Yoga workshop for the blind

New Delhi, Apr 4: Seeking to promote the well being all human beings , a two-day-long yoga workshop for visually impaired people was organised here recently by Yogakshema-Iyengar Yoga Centre.

The workshop, which was supported by the Centre's Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities was inaugurated by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on April 2.

"This workshop provided insights about the revolutionary and path breaking work done by Guruji, late B K S Iyengar, in making yoga provide solutions to any of differently abled persons," organisers said.

One of the foremost yoga teachers across the globe, Iyengar, who passed away in 2014, was a recipient of all the three Padma honours for his pioneering work towards popularising Yoga.

He had also authored several books on yoga practice and philosophy. The workshop was conducted in two batches of 100 visually impaired people, comprising of sessions that stretched for as long as six hours.

"This work is extremely beneficial for people with visual impairment as they have very limited opportunities of exposure for any kind of physical exercise. Here, it goes much deeper than just physical exercise and helps develop over all well-being of the participants," organisers said.

Efforts in reaching out to the differently abled has been on the agenda of the Iyengar Yoga Centre for quite some time now. Last year, the centre brought out a book in Braille to facilitate yoga-learning for the blind.

"Guruji's disciple, Nivedita Joshi, has been making efforts to make this knowledge accessible to persons with visual impairment. This effort has resulted in publication of a book in Braille with tactile diagrams on this subject," organisers said.

PTI