How yoga helped one doctor beat the odds and start a new chapter in his life

When was Math founded and with what objectives?

Kabir Baug Math Sanstha is 300 years old math. This land was donated by peshwa to saint Kabir. This math was protected and taken care by Guru Shishya Parampara (ancient Indian culture of teacher and disciple) until 1965. But the last guru, late Parekh Maharaj couldn’t find appropriate person to hand down his duties, this math was transformed into a trust to undertake the work of protection and conserving this ancient property. Since this is dharmic (religious) institution, for many years all the traditional ritual worships were conducted and since 2015 Kabir Baug Math Sanstha took the initiative of conducting these rituals independently under its trust.

How did you get associated with math?

In 1984, Dr SV Karandikar conducted a workshop on Iyengar Yoga. This workshop was attended by Dr Bhide’s father, Vithalpant Joshi. The program involved yoga asana practice in the morning session and lectures in the evening. In the lecture Dr Karandikar shared his experience of how he controlled his hypertension with the help of yoga and has prevented any advance situation or any ischemic/ heart related problems. Since being MBBS doctor himself, he knew how hypertension gradually increases with age and workload, but he could control it due to regular practice of yoga. Dr Karandikar was disciple of Padmashri BKS Iyengar and he practised yoga for 12 years and prevented further advancement in heart attack or stroke. Joshi’s son-in -law was suffering from a heart problem and was suggested a heart transplant which was very expensive and out of reach in those times. Listening to Dr Karandikar’s lecture, Joshi discussed his son-in-law’s case with him and requested to come home and conduct yoga sessions. Dr Karandikar regularly visited Bhide and taught his wife Dr Anagha Bhide yoga asanas which she took. Starting with one posture gradually to many others, Bhide, who was suggested for heart transplant, his health slowly started improving. He left his job and along with his wife Dr Anagha Bhide, started teaching yoga in Kabir Baug Math Sanstha alongside Dr Karandikar. In 6 months’ time, a new hall was built in the math and full-fledged yoga classes initiated from December 14, 1989.

The founder of the math was a qualified MBBS doctor. Then how did the idea of combining his skills with yoga come up?

Being a doctor, he was not satisfied and knew the limitations of medicine and allopathy treating ischemic heart disease and hypertension. Aware of this, he trained himself under the guidance of his guru Padmashri BKS Iyengar for 12 years and worked on his body and could control his hypertension and see gradual difference in his body. His guru motivated him to start yoga therapy for his patients and also people will be convinced and follow his path as he himself was a doctor. As per his suggestion and motivation, he started Sunjeevan Yoga Therapy in Kabir Baug in year 1989. Initially he started yoga therapy for ischemic heart disease and hypertension. Slowly, patients with other physical and pathological deformity patients started to come like spine problem, joint pain, asthma and diabetes. Dr Karandikar developed new tractions, postures inspired from yoga which can be done by patient as a treatment.

How many patients have already benefited so far?

More than lakh patient have benefited from this therapy. Numerous eminent personalities and politicians visited the institute and got benefited from the therapy. Today, everyday 100 people visit, learn, and get benefited from Sunjeevan Yoga Therapy.

Kindly give detailed information on the diploma course conducted in the institute.

Initially, Dr Karandikar with Mr and Mrs Bhide started teaching yoga to various patients and also got engaged in three hours of research studies every day. Hearing the success stories, numerous people started pouring in and joined the classes for treatment. He treated and trained his patient through Knowledge Acquiring Program for Teachers (KAPOT). These patients further become teachers but limitations of their health and growing age was not enough to contribute the math. Dr Karandikar realized the requirement of creating young therapist to continue this social cause and spread this indigenous knowledge. Therefore, he started two years post graduate diploma in therapeutic and restorative yoga (Dip TRY) in the year 2000. This course includes four subjects: Anatomy and physiology, Yoga Philosophy, Ayurveda and Sunjeevan Yoga Practical. This is a full-time course and students are given exposure to treating patients and OPD for one year in their second year, so they are trained to handle and give therapy with confidence and independently. Until now 200 students have passed out from the college and successfully practicing Sunjeevan Yoga therapy.

Any plans to expand your organization in other parts of the country?

Yes, we want to expand and flourish Sunjeevan Yoga therapy nationally and internationally. But for that we have less human power and investments. We invite young aspirants to learn this therapy and start their own therapy centre. This is a need of the hour and career-oriented course.

Any plans to start a full-fledged university?

Yes, post corona indigenous treatments are coming in light and proving more beneficial. So we have a vision that more and more students will join this course and one day this college will turn into university in itself.

What are your other future plans?

We want to expand as an institute with more and more young teachers graduating from the institute. We also organized 10 days of camps and workshops for people from other states or cities or towns. With the right number of patients and required arrangements we want to reach to people if people are unable to visit us for treatment. For that we wish organizations, committees and institutions in various regional level to organize and help people benefit from Sunjeevan Yoga Therapy.

What kind of challenges are you facing?

We have designed unique syllabus for students to teach Sunjeevan Yoga. Since this therapy was founded and scripted gradually with research and study on various patients, this has very novel techniques and asanas inspired from traditional yoga which do not fit in usual yoga courses provided by universities or colleges. So, we lack affiliations from any university or college. Looking at our history and long list of case studies, success stories and uniquely designed syllabus, we urge university and government organizations to give us affiliation so our therapy will be recognized, and more and more students will join this course.

Any expectation from the government?

Looking at the present scenario where yoga, ayurveda and indigenous sciences are given tremendous importance worldwide, we request government to give us recognition and help spread this life saving therapy sunjeevan yoga therapy nationally and globally. We also urge government to help us financially so that we can sponsor students to complete this course and develop young aspirants to work as teachers in our institute and help us to strengthen our required human power to continue the work of Kabir Baug Math Sanstha for years to come.