Flex in the City
What draws people to yoga? Alicia Walker spoke with two yogis, one who was meditating from the start and another who found in yoga what he was looking for.
The Born Believer
Master Kamal of Planet Yoga has been practicing yoga since the age of five and has founded his own method to help others find their balance.
Yoga is not just an exercise; it’s a way of life. As you begin practicing yoga, it naturally elevates your mental health and physical fitness to higher levels. It helps sharpen your intellect, your senses and your mind, making you active, balanced and creative. It’s both a unique training for life and a way of life.
I was very sick as a small boy and suffered from typhoid and weak lungs. My father was my first guru and would train me to do exercises to strengthen my lungs. He would wake me up every morning at three am to exercise and gain more strength. I became passionate about yoga and I have no physical problems now. Now I can say my lungs are super lungs. The major fuel for your energy is breath. Many people are not actually breathing properly, they breathe very shallow and that is dangerous, taking in too much carbon dioxide. They will become lethargic and lose energy. Yoga teaches you how to live longer and how to store this energy.
Life here in Hong Kong is so busy and stressful. Yoga instantly releases all pent-up stress and tension. You can’t get a good night’s sleep when you are tired or exhausted. Yoga teaches the way to have quality sleep through the experiences of samadhi (concentrated meditation). It helps awaken the latent powers that are within you and helps you build your life in every way you desire. It helps strengthen and increase flexibility in your mind and body. It helps build your memory, concentration, will power and level of consciousness. Yoga really teaches how to balance life and living.
Yoga is for all, whether you are young or old, weak or sick. Yoga can uplift your spirit and make you celebrate every moment. It helps me to change thousands of people’s lives for better. I always tell people in my class, I am not your master, you are your own master, I am only a guide.
The best thing you can have is a balanced life. Everything should be moderate. I believe in teaching people to not be too introverted or too extroverted. I say you have to live in this world with people, but you can still maintain a spiritual balance.