Yo yoga!

Gauri Chhabra

Yoga, the ancient science of wellness of mind and body, was in the headlines this week as the whole world stretched, bowed and bent in reverence to its “healing touch” on June 21 as UN General Assembly declared the day as International Day of Yoga. The resolution was not only co-sponsored by a record 175 countries, but was also the first initiative to be proposed and implemented by any country in the UN body in less than 90 days.

Apart from its global appeal, with Indian government planning to make it compulsory in schools and colleges, career opportunities in this field are also bound to increase. Need for professionally trained instructors is going to increase in government as well as private sector too. Here’s a look at some of the courses that students can check out to equip themselves ably in this field:

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Those interested in getting a degree or diploma in this field can enrol for courses being offered by universities and colleges in different states. A degree or diploma from a recognised university is mandatory for being eligible for government jobs in Ministry of Health as well as in different educational institutions and in the private sector. Some of the institutes offering courses are:

• Punjabi University, Patiala, is offering PG Diploma in Yoga and Certificate Course in Yoga
• Desh Bhagat Dental College & Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh
• Dev Samaj College For Women, Ferozpore
• Sri Sai College of Engineering & Technology, Pathankot
• G.G.S College of Modern Technology, Mohali
• Shaheed Kansi Ram College of Physical Education, Mohali
• Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
• National College of Health Sciences, Ludhiana

Universities offering yoga courses in Distance Education and Open Learning Mode:

• Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli offering MSc Yoga in Human Excellence, BSc In Yoga for Human Excellence, Diploma in Yoga, Certificate Course in Yoga.
• Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya offers PG Diploma Course - PG Diploma in Yog Vigyan
• Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya offers Certificate Course - Foundation course in Yogic Sciences
• Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune offers BA in Yoga and Diploma in Yoga and Naturopathy Yoga University, Yoga Vidya Gurukul, Nasik, has various categories of educational courses from Yoga Sopan to Yoga Pandit tailored for different categories of people with Yoga Sopan being the easiest one.

Yoga Sopan

This is the easiest course for the beginners and is taught in five days (1 hour a day). It includes various simple movements of arms and legs, easy asanas, deep breathing, Omkar japa and meditation. Old and disabled persons and those suffering from backache, hyper tension etc. have benefited from this course.

Yoga Pravesh

This is a one-month duration course (1 hour a day) and trains disciples on various body movements of arms and legs, waist and neck etc. which are necessary for yoga training, Surya namaskara simple but very important asanas, various types of breathing exercises, Pranav Japa etc. are taught. Three lectures relating to yoga are also delivered. Last one week is exclusively used for practices of the taught curriculum and practical examinations are conducted.

Yoga Parichaya (Certificate in Yoga)

The next step is Yoga Parichaya. The duration of this training programme is one and a half month (1 hour a day). It includes 12 lectures on Yama, Niyama, food habits, Ayurveda, hygiene etc. Advance stages of Yogasana cleansing process like jalneti, vaman, kapalbhati and a few pranayamas are also taught. Besides practical examinations of asanas a written test is also taken.

Diploma in Yogic Studies

This is a more advanced course. Students learn advance asanas, cleansing processes (shuddhikriya), meditation (dhyan), the different types of pranayamas and yoga philosophy. Students are also required to submit a research report in this curriculum.

Bachelor in Yoga

Presently Yoga Pandit teaching facilities are in Nasik only. It is a residential course consisting of three sessions of one week each. The most important feature of this course is that the students get to experiences the life of a yogi. A student comfortably sits for more than half hour in one asana, does pranayama for half an hour.

Discussions on various subjects related to yoga, mind, yogic therapies etc. are conducted. The very outlook towards life is changed after these sessions.

Yoga teacher training courses

In order to spread yoga educations to all possible levels and places, a number of teachers are required to be trained to do the job. The following categories of teachers are available with the Vidyapeeth.

Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in Yoga Education:

In this residential course of one-month duration, Yoga Pravesh, Yoga Parichaya, Yoga Pravesh teacher, Yoga Pravesh Examiner and organising of yoga classes are the subjects taught. Thousands of students have undergone this training and all of them are successful yoga teachers. Even a novice can become a yoga teacher after this one-month residential course.

Diploma in Yoga Education — D.Y.Ed.

After getting teacher certificate one has to pass 'Yoga Pravina' and 'Yoga Parichaya Teacher' courses. This also is a residential one-month duration course. Several students have undergone these examinations and are conducting Yoga Parichaya classes in their cities.

Bachelor in Yoga Education — B.Y.Ed.

Having undergone three sessions of Yoga Pandita and training of Teacher for Praveen classes a student is awarded the degree of Yoga Pradhyapak (B.Y.Ed.). Necessary training in organising, propagation, etc. is also given. Training in yoga therapy, basic principles of this therapy and practicals are the part of this training.

— The writer is a Punjab-based career consultant