[Senna_sempre]

Very inspiring to read your journey with Yoga and how it transformed you.
This thread couldn't come at the right time for me. I am in my early 30's and contemplating to start Yoga to destress myself from this modern day hustle & bustle lifestyle.

Yoga unites body,mind and soul and it is the way to go to attain mindfulness.
Thank You for sharing your experience.

[AutoDowntowner]

Feeling thrilled. I am amazed to see such a wonderful collection of photos from old days. All photos are so clear. Hats off to your dedication towards Yog.
I have studied Yog for 4-5 years & have passed a few exams also. Hence this post touched me so deeply.
Now after getting transferred to USA, I have restarted to do the Yogasan & Paranayam daily as the winter here is harsh to go outside & also I get enough time here for myself.
I am now feeling much better & I am investing my extra time on my physical & mental health.
again Thank You very much for this post.

Originally Posted by Senna_sempre

Very inspiring to read your journey with Yoga and how it transformed you.
This thread couldn't come at the right time for me. I am in my early 30's and contemplating to start Yoga to destress myself from this modern day hustle & bustle lifestyle.

Yoga unites body,mind and soul and it is the way to go to attain mindfulness.
Thank You for sharing your experience.

You are not old, you can start practicing Yog even today. Don't delay it. I don't say Yog is good, i say 'it is a must thing & should be part of our life'.

I learned from my guru - the Ashtang Yog, which means 8 branches of Yog. Most of the people only know Yogasan which is just one branch of Yog & they ignore other 7 branches which are equally important.
Asthang yog (eight branches of Yog) is: yam (abstinences), niyam (observances), asan (postures), pranayam (breathing), pratyahar (withdrawal), dharan (concentration), dhyan (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).
Of course I do not follow other 6-7 limbs but I am trying to do so.

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

First congratulations on those advanced yogic poses you are able to do. And congratulations on the trophy you won.
I assume you still practise yoga.
I never linked yoga to peaceful driving but I see the connection you refer to. Yoga and meditation does help with creating a sense of basic detachment from the hundred provocations and negative signals we receive from the environment be it bad news or someone's rude behaviour. That helps.
I give yoga the credit that all my spare parts continue to function well and none have needed major repair or replacement yet

Thank you very much for your kind appreciation of my efforts. Yes, I still practice Yoga but nowhere close to being as rigorous as I used to be when I was younger, especially before the recent pandemic. Thankfully, most of my "spare parts" too continue to function naturally except for the obvious gender-specific ones. The only major issue that I have faced in all these years is the substantial loss of vision which forced me to give up driving almost a decade ago. This partial loss of vision was caused due to the side effects of an Asthalin inhaler than I had to take for asthmatic attacks. Those asthmatic attacks were apparently an allergic reaction to the Eltroxin tablets that I was taking for thyroid-related issues. And those thyroid-related issues were apparently caused due to slow arsenic poisoning from the borewell water that I was drinking. Thankfully, I have recovered from that except my vision.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Wow, wonderful images from the 70s. The guru doesn't look a day above 50 ... but my interest shifted to martial arts ... I might re-consider yoga again to get some flexibility back.

Thank you and yes, my Yoga teacher was quite accomplished. With a name like Samurai, I would not expect anything other than martial arts. Speaking from my son's experience, I can guarantee that Yoga can definitely help in your pursuit of martial arts.

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Wow, I feel humbled to read your journey of yogic achievements. And you say you have been practicing yoga for close to 50 years now
I fully agree with you that yoga can help one become a better driver. And I wondered why it took me so long to initiate this in my life!
Having started this journey just recently, I am still trying to learn the ropes. For last couple of years, on the annual Rathsaptami day, I have been trying to do my bit and manage 108 suryanamaskars.

Thank you very much for your kind words of appreciation. Managing 108 Suryanamaskars is no mean feat. Kudos !

Originally Posted by download2live

I could not google any info on him. He seems to be one of the hidden gems. Also by rough calculations, he lived beyond 100 years. Has he written any books?
At what point does a yoga guru says to the learner that his education is complete? And what the learner does after that?
And we need more details on skin change yoga !!

He was indeed one of India's very underrated hidden gems. However, locals like our fellow Bhpian HooghlyBoy definitely know about my Yoga teacher as you can see in HooghlyBoy's comment above. I do not recall my Yoga teacher ever writing a book but some of his students may have compiled his teachings into a book. However, I am not too sure about this. About your other questions, I have no idea other than what I have already mentioned above. From a learner's perspective, I have been regularly practicing what I have learnt to the best of my abilities.

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Kudos on the fabulous yoga poses. This is quite an inspiration.
I've been doing yoga since 2016 and now I aim for a new pose every year that supplement's my fitness training. Last year was Parsva bakasana, year before that kakasana and the year before that was sirsasana.
This year there are two aims:
1. Hanumanasana or the front split in yoga
2. Side plank flag in calisthenics (quite difficult)
Let's see where the year takes me

Valar Dohaeris ! Thank you very much for the kind words of appreciation. I distinctly recall that sirsasana was my kryptonite during my initial training days. Wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavours.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Thanks for a rather uniquely interesting thread.
Kudos for your achievements, some of the pictures are enough to induce muscle aches just looking at them.

Thank you very much for appreciating my efforts. You have reiterated some of my thoughts about Yoga exactly. With enough practice, any exercise can turn from back-breaking to back-bending

Originally Posted by RGK

Astounded to see the yoga poses you practised when you were younger. One of my personal experiences involved having kidney stones, My yoga instructor adjusted a few postures, and to my surprise, the stone came out after practising the new poses for a week.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the Transport Department's principal secretary, and he told me a story about the advantages of yoga. When he was chairman of Aavin, Tamilnadu, he instituted yoga for the staff members responsible for packaging and shipping cold milk packets. Yoga prevented the numbness in their fingertips.

The benefits of Yoga are indeed profound. I hope that all is well with your health now. Thank you very much for sharing the Principal Secretary, Transport Department's anecdote.

Originally Posted by crdi

I have no anger issues. But, of late I have noticed that the more I venture out on the road with a vehicle, the more misanthropic my overall behaviour is becoming. I have been thinking of trying out yoga to stop it from worsening. Your story is definitely motivational for me.

It is never too late to start. Wish you all the best in the hopes that you start practicing Yoga soon.

Originally Posted by livetodrive

... while driving I can observe couple of changes in my mindset like "pehle aap" and the sense that reaching safe is more important than reaching fast. Experience matters but the exercises helped me too.
Please share more on yoga for mid aged people like us which will definitely help in getting out of our mundane lifestyle.

Letting others get ahead of ourselves is indeed a vital but oft-ignored skill on our chaotic Indian roads. I will definitely share more on Yoga in future if and when I can gather my thoughts coherently and precisely. Thank you very much for your kind appreciation of my efforts.

Originally Posted by srikrishna717

Wow! What an interesting post! Love the perfection you were able to achieve in those Asana's, I hope you still maintain the same levels even today. I am in my second innings w.r.t Yoga and I completely agree with you on how it keeps us reasonably sane in this stressful world!

Thank you for appreciating my efforts liberally. I try to practice as best as I can but to tell you the truth, things are not as good as they used to be. My health has deteriorated rapidly ever since I took the vaccines against the recent pandemic.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Amazing writeup and kudos to your effort to do it continuously for 7 years and a couple of hours every day. How has the practice continued? Do you take breaks like a cheat day?
The reasons i have given myself to not work out is a long list and a thread like yours makes me realise that i am not getting younger and to start before its too late.

Thank you. I try to practice as best as I can at this age. I do not usually indulge in cheat days but I do have to take rest days as my body is definitely not recovering as fast as I expect/want it to, especially due to age and probably due to the side effects of the recent vaccines as well. I prefer home-cooked meals compared to junk food but occasionally indulge in healthy street food as well. In my humble opinion, most people actually do not need to work out in a gym to lead a healthy life if they do their chores properly by themselves and consume reasonably balanced meals. Yoga provides a more holistic approach to a good health and it is never too late to start practicing it.

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Wow!! Performing Yoga from 50 years that's incredible.
I can relate to the topic though as the days that I work out, I tend to get less stressed with traffic (or work). I used to always link it to the excess energy being burnt off while working out not leaving any for picking up fights unnecessarily.

Thank you. My Grandfather used to that say we just need to channel our energies in the right direction and everything would sort itself out.

Originally Posted by HooghlyBoy

I live just 2 Kms away from the Sivananda Yogashram. During my High School days I was suffering from severe Food Allergy and I wasn't getting benefitted from medical treatment.
An aged Teacher of mine suggested me to visit the place,IIRC it was 1999 I feel blessed as I had met Swami Yogeshwaranand Ji. I got immensely benefited from their Yoga instructions and eventually got cured.
Unfortunately this place didn't get the due recognition it deserved but still remains a popular place for people staying in North suburbs of Kolkata.

The thing is that they have always worked to serve humanity and never cared for any recognition. I hope that all is well with your health now.

Originally Posted by Senna_sempre

Very inspiring to read your journey with Yoga and how it transformed you. Yoga unites body,mind and soul and it is the way to go to attain mindfulness.

Thank you very much for appreciating my efforts liberally with kindness.

Originally Posted by AutoDowntowner

Feeling thrilled. I am amazed to see such a wonderful collection of photos from old days. All photos are so clear. Hats off to your dedication towards Yog.
I have studied Yog for 4-5 years & have passed a few exams also. Hence this post touched me so deeply.
Now after getting transferred to USA, I have restarted to do the Yogasan & Paranayam daily as the winter here is harsh to go outside & also I get enough time here for myself.
I am now feeling much better & I am investing my extra time on my physical & mental health.

Thank you very much for your kind appreciation of my efforts. It always makes me so happy knowing that Yoga has benefited so many people on so many levels.

[prashant316]

What an absolutely wonderful thread!

I absolutely concur with you. Practicing Yoga does not only make us a better driver, but also makes us better in many other aspects of life. I have myself been doing Yofa for a while and i also do Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya.

My body feels so much different. I regularly do breathing exercises while on long drives to keep myself aware instead of consuming coffee or other similar things.