It is the stretching season of the summer, literally. Come June 21, Yoga will go beyond pose to embrace prose. Each year, apart from a sea of enthusiastic foreigners bending over to form the downward dog pose, Yoga Day brings with it fresh literary content to devour.
Devdutt Pattanaik, who has emerged India's most popular mythologist, has turned his attention to yoga. In a wonderfully produced book, Pattanaik and co-writer Matthew Rulli, a former US Marine who is now a certified yoga teacher, elaborates on the story of 64 asanas. So, for those who wonder where the hamsa asana got its name, you can dive right in. Even if it proves impossible for you to perform “the elegant arm-balance pose''—balancing your body with your feet crossed over on your wrists—at the next yoga class, you can certainly pontificate on hamsa and its place in mythology, from Buddhist, to Hindu and the Jataka tales. "The hamsa is closely associated with the breathing practices found in yoga. The sound 'hum' involves exhalation and the sound 'so' involving inhalation, and thus hamsa indicates expiration and inspiration. It is said the swan/goose was created from the breath of Brahma,'' writes Pattanaik.
The book, which has been published by HarperCollins India, is "the very first book of its kind'', claims Udyanan Mitra, HarperCollins India. “It makes for fascinating reading, and I know it will be of interest for many readers both in India and abroad,'' he says.
While there was always an interest in yoga books, the B.K. Iyenger book is still the Bible for most yoga enthusiasts. And, every publisher has one. If HarperCollins India has a philosophical take on Yoga, Westland brought out a more practical option. Mickey Mehta, health guru, chose yoga to get back in shape. His book Lose Weight, Gain Shape will be out, hoping to cash in on this rage. “Yoga helps build character,” says Mehta. “If there is one history of wellness, there is one fad and one future trend of wellness. It is yoga.” He is not alone in thinking that.
“People are more excited,” admits Bijoylaxmi Hota, a well-known yoga therapist. Hota, who has even travelled to Mizoram to help train the police, which generated a controversy, believes that the “brain washing” that has happened with the Yoga Day has helped get people to try it more. “It earlier didn't touch people's lives. Now, you hear about it everywhere. It is a bit like brain washing and people want to try it.''
Hota's new book Yoga and Diet for Weight Loss –brought out by Rupa Publications—promises to break all slimming and weight loss myths. A firm believer in yoga, Hota believes it is a one-stop-solution for all issues. From headaches to high blood pressure, which she says will be cured in three days. Diabetes, she claims, takes longer. "Two three weeks,'' she asserts. But, yoga is what everyone needs.
Those who can't do, read. For those who do want to do, there is celebrity and writer Ira Trivedi's yoga app. Titled IraYoga, the app is at the moment only open to companies, but will soon be open to individuals. Trivedi, who has written a book, believes that the International Yoga Day has helped boost the image of yoga. “Earlier, it was seen as something our grandparents did,” she says. “It was meant for sick people. Like Tai Chi was seen in China. It was un-sexy.”
