Ujjain: The practice of bringing mind and body at peace and in balance thourgh Yoga is fast catching up across Indian households. What is heartening to see that even youngsters are getting lured by its charm. Rising as potential rival, it is giving hard time to youngsters’ notion of hitting the gym and building muscular strength. Many Yoga institutes have come up in our city, though in nascent stage they are flourishing like anything. With the rise in numbers of such institutes, a number of practitioners have arrived on the scene. However Girjesh Vyas, president of Ujjain Yoga Life Society (UYLS) is a devout yoga practitioner and teacher of international repute, embraced yoga many years back when people here were beginning to understand it. Free Press had a riveting encounter with this eminent yoga trainer which brought to fore many of pearly aspects of his magnificent personality.
About his journey he said, “I am a retired banker and based out of Bhopal. Back in 1981, when I was discharging my services there I got promoted and transferred to Ujjain. I embraced Ujjain as if I were from here. Besides, my banking job I was also a casual announcer at All India Radio, Bhopal therefore I kept myself busy even after working hours. However, here I had nothing to pursue therefore I thought of giving theater a try. I started enjoying my new-found interest and began to write, act and direct many plays and dramas. Even I did script-writing, lyrics writing, song writing and voice-over of many documentaries and films.” He continued, “Afterwards, in year 2010 seeing the evidence of health benefits of Yoga from close quarters, I associated myself with Yoga and pledged it to carry forward its rich legacy everywhere.”
Defining Yoga in essence Vyas said, “Yoga is a tool of self-dialogue. It is talking to your own self and teaches you to deal with it. The conscience is of pious nature and if one attempts to talk to it then it guides him to cope with everything in balanced way. Therefore yoga helps one to negotiate that path, the path of self-discovery.” Highlighting the unique ongoing research project on yoga, where he is yoga consultant, Vyas responded, “Presently, Swedish government has initiated a project where benefits of yoga are being scrutinized under the auspices of UYLS. This project is underway in three renowned hospitals including here at RD Gardi Medical College. Under this project, a research on yoga-practitioners of 75-years-old and above would be carried out for consecutive 3 months. The final outcomes would be revealed once investigation is over. ”
Sharing the origins of UYLS Vyas elaborated, “Well, it is a government registered society and non-profit organization for promotion of Indian classical yoga around the world. It was initiated and founded by our mentor Pt Radheshyam Mishra in year 1996 however here it came into being in 2010 and became the authentic center of learning of yoga principles in Madhya Pradesh. Besides this, we have branches in California, New-Jersey, Maryland and brazil also.” Divulging more about their local operations he said, “Our society is working towards spreading the ancient knowledge of classical yoga to the world with the scientific approach in modern way. Also, practical adaptability of yogic principles in today’s generation builds the core of our objective. Around 200-300 yoga enthusiast daily queue up at our Tarantal centre to take lessons and during summer vacations these numbers witness a steep jump and rise up to 400-500. Many people don’t know but we have successfully put Ujjain on international tourism map.”
Raising concern over the growing gym culture among youth he said, “Gym only provides muscular beauty where as yoga rejuvenates body-mind balance. Body and mind both needs to be at peace and in sync in order to take on stressed life-style. Only yoga can deliver that however youth gets attracted towards gym due to its glitzy and glamorous quotient. Sharing glimpses of future events of UYLS he said, “As of now, we have organized four international yoga seminar in Ujjain. In November month we are planning to organize about another international yoga event in Bhopal where thousands of enthusiasts will be taking part.”
