Health and wellness now ranks high on people’s priority. The World Yoga Day got enthusiastic participation from thousands of wellness enthusiasts across the world.
New Zealand also celebrated the World Yoga Day with impressive numbers participating in group Yoga sessions held to mark the day. One of the coaches leading the gathering at Manukau’s Vodafone Event Centre was Gurpreet Sidhu. She has also been passionately promoting the Yogic way of living within the community.
Indian Weekender is happy to feature her as our Face of the Week and here is a gist of our conversation with her:
Tell us something about you and your profession.
I am an Indian-born Kiwi yoga teacher and wellness coach.
How long have you been practising yoga?
I have been a yoga practitioner for more than 15years now.
When did you start working as an instructor and why did you choose this as a profession?
About six years ago, I started teaching friends and colleagues who always asked me to share yoga with them. The hall we had at my work place soon became full. Even my manager asked me to take few breathing exercises before we began our meeting. As I taught, I realised that I was able to contribute in a small way to the community. It was very humbling. I started getting feedback from people on how yoga was helping them heal from minor issues. Having practised yoga all these years, teaching came natural to me. Later on, I ended up leaving my full-time job to be a full-time yoga teacher. It has been three years since then. Now I am a certified trained yoga teacher. I have been doing some community work and teaching people of all ages from both India and New Zealand.
My mission is to “make the shift” with the help of these beautiful ancient techniques. Our nation should be stress-free and disease-free, which is everyone’s birth right.
Yoga is quite popular in India these days. But how enthusiastic are people about it in New Zealand?
The person who deserves to be credited for reviving yoga in India is Swami Ramdev. However in my opinion Indians still have a long way to go in adopting yoga at the grassroots level. At present, the percentage of people practising yoga is highest in America and it seems like a recent trend that is being passed on to Australia and New Zealand.
It is, therefore, my intention to introduce yoga in New Zealand in its traditional form rather than it being commercialised or distorted. This is why I try and reach out to the community as much as I can. It is, therefore, my humble request to everyone to follow me on Facebook and to also further share with anyone who you think can benefit. So whenever I am organising any event, I can reach out to everyone with convenience. This summer, I have a lot of plans of taking community yoga to the outdoors and enjoying yoga with the clean and fresh environment we have been blessed with in New Zealand.
Gym culture is quite popular here as well, these days. What do you think is better–Gym or yoga, and how?
According to the U.S. Department on Aging, there are four components to good physical health: strength, flexibility, balance and aerobic capacity. Yoga ticks all boxes. No fancy piece of equipment is needed. One can do yoga with your own body and a yoga mat. Doctors too are recommending yoga to their patients these days.
How can people who are interested in yoga reach you?
I have a yoga studio in Botany Junction details of which are available on my website www.gurpreetsidhu.co.nz
Those interested can check the timetable for classes. Alternatively for free groups, join me on Facebook. I always announce my events through Facebook regularly.