Yoga on the rocks

FITNESS

Baba Ramdev's disciples have founded a health retreat on a Scottish island.

Yoga is reaching new heights globally, and how. This time around, controversial yoga expert and “healer” Baba Ramdev is set to part with his teachings on a Scottish island. The location of interest, off the west coast of Scotland, will soon be turned into a five-star yoga retreat. This uninhabited 700 acres of rocky land, known as Little Cumbrae to outsiders and Wee Cumbrae to locals, was acquired in July for £2 million by an Indian couple who run a successful Glasgow-based care home business.

At the outset, given the long-standing craze for yoga seen in the West, a business model such as this is likely to create curious interest among many. The buzz around the project was evident at its official opening last week, where, reportedly, hundreds of people, many from India, flocked to the little island to get a glimpse of the planned retreat, and the man at the centre of it all — Baba Ramdev.

Nobody cares now that his controversial remarks have been potentially harmful to society in general — he called homosexuals “sick people who need to be admitted to hospitals” and, a few years ago, advised school children to drink milk because it would make them “fair” and avoid colas because it would make them “dark”. Instead, Ramdev was featured as a picture of “peace”, seen meditating on a rock at the island.

This new yoga destination, incidentally, has been renamed Shanti Dwipam, meaning Peace Island in Sanskrit. Reports said that the owner couple, Sam and Sunita Poddar, claimed to have been healed of various health complications and obesity by Ramdev. They are keen to bring in yoga specialists and doctors who will treat patients with ayurvedic medicines, yoga and massage. Speaking to news agencies, Sunita Poddar emphasised “the rejuvenating and healing powers of Yog Pranayam and Ayurveda” that would make this an attractive destination. Another reason to come, she said, was to explore “the magnificent history of the island”.

Yoga retreats are popular across the world, with some of the most exotic yoga destinations in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey and many other countries. This little treeless island in Scotland, however, is riding high on its distinction — a visibility lent to it by the fame and notoriety of Ramdev.