Touching lives

Indian gold medalist to hold yoga camp for kids and women

A yoga workshop for children and women is underway at Revival Beauty Salon. Yogita Kanaiyalal Mehta, 28, from Gujarat in India is conducting the workshop.

Mehta likes to teach yoga to children and sees it as a challenge. According to her, "Children are very flexible and can be given a direction." Mehta believes that children will take a little time but will eventually learn what is right for them. Women on the other hand, she believes, cannot change their habits easily. In the workshop, she teaches children from six years of age. Her youngest student is her three-year-old nephew.

Mehta's passion for yoga began in 1993 when she attended a free yoga camp organised by Lakulish Yoga Vidyalaya. Then, an aspiring chartered accountant and national volleyball player, Mehta realised her true calling was in teaching and learning more about yoga.

She recalls, "My mind was naturally drawn towards yoga and I decided I would dedicate my entire life to imparting the knowledge I had about this age old science."

Mehta's belief is that yoga is all about scientific exercises that ensure a healthy and stress-free life and also enhance spiritual growth. Since winning a gold medal in the National Yogasana Championship in 1993, Mehta has taught yoga for eight years and travelled all over India to share her knowledge of yoga.

She has decided to donate 90 per cent of all her earnings to the institute that changed her life. "When I underwent training in yoga, it was all free of charge and I wish to give back in some way."