Foreigners learn and teach Yoga at Indore ashram

Can you believe it? Over 300 foreigners visit Indore annually instead of Haridwar and Varanasi to learn and teach yoga and they are all ready with their workout mats to join the International Yoga Day on June 21.

Can you believe it? Over 300 foreigners visit Indore annually instead of Haridwar and Varanasi to learn and teach yoga and they are all ready with their workout mats to join the International Yoga Day on June 21.

Foreigners-from-63-countries-have-come-to-learn-and-teach-yoga-at-Yoga-Parmanand-Ashram-in-Indore-Arun-Mondhe-HT-photo

But, why?

A 22-year-old Georgie from England says her life was falling apart but yoga gave her the energy to look at things with an entirely different perception. She is living the life of a yogi for past eight months in Indore. Georgie, is called ‘Ma Gita’ among a group of yogis. Every year youngsters from as many as 63 countries visit Indore to begin a yoga journey in their lives.

Learning yogic postures under the guidance of Omanand called Guruji at Parmanand Yoga Ashram, many of them wish to achieve a balance in their life.

“People come here every year, since the establishment of this Ashram. Almost all of them are intrigued by the flexibility and strength an asana can give them. But when they start exploring themselves here in various meditation classes, they find the experiences life changing,” said Omanand, who is also a Sanskrit scholar.

“I came here last year and loved my experience of meeting new people and sharing my experiences with them so beautiful that I decided to come here again. Every time I come here I experience a tranquility and harmony within myself. Yoga is an entirely different lifestyle,” says Bara who is also called Ma Bindu Ananti.

A similar experience of self-exaltation is felt by 29-year-old Stephen from Germany, “I did not know what yoga actually was. It looked like aerobics to my folks. But then I re-searched more about it as I was always intrigued by spiritualism as a concept. It was then that I decided to come to Parmanand Yoga centre in Indore to learn from Guruji. I now teach people and take personal classes as well for patients.”

Exploring the therapeutic powers of yoga, Stephen now also guides his family which has his mother suffering from migraine while another one in his family is fighting Parkinson’s disease.