A REAL STRETCH

THE kingdom is in for a stretch of enlightenment later this year thanks to yoga master Bharat Thaker who is currently searching for a facility to host workshops in Bahrain.

He is a specialist in Artistic Yoga – an innovative adaptation of the well-known traditional practice – and is keen to help residents in the kingdom shape up using his methods.

Bharat, 40, created Artistic Yoga in 1999 after witnessing yoga’s growing popularity and believing the many styles being taught were not as powerful, dynamic, immediate or as authentic as he believed they should be.

Artistic Yoga combines ancient yogic techniques (asanas, pranayam, bandhas, kriyas and mudras) with modern cardiovascular-training and partner-stretches that work on each individual both physically and mentally.

However, one needn’t share Bharat’s ideology to benefit from his workshops. He said: “Everyone, regardless of age, sex or religion, can benefit from practicing yoga.

“I want to show people how to use yoga techniques to help improve their fitness levels and lifestyles.”

Born in Bihar, India, he began studying yoga when he was four-years-old under the guidance of master instructor Sukhdev Brahmachari. He was specially selected to learn the ancient art in the Himalian mountains for 14 years.

Upon completing his training, his master sent him off to spread and share the knowledge he had been taught.

While teaching yoga he also began his formal education at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education where he attained his Bachelors, Masters, and a PHD in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics.
 
“After a while I looked around and found that some people teaching yoga were spouting complete mumbo jumbo. They were teaching simple breathing exercises and saying it was yoga,” he claimed.

“People do three months of lessons and then start teaching, nowadays in India there are even seven-day diploma courses, it’s so sad. Yoga is so beautiful and powerful but it takes you a lifetime to understand the science behind it.”

Thanks to his vast knowledge of traditional techniques and modern training in exercise physiology and biomechanics he came up with the idea of combining the two and marketing it as Artistic Yoga.

“I wanted to bring the modern scientific elements I had learned to yoga and combine them in this programme.

“Artistic Yoga brings all the aspects of yoga and exercise physiology together, not just fragments of it.”

Having written 25 books on the subject, he is arguably one of the most knowledgeable instructors in the world and, after spreading his practice all over the globe, it is now Bahrain’s turn for enlightenment.

“I came to Bahrain five years ago and I liked the peace in the air, the laid back and relaxed lifestyle. I felt like if I brought my yoga programme over here, people could become fitter, healthier and there would also be something new for people to do.

“This programme is accepted and practiced worldwide, we have two million customers and 400 yoga centres around the globe.

“We aim to be up and running in Bahrain by September or October this year. But, before that, I want to introduce the whole programme with workshops to help orient people on what we’re about.

“I can’t wait to help the people of Bahrain discover this beautiful way to shape up.”

For more information on Artistic Yoga visit www.artisticyoga.com