With International Yoga Day nearing, various ventures have upped the ante with their friendly offers and are ready to take you on more than a spiritual journey with some twists. By Rupinder Kaur
With your yoga mat tucked underneath your arm, this usually slothful Sunday morning, you'll be scouting for a picturesque locale for a deep breathing session and some intense stretching and asanas. The yoga apps on your android and OS phones will of course come in handy or your personal yoga instructor might tag along.
After experiencing an hour of spiritual transcendence, you might tweet the almost Nirvana-like moment using #YogaDay or post a few photos of you in a downward dog position on Instagram. This can be followed by some wholesome Yoga Day special meals which you can gorge on at various restaurants offering specialised menus, without the guilt in your conscience acting up and biting you.
The trending International Yoga Day's spirit will be kept alive with not only by the largest yoga demonstration with over 40,000 participants at Rajpath for some good 35 minutes, but also by the city's apparel, food and well-being industries.
WHAT'S COOKINGIJ
The city eateries are not really stepping away from the ubiquitous breakfast dishes, but have taken this day as an opportunity to promote a more nutritious lifestyle amongst the denizens.Fifty, a restaurant cum coffee shop wing of the Hotel Radisson Blu Marina is doing a super breakfast menu for the patrons on this day.
"The basic idea is to spread the awareness about Yoga and its health benefits. Yoga's eating philosophy is based on a wholesome vegetarian diet which includes a combination with spices and herbs that have therapeutic value and delicious flavours,” says chef Pankaj Kumar Jha.Grub House will be introducing special Yogic pizzas for the day including oatmeal, banana oatmeal, apple, green veggie pizzas and more.
Chef Rohit Tokhi, executive chef, Kempinski Ambience Hotel tells us about their curated buffet. “We will be offering healthy drinks like amla and ginger, carrot and cucumber juice, aloe vera juice, beetroot and celery juice. While the buffet will offer fresh berries, mangoes, melons, et al. It will also have a dedicated seed counter that includes oats, bran, almonds, walnuts, flax seeds and sunflower seeds.It's not just the food with its wholesome goodness that will woo, but also the quirky offers which the restaurants are popping-up with. Wear a Yoga inspired T-shirt or post a picture or a video of you doing the Yoga poses and you're in for a treat.
“With the increasing popularity of Yoga these days, we can't refrain ourselves for contributing to this Special Yoga Day. Instead of doing special menus, we have fun offers in place like wear a T-shirt that says ‘I am Yoga fan’ or ‘Yoga the Fitness Mantra’ et al. to avail yourself a complimentary health mocktail or a 10 per cent discount.
Priyank Sukhija, of Hybrid and Flying Saucer, believes that Yoga is all about fitness and is the perfect mantra to stay healthy. “For people who follow it on regular basis, this definitely is the day to be celebrated. With already have a menu that has much for fitness freaks in my restaurants, I wish to bring a twist of fun. Get a video of you doing yoga, or pictures of you in certain asanas, which you show at the time of bill payment and avail a 10 per cent discount. The idea about this is just to bring enthusiasm in people who do it, and to motivate people who don't.”
WEAR IT, SWEAT IT
Smarten up your act trooper. You’ve taken a vow to work out the next morning so it shouldn't be in the pajamas you slept in.Eska’s durable work-out gear is one stop where you can get more comfortable, natural fiber-based Yoga wear, with fresh, energetic designs.Eska by Shivani Nirula has been designed and made in India. Despite being just a year old, it has already received a very positive response from the market, including patronage from some of the country's top Yoga gurus and fitness experts.
“I always had a dream to start my own Yoga wear label. It was only after I started practicing Yoga myself that I realised there was a need for more comfortable designs. Yoga has seen a huge rise in recent past and this reflects in the demand for Yoga apparel too. For International Yoga Day, Eska has been invited to showcase its designs at the US Embassy. We are also doing a fun collaboration with Forever Fit which aims to inspire and motivate individuals towards a healthier and more fitness-centric lifestyle. We are jointly hosting a contest on Forever Fit's Facebook page with Yoga related questions which will increase awareness about this topic, and the winners will win themselves a pair of our best-selling Yoga pants. We will also launch an online sale event on the day with Jaypore,” Nirula informs us.
The staple sports brands like Reebok are also in tow and want you to strike a pose in style with their ‘fashionable yet functional’ Yoga collection of chic and colourful leggings, tank tops, et al. for women and mesh tanks and shorts for men.
“Reebok is organising yoga master classes at select Reebok Fit Hub stores across India. It will be conducted by expert trainers and these sessions aim to introduce consumers to the world of yoga. Moreover, consumers can also avail a free fitness consultation from fitness experts who will be present at the Fit Hub stores,” Somdeb Basu, brand director of Reebok India tells us.
SOMETHING EXTRA
“The yoga mat is a good place to turn when talk therapy and antidepressants aren't enough” — Amy Weintraub
We do agree with the veteran Yoga instructor Weintraub, but with city salons like lakme offering 20 per cent discount on their organic facial and hair treatments, many women might want to turn to those as well.
“lakmé Salons have a special relationship with women — as consumers, franchisee partners and employees. As a responsible brand, we encourage all women to enrich their lives with the holistic benefits of yoga and all things organic by offering a special promotion on organic skin and hair rituals across our growing network of 240 lakmé Salons," says Pushkaraj Shenai, CEO, lakmé lever. The offer will be valid till June 28.