From aerial to aqua: This Yoga Day, embrace new forms of traditional poses with a twist

Tanvi Kulkarni, 28, has been practising yoga since she was in school. The entrepreneur, along with a few friends, will be heading to Cubbon Park on Friday to mark International Yoga Day. The park will play host to yogis who will perform 108 'suryanamaskars'. However, while Kulkarni is looking forward to the event, she is moving beyond traditional yoga to embrace novel forms.

Aerial yoga is one of the many forms to have caught people’s fancy. The gravity-defying form is inspired by yoga and Pilates and is performed using specially designed nylon or silk hammocks hanging from the ceiling. “I started practising aerial yoga a year ago, and while it looks scary, it provides a lot of support while doing difficult asanas. It also improves flexibly,” Kulkarni says.

“The approach towards yoga has changed and people are responding to innovative forms,” says Akshar, founder of Akshar Yoga. The aerial yoga sessions at the academy’s Sadashivanagar studio get booked days in advance. “Our aerial yoga studio is always packed. This form of yoga focuses on stretching the muscles, strengthening the upper back and spine,” he says.




Another innovative form that is popular is the wheel yoga, which uses a wheel made of fibre and natural rubber to support the back. “Be it the wheels, yoga hammocks or bricks, they are all props that add immense value to traditional yoga poses,” Akshar points out. The studio conducts workshops for these props every other weekend, which draws a large crowd mostly of youngsters. “Almost 80% of people opting for aerial or wheel yoga are in their 20s and 30s, as it makes yoga more interesting and approachable.”

Yoga practitioner Carolyn Theresa Simon is an advocate of these new forms, as they draw inspiration from traditional methods. The newest trend, she says, is acro yoga, that incorporates ‘hatha’ or ‘vinyasa’ flow yoga with acrobatics. It is a partner yoga session in which one person is the base, while the other is on top, practising the asasnas. “It helps to improve strength and balance. You can see many people in Cubbon Park in the mornings doing acro yoga,” she says. These catchy names work wonders for people looking to lead a healthy lifestyle but with a twist, she adds.

Aqua yoga, hillside yoga, laughter yoga... the list is endless. However, yoga is not about just physical well-being but also of the mind and soul, says sound yoga practitioner Siddhi Kanwal. The software engineer has been practising and promoting this form, which uses meditative sounds — from singing bowls, gongs and bells to chants — along with gentle yoga poses to relax the mind and rejuvenate the body. “After the slow movements of the asanaas, you lie down in ‘shavasana’ to let your body absorb the sounds. It is a surreal experience,” she says.