Yogaraj CP
Last month Yogaraj CP set the Guiness World Record for the Longest Yoga Marathon by performing more than 1,500 asana poses for 40 hours non-stop. He tells Beatrice Wong about spreading yoga around the globe.
HK Magazine: How did you get into yoga?
Yogaraj CP: It was my father. He was in the Indian Army at the time but he decided to quit because it was too brutal. He started teaching yoga when I was 5 years old, but passed away soon after. Yoga was the only thing he left for me. My enthusiasm towards yoga thrived when my mum encouraged me to attend a yoga class when I was a teenager. I have dedicated myself to yoga ever since.
HK: Forty straight hours of yoga. Didn’t you get hungry?
YC: Actually I was allowed to eat during the attempt without disturbing the act. I just had some glucolin and juice. I decided not to consume any solid food because I was doing different twists and bends and there’s no way I was going to let myself throw up!
HK: This isn’t your first world record, is it? In 2011 you set another one.
YC: I taught yoga when I was in Chennai, India. It’s a very big city and motorbikes are a common form of transportation. I wanted to do something unique so I wondered: why not do yoga on a motorcycle? I stuck a small piece of paper under the handlebar so I could get my hands off the bike. I didn’t put on any protective equipment as I didn’t want it to look like a stunt. And this won me a Guinness World Record [for most consecutive yoga positions on a moving motorcycle]!
HK: Does yoga really help you meditate and concentrate?
YC: Definitely. People who practice pranayama [breath control] and meditation can control any kind of situation. In life, some difficulties are inevitable. But you can have control over it and protect yourself by not letting them have so much impact on you. Everyone breathes: The deeper we breathe the higher energy level we have. It directly connects to your body and mind. If you’re a master of this technique, you can achieve anything in your life.
HK: What do you do in your spare time?
YC: I don’t really have spare time. Besides teaching in my own studio, I am currently teaching at City University and I also train teachers. I want my students to enjoy the benefit of yoga. Yoga should reach all the generations. Yet I still manage to spend good time with my daughter. And I love hiking, swimming and riding motorbikes too.
HK: How do you keep going, with so much on?
YC: My schedule is pretty tight and sometimes I feel exhausted, but whenever I look at a picture of the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, I draw power from him. He is a very diligent man who came from the bottom, selling tea for his family: But now he is the prime minister of India. I am inspired by him. And I am always grateful for him for proposing International Yoga Day, June 21, to the UN. Coincidently my daughter’s birthday is on June 21 too, so it does have very special meaning for me.