HEALTH

Helping people through yoga
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26
A class of yoga by Yogi Bhajan in Arizona shaped her destiny 33 years ago and since then Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, a yoga teacher from Los Angeles (LA), is helping people in the USA change the way they live.

In the city to promote and educate people on yoga through a lecture the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, here today, Gurmukh Kaur, while speaking to The Tribune said in the new fast-track world yoga was a stress-reliever, making those practising it healthier, happier and active.

Now 61 years old, she hardly reflects her age and the secret, she discloses, lies in yoga. “Though one hour daily would be ideal, devoting as few as 11 minutes a day can do wonders to your life, helping you get in shape without a 30-mile run or 80 push-ups. A set of exercises is all it requires to take your mind off worry and Americans, plagued with uneasy sleep patterns, are in dire need of help and so are the Indians, going by the rise in number of cases of cancer, diabetes and many other diseases,” she adds.

With practically everybody from Madonna to Michael Jackson and Cindy Crawford to Al Pacino as her students, Gurmukh Kaur elaborates, “They are all looking for peace of mind and they need to connect with their own spirituality. Being a movie star is not their destiny. Behind closed doors of their homes they have an altogether different identity and living up to the image in society is a tough job. They look to yoga for strength.”

A globe-trotter, who is involved in spreading the benefit of yoga and meditation, Gurmukh Kaur is in love with India.”I was in search of God when the yoga class came my way. India was the obvious destination since God is not all over LA as in the case of India which is the land of gods.”

Stating that yoga transcends all barriers of caste and class with no religion, she claims that she adds to her learning by regularly visiting the country.”I come here four times in a year. In fact I bring groups of yoga learners to India on yatra for giving them a taste of India. My daughter too came to India when she was six years old and studied at Miri Piri Academy for 11 years. She is also into teaching yoga,” the yoga instructor stated.

An author of two books on Kundalini Yoga, one of them titled, “The Eight Human Talents”, she has exercises and meditation techniques for pre-natal and post-natal care as well. Her latest release titled, “Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful” teaches women to deliver and rear healthy children.

She is a regular contributor to magazines of the likes of Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair among others.

“We don’t sit on judgement, don’t refrain or discourage people from anything. The bad habits just fall away as an individual gets more and more involved with yoga. It is like a rechargeable battery where the individual is the battery yoga lights up everything and everybody,” she emphasises, strongly recommending what she is practising.

SPORTS

DAV school girls win TT title
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26
DAV Public School, Sector 8, Chandigarh, clinched the cadet girls team championship in the 16th Chandigarh State Table Tennis Championship organised by the CTTA at TT Hall, Sector 23, here today.

Earlier, in the first semifinal, DAV Public School thrashed Bhavan Hawk A to enter the final. In the second semifinal, Coaching Centre ousted Bhavan Hawk B 3-1.

Coaching Centre won the cadet boys team title in the final, Coaching Centre defeated AKSIPS-41, Chandigarh, to win the title.

The following are the results:

Cadet boys team championship (semifinal): AKSIPS-41 b Bhavan Hawk 3-0. Kavanjot b Harish 11-7, 11-9, 11-9; Chetan Singla b Rachit 11-4, 11-5, 13-11; Ravish b Mayank Kapoor 11-3, 11-6, 11-1. Coaching Centre b Manav Mangal 3-2. Puneet b Himanshu 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 1-9; Chetan Kumar b Mohit 11-7, 11-5, 14-12; Aditya lost to Ankush 4-11, 5-11, 1-11; Chetan lost to Himanshu 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-13, 11-13; Puneet Kumar b Mohit 11-0, 11-6, 11-5.

Final: Coaching Centre b AKSIPS-41 3-1. Puneet b Karamjot 14-12, 11-6, 11-5; Aditya lost to Chetan Singla 3-11, 4-11, 4-11; Chetan Kumar b Ravish 12-10, 11-6, 12-10; Puneet b Chetan Singla 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8.

Cadet girls team championship (semifinal): Coaching Centre b Bhavan Hawk B 3-1. Sadhika b Khushboo 11-4, 11-3, 11-5; Kalyani b Surbhi 11-4, 11-8, 11-5; Richa lost to Bhavneet 8-11, 11-7, 3-11, 10-12; Sadhika b Surbhi 11-9, 11-4, 11-6. DAVPS-8 b Bhavan Hawk A 3-0. Barbie Nagpal b Garima 11-5, 11,7, 11-7; Naina Suri b Vibhuti 11-5, 11-7, 13-11; Aishwarya b Kamaljit 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7.

Final: DAVPS-8 b Coaching Centre 3-0. Barbie Nagpal b Kalyani 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9; Meghna Kakaria b Sadhika 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7; Naina Suri b Richa 11-3, 11-5, 11-4.

Hockey team

Gaurav Tokhi of SGGS College, Chandigarh, will lead the city hockey team (under-21) in the 32nd junior national hockey championship being held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The other members of the team are: Bramjot Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Khushwant Singh, Charandeep Singh, Amarjit Singh, Mandeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gaurav Tokhi, Mandeep Singh, Yudhwinder Singh, Paramjit Singh, Gurtej Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Budh Nath, Ravinder Singh, Sukhmit Singh, Mandeep Singh and Dhanjeet Singh.

Mr Surjit Singh and Mr Kiran Kumar are accompanying the team as manager and coach, respectively.

Shivalik cricket meet

A half century by Vijay Kumar (68 runs in 50 balls) enabled DAV School A, Sector 8 beat St John’s High School by 75 runs in the Shivalik Trophy cricket championship played at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium here today.

Brief scores: DAV A: 180 for 5 in 25 overs (Vijay Kumar 68, Harpreet Singh 28 n.o., Awijeet 24, Vishal 18, Gaurav Pal Singh 2 for 43, Abhey Kaushal 2 for 22). St John’s High School : 105 for 6 in 25 overs (Abhey Kaushal 35 n.o., Aayush Raj Soni 25, Saurabh Arora 2 for 21).

Roll Ball body office-bearers

Mr J.S. Mann will be the president of the newly elected Chandigarh Roll Ball Association which was formed last week. Mr Balwinder Singh Johal is the general secretary of the association. The following are the other office-bearers: chairman — Mr J.S. Bajwa; vice-chairman — Mr Basant Singh; joint secretary — Mr Inderjeet Singh Puri; joint secretary — Mr Ravinder Kumar; treasurer — Mr Bhupinder Singh; and members: Mr Suresh Kumar, Mr Madan Lal, Mr Harpreet Mohinder Singh, Mr Rajneesh Sharma, Ms Dalwinder Kaur and Ms Sunita Bains.

The Chandigarh Roll Ball Association is affiliated with the Roll Ball Federation of India (RBFI) and aims to promote this new game in the region, while the RBFI is affiliated to the International Roll Ball Federation, Mr Balwinder Johal said in a press note issued here today.

The Chandigarh State Roll Ball Championships will be held in November. The state team for the National Roll Ball championships, which will be held in New Delhi from November 21 to 23, will be selected during the meet.

Disaster reduction day on Oct 29
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26
Chandigarh Administration will observe a National Day for Disaster Reduction on October 29, coinciding with the day when the cyclone hit Orissa in 1999. It will be observed to make efforts to reduce the adverse impact of any disaster.

Drawing and painting competitions for schoolchildren will be organised in order to create awareness about the natural and man-made hazards and promoting consciousness about what needs to be done in this connection.

The drawing and painting competitions will be organised on themes such as disaster reduction through environment protection, earthquakes do not kill but buildings do, be prepared and live safe, etc.