Jun 02 2014
:
The Times of India
(Chennai)
Yoga, the secret of Kings' success
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Gaurav Gupta
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TNN
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Kings
XI Punjab, who played their maiden IPL final on Sunday , were the team
to beat this season. Always an underdog before IPL7, Preity Zinta's side
stole everyone's heart with its sizzling performances. While the
presence of star players helped, what caught the eye was that the side
played with a selfbelief, especially against bigger outfits, which was
hitherto lacking. That self-belief was instilled due to a `winning
mantra' introduced to them by Mumbai-based yoga guru, Eknath alias Amit
Kumar, before the tournament began. Eknath imparts teachings of the
`Satyanand yoga,' also known as the `Bihar School of Yoga.' The `Bihar
School of Yoga,' located in Munger, is the first deemed Yoga University
in the world. Sportspersons practising yoga, which came into existence
thousands of years back, isn't a unique thing. It helps them improve
concentration powers and reduce stress. In India, star golfer Arjun
Atwal and the national team's archers have practised `Satyanand yoga,'
over the years.
“It inspired me to teach the cricketers about it,“ Eknath told TOI on Sunday . “The Kings owners (Ness Wadia , Preity Xinta, and Mohit Burman) gave me the opportunity to introduce it to their team. I am thankful that coach Sanjay Bangar and the players liked the sessions,” he said.
The yoga guru gave the players ‘winning mantras,’ while practising meditation, which they had to recite thrice a day. “I had interest in yoga, but didn’t know much about ‘Yoga Nidra.’ I didn’t know that if you keep a sankalp (purpose), it never fails. It was beneficial to the players and they should
do it regularly ,“ said Bangar. Elaborating on how yoga helped the players, Eknath said: “Asana and Pranayama release mental tensions. They help maintain the body in an optimum condition. It results in releasing dormant energy; the body becomes full of vitality and strength. The mind becomes light, creative, and joyful. There is an increase in the confidence level of the players.“
“The highlight of the practice was meditation, which helps a player in unleashing his potential,“ the yoga teacher said, before explaining how meditation helped the players perform better in high-stress situations that they encounter in the IPL. “It helps the body relax. It is the best tool to cope with lack of sleep. Thirty minutes of `Yoga Nidra' is equivalent to three hours of sleep. It reduces oxygen requirement and aid metabolism. It also enables you to breathe `deep and slow' instead of `fast and shallow.“
After the sessions, Ekanth received excellent feedback from the players. “Virender Sehwag told me that he loved practising yoga, and would suggest youngsters to do so. He said that he ignored yoga when he came into the Indian team, but, at 35, he had found that it is the most powerful tool to help stay relaxed and improve fitness.“
“It inspired me to teach the cricketers about it,“ Eknath told TOI on Sunday . “The Kings owners (Ness Wadia , Preity Xinta, and Mohit Burman) gave me the opportunity to introduce it to their team. I am thankful that coach Sanjay Bangar and the players liked the sessions,” he said.
The yoga guru gave the players ‘winning mantras,’ while practising meditation, which they had to recite thrice a day. “I had interest in yoga, but didn’t know much about ‘Yoga Nidra.’ I didn’t know that if you keep a sankalp (purpose), it never fails. It was beneficial to the players and they should
do it regularly ,“ said Bangar. Elaborating on how yoga helped the players, Eknath said: “Asana and Pranayama release mental tensions. They help maintain the body in an optimum condition. It results in releasing dormant energy; the body becomes full of vitality and strength. The mind becomes light, creative, and joyful. There is an increase in the confidence level of the players.“
“The highlight of the practice was meditation, which helps a player in unleashing his potential,“ the yoga teacher said, before explaining how meditation helped the players perform better in high-stress situations that they encounter in the IPL. “It helps the body relax. It is the best tool to cope with lack of sleep. Thirty minutes of `Yoga Nidra' is equivalent to three hours of sleep. It reduces oxygen requirement and aid metabolism. It also enables you to breathe `deep and slow' instead of `fast and shallow.“
After the sessions, Ekanth received excellent feedback from the players. “Virender Sehwag told me that he loved practising yoga, and would suggest youngsters to do so. He said that he ignored yoga when he came into the Indian team, but, at 35, he had found that it is the most powerful tool to help stay relaxed and improve fitness.“
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31807&articlexml=Yoga-the-secret-of-Kings-success-02062014019027
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