Hooked to yoga, no. of centres up to 40 from 18 in a month

ALLAHABAD: A number of yoga training centres have mushroomed across the city within a fortnight of International Yoga Day celebrations. The number of such centres has increased to 40 from 18 a month ago.
These centres have come up not only within municipal limits but also in trans Ganga and Yamuna pockets. Earlier, such centres were confined to Civil Lines, Allahapur, Govindpur, Katra, Chowk and Jhalwa areas in municipal limits but now they are found even in Jhunsi, Phaphamau and Naini areas.
Most of these centres are offering three courses to enthusiasts, Happiness Programme, Advanced Meditation and Divya Samaj Nirman. City experts attributed the sudden interest in yoga to mass awareness about health and fitness. “Majority of aspirants believe that yoga keeps them physically and mentally fit,” said one of them. This was the prime reason behind rising numbers of yoga centres. Even a few gyms have introduced the yoga sessions, he added.
Yoga expert Pankaj Tripathi said, “Earlier, we used to have a batch of 20-25 people. Owing to the increase in general awareness, the number of learners per batch has now gone up to 50 to 60 people.” He further said, “Citizens are keen to learn yoga. We are now introducing monthly course for their convenience.”
“The training is need specific. We analyse the requirement of an aspirant and suggest aasanas to ensure their growth and progress,” he said. His centre also offers a package of aasanas that claims to keep practitioner healthy and ensures a medicine-free life.
Another Yoga guru said, “There are many advantages of yoga. It helps beat stress and enhance mood.” Besides, yoga also boosts confidence, helps in losing weight, increases flexibility, strengthens muscles and strength and benefits breathing. It also controls blood pressure.”