Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006
'Salvation is everyday'
Yoga Master Kamal doesn't believe in combining spirituality and yoga
He is a yoga teacher, but if you are expecting to see him in saffron robes and beard, just forget it. He is suave, well spoken, loves his Armanis and Versaces, but knows his mind and body. He is a perfect modern-age guru. That's Master Kamal for you, the founder and creator of Kamal's Rhythmic Yoga, better known to the world as kryoga. We all know about the Americans and Europeans love for yoga, but he is teaching it to none other than the Chinese in their own land through his chain of yoga studios in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Not easy, considering it is the land of communism. "When I went to Hong Kong in 1993, yoga or any form of meditation was completely banned. I went to the Government sport council and requested them to give me a chance to train their sportsmen. Once they saw what my kind of yoga could do them, there was no looking back," recalls Kamal, who's also an active member of Asian Academy of Sports and Fitness Professional (AASFP) China.
Talking to him for a few hours can change your perception about the way you look at life. "Many people are put off by yoga because of the seriousness and spirituality attached to it. Abroad, most people associate it with religion. I wanted to remove that stigma. So, I changed the entire feel of my yoga," says the man in mid 40s, who has learned yoga in the Himalayan traditions under Swami Veda Bharati in the Himalayas. And thus came hot yoga (conducted in a room that is heated to 37 degree Celsius), prenatal yoga, reverse ageing yoga, combat yoga, hatha vinyasa. He fused classical dance with yoga to get cosmic and fusion dance. A black belt in five different forms of martial arts, Kamal combines it with yoga for better benefits.
A native of Vishakapatnam, Kamal grew up learning various kinds of sports and it is the urge to do something unique that brought him wherever he is today. He doesn't believe that one needs to wait for years to attain salvation. "Salvation is everyday. And one should feel enlightened every time one does yoga," feels Kamal, who has over 7,000 members practising yoga at his various centres.
For those who are hoping to join him are in for some disappointment, for he is not planning to expand his centres to India. "At least not in the immediate future. I will settle down in India definitely. My aim is to expand this throughout South-east Asia." When he does, there will be one studio in Hyderabad for sure. But for now, he is soon coming out with DVDs that help practise yoga at home.
MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY
Source:
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/12/20/stories/2006122000650100.htm
All logos and trademarks are copyright of their respective corporations.
