BABA RAMDEV LEADS Yoga camps across the US

Swami Ramdev, also known as Baba Ramdev is particularly well known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga. His yoga camps are attended by a large number of people. Over 85 million people are said to follow his yoga camps through TV channels (such as "Aastha") and video. His yoga teaching sessions are for the masses and his stated principle in life is to be of help to all. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.

Baba Ramdev, clad entirely in orange is fantastically charismatic, occasionally enigmatic and belches with authoritative ease while waxing lyrical on the wonders of yoga. He represents a new generation of superstar lifestyle leaders, one that is gaining evergreater traction both commercially and ideologically among the sub-continent's newly affluent middle classes. Ramdev lives in his 500-acre headquarters in Haridwar, a pilgrimage town on the Himalayan ranges, built on an especially propitious spot where the Ganges emerges from the Himalayas. Vegetarianism, breathing exercises and ayurvedic medicinal treatments (which range from having warm oil drizzled over one's body to the less-pleasant-sounding induced vomiting) are central to this vision but so are population control, compulsory voting, an end to corruption and swadesi (a kind of economic nationalism). "With this, perhaps India will be a superpower in 15 or 20 years," he says.

Baba Ramdev has claimed, for instance that yoga can cure HIV/Aids - with something more overtly rational encapsulates this swami's style. Baba Ramdev has popularized yoga across India over the past decade through a combination of plain speaking, fierce diatribes against Western lifestyles and a cable TV channel. He spends part of each 18-hour working day in his laboratory, seeking empirical proof of yoga's worth.

He is on world tour popularizing yoga around the globe. The first ever Yog Science Workshop by Swami Ramdev in Los Angeles was a grand success. Hundreds of people in various age groups attended the fiveday Yog Science Workshop from July 9 to 13 held between 6 and 8.30 am every day at the Anaheim Convention Center. Number of participants increase with each session and more than 2,000 attending on the last day. Giving glimpse of the hysteric mass support, which Swamiji enjoys in India, people queued up every day at least a few hours before gates of the convention center were opened so that they could be seated closer to their favorite yoga guru. "I am very pleased we had a very successful yog science workshop," said Surendra Mehta, camp organizer. "Hundreds of people got tremendous amount of benefit both health-wise and spiritually," he said. Los Angeles is now a better place to live, he added.

The charisma of Swamiji attracted people to the Anaheim Convention Center from far and near. While majority of them were from in and around Los Angeles, quite a number of them flew in from as far as New York, Oregon, Las Vegas, and Phoenix and across the border in Canada. Around 150-200 of them were mainstream Americans.

Mehta said he decided to invite Swamiji to the city after he personally benefited from practicing Pranayam and yoga a few years back. "This was the very reason that I requested Swamiji to come and hold workshop so that others can get same benefit," he said. "When people practice it for five days, they realize the real benefit of Pranayam and Yog," he said.

He also held a similar Yog Science Workshop from July 16 to 20 in Houston and thereafter in Washington and Vancouver. Many are requesting for another camp next year, while some have offered their services to spread the pranayam and yoga in the US. Hema Ravikumar, who came to the camp, said, "Swami Ramdev is indeed a true modern day "Rishi" who commands and inspires human beings to rise and take charge of their mind, body and spiritual health," she said.

Indian American community in Los Angeles also gave a grand welcome to Swamji during his stay in the city, which was attended a large number of eminent people of the area. The reception was held at the Sanatan Dharam temple, during which Swamiji showed the benefit of Pranayam. The welcome ceremony was followed by a reception the next day.

Swamiji also addressed Indian American doctors of the area at a function on July 11, which was attended by more than 700 physicians and their family members. Organized by the Anekant Community Center, the event brought together some of California's leading Medical luminaries.

These include Indian Medical Association of Southern California - Dr. Jayshree Vyas, President Punjabi Dental Society - Dr. D.P. Singh Nagra, Chairman, Dr. R. Salwan, President Indian Dental Association of California - Dr. Kishore Shah, President Dr. Raj Prasad, President Indian Pharmacists Association of California - Dr. Anil Badlani, President, Indian Medical Association of Greater Los Angeles.

Moderated by Dr Nitin Shah this group of highly accomplished professionals discussed a number of issues with Swami Ramdev. Swami explained to them in detail how many of the common diseases could be tackled through yoga. The doctors were fully convinced and many of them wanted to know more about some of the diseases. Swamiji also answered questions from these doctors.

"Health is the Best Wealth one can ever have! I would like more and more people to take advantage of Yog Science," said Dr. Shah. Impressed by his responses, these doctors wanted to pass on the information to their other colleagues, who could not attend the meeting with Swamiji. Some of the doctors said that they would recommend their patients to do Pranayam as this would help them remain focused, adhere to the balanced dietary habits. This would help them in getting well soon, the doctors argued.

"Swamiji was very impressive. He looked at the medical issues from broad perspective. He gave scientific explanation to all our medical queries. Breathing techniques generates even the nerve cells. It is really a breakthrough in medical science. The stem cells may be awakened, Swamiji believes, as he is stimulating them with his breathing techniques, although this is at a preliminary level," Dr. Vyas said.

For those who are not able to attend the events in person, there are TV shows, books, DVDs, CDs, medicines, soaps, oils, even a soft drink for sale online. Swami Ramdev, who has helped popularize ancient fitness regimens and traditional ayurvedic medicine in different parts of the world, now wants to contribute to politics in order to realize "the India of my dreams". "I have political ambitions but not to grab power. I want to change the way of life and thoughts of those who are in power," the 55-year-old guru said.

Meanwhile, a $20 million yoga and Ayurveda research centre, the first outside India — modeled after Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Yog Peeth in Haridwar — was consecrated in Rosenberg, Texas, USA, last month with the yoga guru presiding over the consecration ceremony. At a cotton field in Rosenberg, about 25 miles from Houston, Baba Ramdev and his associates chanted ancient Vedic hymns as he blessed the 94-acre ground for the proposed centre.

Baba Ramdev said he visualizes a 'yoga revolution' in the Western world with the establishment of the centre. "As many as 30 per cent people in the US cannot afford medical treatment because of the cost. Our aim at this centre would be to treat and cure such people through yoga and traditional Indian medical systems," Baba Ramdev told rediff.com a day after the ceremony.

By his own admission he has cured millions of people in India of diabetes, asthma, hypertension, obesity, arthritis and other stress-related diseases solely through yoga. He hopes to do the same in the United States.

While the centre will have trained yoga teachers, he will visit Texas at least twice a year. "Besides clinical trials, scientific study and genetic research, we will promote evidence-based research of traditional medicine here," he said.

- BY YOGESH KARIKURVE