Rock singer Sting swears by it. Supermodel Christy Turlington helped create a fashion line out of it while Madonna helped to popularise it in her “Frozen” music video. Since the coming of the millennium, yoga has gained mainstream acceptance and enjoyed a huge surge in popularity thanks to these celebrity advocators.

However, yoga isn’t a new phenomenon. Since the dawn of time, spiritual devotees have been practicing yoga as a path towards enlightenment. And contrary to popular beliefs, yoga isn’t a religion either. Rather, it is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. It works on all aspects of the person on the moral, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level and is intended to be incorporated into one’s daily life. In short, yoga is essentially a workout for your mind, body and soul.

“People are now more well-informed on its health benefits thanks to the media coverage surrounding celebrities who practice yoga. At the same time, they are also looking inwards in search of spirituality. Hatha yoga’s movements offers that through the slow motions that’s meant to calm you down,” said veteran PA yoga trainer, Quinine Tao, who holds a certificate from Yog Sadhana Kendra in India and has taught hatha yoga for close to 30 years.

In case you’re wondering, hatha yoga is another branch of yoga that refers to a set of breathing and physical exercises (known as asanas or postures) as well as concentration. The sequence of asanas helps to align your skin, muscles, and bones to open the many channels of your body, especially the main channel at the spine, so that energy can flow freely. When energy flows, your physical body develops a balance in strength and flexibility.

With its total approach to health and wellness, it is no surprise that hatha yoga is one of the most popular courses enrolled at the local community centres. In 2004 for instance, hatha yoga attracted over 38,000 participants with over 1,900 classes held ranging from the elementary to the advanced level. Just this year alone, over 36,000 participants has enrolled in over 1,800 hatha yoga classes held island wide from the month of January to October 2005.

Hatha yoga’s powerful ability for self-transformation is something that practitioners have experienced almost instantly:

“Students become more calm and relaxed with improved temper and concentration,” explained Quinine Tao.

Given today’s frantic pace of urban life, hatha yoga’s ability in helping its practitioners achieve an inner sense of calm, regardless of age, is perhaps the most convincing reason why it is such a popular course in Singapore. Swallow your pride and see the light!

Hatha Yoga
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Fee Range: $30 - $60

PAssion Card holders are entitled to course discounts