Windsor-essex yogis seek happiness and peace in Malden Park
Beginners and experienced yogis alike joined together at Malden Park Saturday for a free yoga event in celebration of international yoga day.
“It’s being celebrated all over the world so we wanted Windsor-essex to also be one of the happy communities that celebrate it all together,” said Rakesh Naidu, a happiness program teacher with the Art of Living Foundation and one of the event organizers.
The United Nations General Assembly established June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in 2014 — recognizing that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and wellness. In celebration, yogis made their way to Malden Park for the foundation’s free yoga event.
“It’s about raising awareness about yoga,” said Naidu.
“How it benefits you on the physical level on the mental level and how doing a few minutes of yoga can really make a change in the quality of life.”
The sun was shining on participants as they posed, breathed and meditated their way through the three-hour practice by the park’s pond.
“Today we experienced the physical postures which is the asanas, we also then went deeper into experiencing breath and how you can use the breath to manage the mind and uplift you and energize yourself,” Naidu said. “We then took every participant into a deeper level of existence through meditation.”
Pankaj Borgaonkar, another organizer and happiness program teacher with the foundation, said yoga offers many physical benefits such as muscle and bone strengthening, but also offers exercise for the internal organs.
“It’s a really beautiful way if you do certain asanas — it lifts and your internal organs also get a lot of benefits,” he said.
Borgaonkar said hosting the practice outside in nature allows participants to feel more connected.
“When you go out and experience the nature you naturally feel uplifted,” he said. “It’s like connecting with the higher self.”
Borgaonkar said yoga helps to rise “circle energy” — also known as prana or chi — which leads to happiness.
He said yoga can be for everyone, which was displayed through the group at Malden Park who were all at different levels of yoga practice, including first-timers.
“There is no prerequisite, anyone can start at any time,” Naidu said. “Old young, able-bodied, not so able-bodied, everyone can do yoga and it can make a huge difference in their quality of life.”
Mansi Arora, 18, found the yoga very relaxing, especially outside on a beautiful day. Having practised yoga for nearly five years, Arora was on the stage mat for Saturday’s class to offer some guidance.
“I thought if I was at the front and I was also doing yoga it would be like an inspiration,” she said. “Young people can also do yoga.”
The Art of Living Foundation has centres in more than 154 countries around the world. The volunteer-based organization is dedicated to stress and violence-free society. It offers programs based around yoga, meditation and breathing practices.
“It’s something I think everybody wants, and really the work that we do it starts with the individual,” said Spencer Delisle, a foundation teacher. “How can we create a peaceful society if our mind is so agitated?”