhood, asanas like analogue-vilom, bhramari have really helped me in controlling it. Yoga should be mandatory in every school and college, also it should be introduced in workplaces too.