As India celebrated Jashan E Dosti marking 75th diplomatic ties with Mauritius a frenzy of successful activities unfurled at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (IGCIC) never shying in innovating from Yoga to vocal singing, music albeit tabla, and Kathak.
The event culminated on Day 8 in the presence of Chief Guest during the event Financial Services Minister Mahen Seeruttun who lauded the activities heralded by IGCIC to celebrate the India-Mauritius culture rooted in timeless cultural bond while making it a point to remark that yoga activities are mushrooming at the centre.
“I am told that the yoga sessions receive an overwhelming interest every single day and practiced by all communities on the island,” the Minister succinctly put it. Rightly mentioned Yoga is growing in whopping numbers with participating students believed to be 2000 plus where there is room for everyone ranging from advanced diplomas to certificates, refreshers and beginners’ classes.
Yoga plays an intrinsic role in our day-to-day life and offers us the reset button to be one with divinity. It trickles not just to discover oneness with self, nature and well-being but the need to be humble. There is one person who lives up to such qualities as a yoga practitioner who wears humility on her sleeve where every single day she straddles the yoga class at IGCIC, bringing a sense of comfort to her students and infallibly wearing an invective smile on her face blending passion and modesty despite her tremendous achievements. She is known by some as Ms. Sowmya and for others as Sowmya Ji or simply Sowmya whose classes are never shy of innovating and pushing students beyond their endurance level.
Teacher for Indian Culture (TIC) Yoga-Ms Soumya told: “Yoga, in its essence, is a special action or formulation of certain powers of nature and is one of the most dynamic elements of life’s future for humanity. It is just the reprogramming or retuning towards our original nature or back to the consciousness.”
She quoted verses from the Patanjali Sutra: “Sa tu dirghakal nairantatrya satkara sevito dridha bhoomih” where the verses clearly define the practice of yoga should be a long time process, uninterrupted and sincere setting up the tone for its firm foundation.”
Sowmya urges: “We have to practise yoga for a long enough time to derive its phenomenal benefits.” The maven in Yoga, since she came to Mauritius on deputation has been instrumental and not limited to her job in dispensing courses but bringing the right experts to the centre to help facilitate talks on various subjects rights from eating right and healthy heart, cancer issues, Sanskrit and Ayurveda, just to name a few.
Who is Miss Sowmya? Teacher for Indian Culture (TIC)-Yoga is someone who needs no introduction and masters Sanskrit to the hilt where she has been at the forefront of yoga across countries from India to Saudi Arabia and now Mauritius. She is playing a pivotal role in spearheading yoga to the benefit of children, ladies and youth in Riyadh. Holding a Master’s degree at all levels of QCI and Yoga Certification Board (YCB) Level 4, she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. under the guidance of the Chancellor at SVYASA University Dr. H.R.Nagendraji.
She has had notable achievements in her young career having covered an incredible number of 100 workshops and seminars in Saudi Arabia between 2015-21, delivered lectures, and trained more than 12,000 people for the International Yoga Day celebrations in the country. Having taught yoga and spirituality to executives ranging from corporate to senior administrators, journalists, corporate honchos and celebrities as members of the armed forces, paramilitary and corporate women Ms. Soumya is also the Co-Founder of the International Yoga Foundation and heads the academic activities of the International Yoga Foundation as its Vice chairman in India while also serving as the President of the International Yoga Club in Saudi Arabia. She represented Saudi Arabia at the Regional Yoga Conference in Dubai.
She is described as a young prodigy who discovered Yoga quite early and went out to embrace the traditional science and since then there was no stopping back. The awards and certificates are many in honoring her rare achievements and unique credentials such as presenting Yoga at the famous Jenadriya Festival in Riyadh in 2018 where her students presented yoga for 21 days, including 108 Suryanamaskars in the presence of dignitaries such as Former EAM the late Sushma Swaraj, Shri. Vinay Sahasrabuddheji ( President, ICCR), many Ambassadors and in General and Indian Embassy as well as Dr. HR Nagendra under whom Ms. Sowmya took formal yoga training at SVYASA University.
Ms. Sowmya was inducted into the world of Yoga by Guruji Sarat Kumar of Bihar School of Yoga, Acharya Kunjiraman of Patanjali Yoga Centre, Calicut, Acharya Premkumarji of Arya Samaj, H. H . Swamy Chidananda puri Maharaj, Adwaithashram, Kolathur, Sadu Rengarajan of Bharath Matha mandir, Bangalore, and under the Guidance and Mentoring of Poojaneeya Guruji Padmavibhooshan Dr.H R . Nagendraji.
She also holds B.Com and MBA and B.Ed from Calicut University and a diploma in Vedic Rituals and Agnihothra. Her achievements are many where she was invited as a distinguished speaker on Yoga and Wellness for the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and team member of the International Yoga Day Demonstration under the High Commission of India in Saudi Arabia while wearing several laurels such as being associated with the Samanwaya and Saudi Cultural Organisational in Riyadh. Sowmya has taught practical yoga, Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutra for ten years.
