Words by

Ish Sveinsson Houle

Photo by

Supplied

Take your yoga practice to the next level at the Indian Embassy

I went to free yoga at the Embassy of India and I think you should too. In this economy, one needs to take advantage of free shit wherever they can get it. One recurring activity that is entirely gratis is yoga at the Embassy of India. These classes are one of those things about which people say “oh yeah! I’ve been meaning to go to that!” but then skip it with a shrug and an “I’ll go next time.” But this is a poor excuse, because there are usually two classes per day, Monday through Friday. So just go already.

As I approached the building on a Tuesday afternoon, I wrongly assumed I should enter through the Visa/Consulate entrance. Luckily, three kind people working in that office clocked my impending mistake and redirected me towards the building’s grand entrance, beautiful steps and all. There I was greeted with a friendly “first time?” and shows where to leave things and the hall where yoga was set to begin in five minutes.

I grabbed one of the mats on offer and sat among the five others here for that evening’s class. As I was settling in, I heard the instructor chatting with another student and gathered that many in the group were regulars.

Due to scheduling constraints, I ended up at an intermediate class, which includes Kriya, Asana, Pranayama and meditation. As we began, it was clear I lacked the coordination and familiarity with the movements that an intermediate class demanded and I was n’t flowing between positions as gracefully as my classmates. But it was a joy to watch how studious the others were — the apex of the class was a repeated series where moves changed between every inhale/exhale couplet, with the teacher counting, rhythmically and steadfast. A sign by the door reads “Keep Calm Maintain Silence,” and I deeply enjoyed the meditative peace of hearing nothing but breathing and the teacher’s voice.

In a time of “yoga” as a fitness trend, it was incredibly informative and interesting to hear the instructor speak about yoga as a holistically beneficial practice. From regulating metabolism to connecting the metaphysical with the physical, reducing anxiety and controlling breathing, he was diligent in explaining exactly why we were doing something and how it benefits us.

It was challenging in the best sense. If I was doing a pose but the instructor thought I could go further, he would come over to me and ease me into a deeper stretch. There were several times that I thought I was going as far as I physically could and he helped me prove myself wrong.

As I said to friends after I finished the class, running a half-marathon this summer was easier than this one-hour class. It’s incredibly exciting to think that, with consistency, one can strengthen themselves to the point of doing this daily.

Speaking to Vísir back in 2018, the former Indian Ambassador to Iceland explained that he’d seen the interest in yoga classes at local studios, but 3.000ISK for a session was far too expensive. He felt that yoga should be free for everyone and hoped the entire nation would start to practice. That was the beginning of the free yoga classes at the embassy. This ties me back to the theme of the article: in a world where so much is not free, especially where yoga as a fitness trend becomes shockingly expensive, this offering at the embassy is absolutely worth making use of.

I’m already looking forward to going back—though next time I’ll opt for the beginner’s class.

Yoga classes are run every weekday at the Indian Embassy at Túngata 7. Find the class schedule at IndianEmbassyReykjavik.gov.in.

Times are tough and money is tight. In This Economy!? spotlights things to do that don’t cost a single krónur. Got a free event you want more people to know about? Let us know at grapevine@grapevine.is.