Yoga and Ayurveda: Boom in India's wellness tourism industry | WION

Transcript

[Music] [Music] hello and welcome we are in rishikesh the yoga capital of the world this holy city has always been known to attract people from all walks of life and from different corners of the globe this is the second episode in our series yoga celebrating India's gift to mankind on this episode we're going to explore the booming Wellness industry to understand why people are spending so much time money and resources to get into yoga I am Yan Castell and I'm Nik Singh and without any further delay let's d Into the Heart of this vibrant yoga Community nestled in the foothills of the Majestic Himalayas along the sacred banks of the Holy River ganga lies [Music] rishikesh rishikesh is more than just a destination it is a spiritual Haven that attracts Seekers from around the globe there are many richy or sages that have spent time in austerity in this place including Ria Rishi that gave the place the name rishikesh there is also Swami sananda the founder of the Divine Life Society and Swami vivanda one more Yogi who has made rishikesh famous is Maharishi Mahesh Maharishi Mahesh came into the Limelight for having taught the Beatles Transcendental Meditation at his ashram here no know for its profound connection to yoga rishikesh offers a unique blend of natural beauty and spiritual energy the city is home to countless ashrams and yoga schools where practitioners come to immerse themselves in the traditional teachings of yoga from beginner classes to Advanced teacher training programs rishikesh provides a comprehensive and surreal yoga experience renowned gurus and teachers impart wisdom that has been passed down Generations guiding students on their journey to self-discovery and inner peace yoga to me is a way of aligning my beliefs with my actions and practicing a HSA which means nonviolence so yog literally translates to Union which is exactly what it it is to me it's a union between my physical body my mental body and my spiritual body the basic thing of your body being your temple I think yoga really makes you feel at home in your temple it's make me release the stressful make me more grounded no ego we're standing in front of permat ntin one of the largest ashs in India this spiritual Haven attracts thousands every Year all seeking Rejuvenation I'm very excited to practice yoga here and to meet the dedicated practitioners who have Incorporated yoga and ayurveda into their daily life but Nikita do you know that my association with rishikesh is not a new one J that's very exciting how how is that so I've actually spent months in rishikesh to study yoga and to practice under different teachers so I've actually spent some four months in different areas of the city and I've had my fair share of yoga lessons in the city that sounds very interesting and exciting so Yan without any further delay how about you go back to explore your very learned roots and I'll be heading to Ashtanga Yoga Institute to delve into the dynamic practice of Ashtanga Yoga all right that sounds really exciting let's begin yoga in rishikesh is not just a practice it's a way of life the Serene environment combined with the city's Dee rooted spiritual heritage creates an ideal setting for personal growth and transformation at the parmar nikan gut in the swar ashram area of rishikesh there are devotees and enthusiasts who practice yoga before a large Shiva statue every morning I joining today's class exhale bring the hands down the class starts Before Sunrise over the ganga and there are quite a few of us here listening to instructions in both Hindi and English I'm delighted that today's yoga session is not too challenging as we are in the middle of a heat wave try to keep the feet the straight although this is a traditional place to do yoga at the parar nikan ashram I noticed that there are several other foreign practitioners here in the class after the class concludes I'm interested to find out more about this ashram what do you think about how yoga has become a global phenomenon I think I have seen during the covid time especially yoga games a new medicine to the world and the root cause of all these diseases we see around us stress is the root cause and to me yoga and meditation is the way meditation is the best medication for all agitations our Ries have found out not today thousands of years ago whereever whenever Humanity will be feeling the stress how to heal from the stress from those challenges they found this amazing amazing way of living is Yoga how can we how can we talk about and and think about ayurveda in relation to yoga and and like say Wellness tourism I think to me Aura is a science of life is a science of life it is not only about medicine it's about all teaches you how to lead your life how to change your lifestyle how to have a balance in your life how to have a balance in your doas how to take care of when to eat when not to eat when to sleep how to sleep how much to sleep how to think even this is all yogic life and ayurvedic life the next thing I'm here to experience is the fire ceremony that takes place under the foliage of large trees in the ashram's courtyard it doesn't take long before swamiji and svii enter this is the first time I participate in a ceremony like this and I'm given a front row seat right next to the spiritual leaders of the asham what an exp erience to learn more about what makes rishikes so popular I meet SV g a spiritual leader here at parmar Nikon we are in rishikesh and people from all over the world are coming here how is parmar nikan accommodating these people so we have almost a thousand rooms here wow there must be one of the biggest asham in we are the biggest asham in rikesh We Are full so much of the year what can people experience here can people become say certified yoga instructors here yes we have a lot of teachers training programs and we have a lot of other shorter courses ranging from courses in Kaa yoga to courses in yog Nidra to NAD yog to philosophy courses in the bhavat Gita or vidanta or Foundation courses beginners courses is so many yoga type different courses that are shorter but also the longer teachers training programs let's say that you're coming over and you have not dabbled much into these different types of Yoga how can you find your path if so to say absolutely this is the perfect place to do that because for example if you came to parmar Nikon for a day you could begin your day with a general yoga class and we've so many different teachers who teach a variety of different styles you would then take part in a beautiful morning fire ceremony an ancient ritual that teaches us how to let go then throughout the day you could have meditation classes philosophy classes in the evening you'll join for the sacred ganga Arty the lighting ceremony on the banks of the river this extraordinary opportunity to come together in love in bti in Connection in devotion [Music] [Music] with the highest number of Yoga Alliance certified institutions India stands as the global hub for yoga education our next stop is Ashtanga yog Shala which is located in the tapan area in rishikesh this yog Shala is also known for its credibility in yoga certification in Sanskrit AA means eight and Anga means body parts and together Ashtanga means eight limbs s patanjali set out his definition of yoga in the yoga sutras as having these eight components and these are Yama that means abstinences Nama observances asna yoga postures pranayama breath control prahara withdrawal of the senses Tarana concentration d meditation and samadhi absorption this physically demanding yoga style can take years to master even the primary series when I entered the class I assumed I would participate in the entire session however Ashtanga Yoga demands continuous and consistent practice and as a beginner I could only manage a few arals I was truly in a of the students around me each one assuming in near perfect postures very comfortably I'm coming from the West I see that there is a different approach in yoga sometimes we're taking it more as a physical exercises the physical part is just one piece of the whole puzzle and there is also enchanting and pranayama and meditation so it's much deeper than just ASAS the Ashtanga yog Shala in Rishi focuses on helping students deepening their understanding of yoga it's no wonder that everyone in the class looked like a true professional but what got my attention was this very young yoga champ some lessons for this little one too it's heartwarming to see how the environment at Ashtanga yog Shala is binding everyone together rikes has been always a place of tapasia of the sadana not only because of now but in the past so many sages so many yogis they have done their sad here and this place it always carries this energy you know it's such a strong vipes it has if you go to ganga it gives you this feeling so this place has always been a place of yoga so it is called yoga World Capital Rishi is also popular for teacher training courses and and many I I have experienced that many beginners they jump directly into teacher training courses this has titled teacher training so basically they are coming with some hope that they will become teacher but they don't know yoga is not about getting a certificate you have to first go through hard practice [Music] over the past decade the wellness tourism sector has seen explosive growth valued at over $800 billion in 2022 it is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of over 12% from 2023 to 2030 our next story is from such wellness retreats take a look [Music] [Music] with 94% of Travelers incorporating self-care into their travels and 59% of them actually opting for solo Wellness getaways Wellness tourism is surely thriving also there's been a huge spike in interest for ayurvedic treatments and therapies come let's let's explore the world of [Music] [Music] ayura so Dr tendra what kind of ayurvedic treatments uh does your treat possess uh we have different varieties of aoda treatments the first one is anandam that's like ainga full body massage with different kind of oils different for head different for body and even is customized person to person second is like a portly massage we call OES here that's like the Bas filled with Hubble powder that therapist di that dip that portly in the oil and do massage with that it's wonderful for pain management issues someone having uh reation purpose is heting therapy and it's wonderful third therapy is uh UD okay that we call here Tapas it's like like mainly scrubbing massage mainly we use different varieties of the powder and along with uh less amount of oil so that's mainly for fat burn purpose weight management purpose and also for skin regeneration purpose right so according to your body composition do you then uh cater to uh their treatments using certain herbs and oils everything customized according to their PR oh wow yeah their their food their morning drinks night drinks their therapies their oil their herbs whatever it's all customized customized that surely sounds very exciting and uh in fact I would love to do my body composition analysis if you're up for it sure sure you're welcome I'm thrilled to share that with the help of professional analysis I've learned my unique body composition or pratica which is a pivotal step towards Optimal Health as I sip on this refreshing detoxification tea I'm also excited to embrace a diet tailored to my body type and ensuring that I take the best care of myself talking about healthy diet we visited another Retreat that gave us an opportunity to delve into yoga and some delicious sawick food in this hectic world making time for rest and Rejuvenation is always a great way to reboot wellness retreats in India offering a blend of luxury and self-care are a new favorite for travelers yoga philosophy emphasizes a profound link between our diet and our state of mind while modern science struggles to fully grasp these subtities the ancient satvic diet celebrated for its Purity and balance is believed to be transformative the satvic diet is believed to boost energy Foster happiness and bring about a sense of calm and mental Clarity remarkably the mahanarayan upan nishit dating back to around 5,000 BC suggests that following a saic diet could lead to a lifespan of 100 to 150 years so we have a beautiful uh table set up here Nikita definitely do you see the colors on the table yes very very appetizing yeah and all fresh and wholesome food this is so today we have Millet idly M now why Millet and why not a regular idly because millets are indigenous food of India I would say okay and they're so wholesome and rich in fiber which we are missing out majorly from our diets today with eating so much processed food and then leading to so many digestive disorders right but you can have Millet kiter uh for dinners and and uh you'll see how your digestion improves we have a special thing on the table too which is called ghee the age old yeah and popular most yeah and uh but it's also um considered to be fattening and um uh you know not so good MH it is a medicinal food also in ayura so used for treatments of so many diseases your own body's Natural State you should eat and drink your Foods so if you meet an aurvedic uh consultant or a doctor he'll guide you with your prri and your DOA pit and cuff so as for these then you will have a diet which is recommended to you as per your Seasons that change as per your uh ages that change your hormones change great I can't wait to dig in and try out each one of these very colorful and organic locally available ingredi absolutely we we do have a small organic garden here and some of the ingredients definitely have come up from there and coconut is another thing which I think is the most healing um food in Aura amazing healing properties for the gut for digestion can't wait to dig [Music] in while Nikita is learning more about the wellness industry in other B of vishesh I'm here in the tapan area to learn more about how to pick the perfect yog mat and I'm meeting with shda who is a professional Yogi here hello sh hi I see you found a spot with a few different yoga mats yes when I'm picking a yoga mat what should I think about uh you have to think about the thickness whether it how it's going to be on your knee if you have any knee issues make sure that you don't buy a thin mat so that's that's about like the cushioning yes cushioning also uh anti- grip it should not slip while you're practicing for example these mats would slip very easily oh really yeah if you want to look for the you know how the environment is and you want to make sure that uh you know you're not causing any more issues to the environment so bu a m all right thank you sha bye Yan see you see you all right so I got my yoga mat now it's time for the yoga advocate of the week [Music] [Applause] [Music] as a young man at the age of 16 I began my ad Life as a fine art painter but I had serious blood disorders constantly worsening anemia disorders at 23 I had a suspicion of Leukemia and thanks to a book I discover I discovered yoga I have been practicing seriously for three and a half years and I have h both physical mentally and spiritual to at that point I felt a strong vocation to dedicate myself only to yoga to practice teaching and spreading it around the world my B duty today is to train good teachers of integral yoga so that this discipline must be continuously transmitted for this reason I organize training courses for teachers wherever possible Mahatma Gandhi g said that one had to be the example of change here I try to offer my life as an example with love and humility [Music] we hope that today's episode has highlighted the significant impact of the wellness industry in India and globally we're sure that this industry definitely has a very promising future absolutely and remember you can explore these opportunities too we are at the ganga and I'm going to go and join Shada in practicing some Asana oh that's lovely sounds exciting well until then stay well and keep practicing yoga [Music] n [Music] [Music]