Since the coronavirus lockdown, Yog Guru Dr Dheeraj P. Joshi has taken his yoga classes online on via his Facebook feed, which has resulted in this Birmingham expert being transformed into the yoga equivalent of Joe Wicks - dubbed “The Body Coach”.
Dr Joshi is a renowned yoga guru and has been teaching yoga and Indian philosophy worldwide for the last 15 years. He founded the Shivodham International Yoga Ashram in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and the Yoga Department at JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University, Udaipur.
So far, he has certified 2,500 yoga teachers worldwide and has physically taught yoga worldwide across countries such as India, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, US and UK. In June 2018, Dr Joshi was appointed as part of the Consulate General of India in Birmingham's team of experts.
His new daily online yoga practice is now transmitted worldwide, reaching places where he never imagined throughout the UK and internationally in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland and Bangladesh.
He especially felt encouraged when one particular Italian student, Gianmichele, created a buzz by encouraging other Italians to follow Dr Joshi's online practice during Italy's unfortunate coronavirus peak. He commented that Dr Joshi's yoga practice gives him “a better understanding of himself”. Similar followings have been created in Spain, also a country hard-hit by the deadly virus.
Dr Joshi's teaching is based on the Indian traditional Hatha Yoga and Raj Yoga, which are the original types of yoga that modern day yoga takes knowledge and practice from. Meanwhile, modern day forms such as power yoga, hot yoga and others types have really taken off in the western world over the past decade.
Dr Joshi is very proud of the Indian origins of yoga and enjoys teaching the original and authentic scientific way connected to Indian philosophical traditions from the Vedic period. His classes start off by paying respect to Lord Shiva, the creator of Hatha Yoga. He then blends his practices with breathing, meditation, light exercise, postures and even a laughing exercise leaving time for his followers' questions.
International Day of Yoga
The month of June is ear-marked as a celebration of yoga, with the United Nations designated International Day of Yoga (IDY) held on June 21 every year. As part of the Consulate General of India's IDY plans, Dr Joshi will be holding an online convention from 10 am to 11.30 am BST on this day and, meanwhile, all are welcome to connect via his Facebook feed. Raaj Shamji a.k.a. Roving Raaj is a West Midlands, UK, based media personality and a Roving Reporter for iGlobal.
