The City of Palaces is well known as a heritage destination. Tourists flock to Mysore to see these historic structures as well as other landmarks such as Chamundi Hills and the Mysore zoo. But, the city has also become famous as a yoga destination, both among Indians and foreigners.

This Dasara, the Yoga Sub-committee has decided to hold a variety of programmes to take yoga to peoples doorstep. Experts in yoga have been conducting classes and holding yoga dance competitions for children.

As part of the festivities, the sub-committee has organised more than 25 programmes in Mysore. The sub-committee plans to involve various groups from teachers, senior citizens and special-needs children to journalists, doctors, jail inmates and the traffic police. And this year, for the first time, yoga classes were held for transgenders.

However, the sub-committee faces a problem of sorts as many venues are being fixed up only now.

Yoga centres

There are more than 150 yoga centres in Mysore, including more than 35 branches of the Patanjala Yoga Shikshana Kendra. Yoga assumes significance during Dasara because it was patronised by the Wadiyars.

According to yoga guru K. Raghavendra R. Pai, who runs the Vedavyasa Yoga Foundation, Mysore has become a popular yoga destination.

Coordinator of the sub-committee Yogaprakash said on Sunday, a mass Suryanamaskar would be held at the palace at 6 a.m. followed by a State-level open yoga competition for men and women.

Honour for nine

The sub-committee planned to honour nine yoga gurus on different days, he said. They are: V. Sheshadri on October 5, Bharat Shetty on October 6, P.R. Vishwanath Shetty and Nanda Kumar on October 7, Jamuna Rani V. Mirle on October 8, Vinay Kumar on October 9, A.R. Seetaram on October 10, Raghavendra Rao on October 11 and Swami Varadananda Saraswati on October 12.

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Taking yoga to the people