BENGALURU:What keeps Prime Minister Narendra Modi fresh and active amidst his punishing schedule? The secret is out: it is a yogic procedure called avartan dhyan or cyclic meditation.
“He never misses practising it in the evening,” Modi’s yoga guru Dr H R Nagendra told Express. “He performs an integrated module, incorporating avartan dhyan, pranayama, asanas and meditation,” he said.
Nagendra, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from IISc, Bengaluru, is chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthanam, a yoga university. Many ministers, VIPs and corporate honchos learn yoga from him.
Modi took to avartan dhyan about 15 years ago, and likes it more than other yogic sequences. “He is an excellent student. He understands, learns and practises regularly. That is the beauty of it,” said Nagendra, now associated with the Centre’s initiatives to promote yoga.
As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had invited Nagendra and his team to train all his ministers. Whenever the prime minister visits Bengaluru, he makes it a point to go to Nagendra’s campus in Jigani, about 35 km from the Vidhana Soudha here.
Avartan dhyan, according to Nagendra, is based on the Mandukya Upanishad. It consists of three standing and two sitting postures, and lying down on the ground. The meditation helps improve the quality of sleep, and thereby efficiency at work. “It is a wonder tool for people with hectic schedules. Our research has proved that it significantly improves the quality of sleep,” he said.
Nagendra finds training high-flyers, like Modi, easy. “They grasp things fast and are very intelligent. They start adopting the lessons quickly,” he said.
What does It mean?
The Sanskrit term avartan dhyan (pronounced aavartan dhyaan) means ‘cyclic meditation’. It is said to be inspired by the Mandukya Upanishad, an ancient treatise with just 12 verses. Avartan dhyan comprises three standing and two sitting postures, and lying down on the ground in shavaasana, the corpse posture. A 35-minute module incorporating the sequence, taught by Dr H R Nagendra of Bengaluru, helps improve the quality of sleep and is usually practised in the evening.