International Day Of Yoga From Beating Adversities To Living His Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Moment The Story Of A Gold Medallist Yogi From Ghaziabad

When Ghaziabad-based Akash Sharma wore the India blazer after winning gold in the Men’s Supine Individual category at the recently concluded first-ever World Yogasana Championship (held in in Ahmedabad from June 4 to June 8), he lived a moment he had visualised for years. “There this one scene in the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag where Milkha Singh (played by Farhan Akhtar) stands in front of a mirror admiring himself in the India blazer. Ever since I watched that scene, I wanted to experience that feeling at least once in my life,” recalls Aakash, adding, “When I received my India blazer, in Ahmedabad, I first lit an incense stick and offered a prayer. Then, I stood in front of the mirror wearing it. It was surreal!”“When I was very young, my little brother Gopal, my mother and I used to set up stalls at melas to earn some extra money. We struggled financially. Later, I fell in love with wrestling and wanted to make a career out of it. But I had an injury and my mother told me not to wrestle anymore,” says the _??__ year old, sharing his journey to the podium. Though such a hurdle might have broken anyone else, Aakash saw it as the beginning of a new quest. He recounts, “I still wanted to compete and test myself... That’s when my brother and I started learning yoga. Over the years, we’ve mastered it, became our own teachers and even opened a school as well as travelled abroad to teach yoga.”But life had other plans for this young lad as soon came a devastating blow. “Two months before the World Yogasana Championship, Gopal passed away. I was shattered. I had no intention of competing anymore. My mother told me, ‘You have to go. This is what your brother would have wanted.’ So I changed my mind, and decided to compete.”Arriving in Ahmedabad, Aakash found himself battling emotions as much as opponents. “This was the first-ever global Yogasana Championship, with athletes from more than 100 countries participating in it. But, I was representing India and couldn’t allow my emotions to take over me.”With grief still weighing heavily on him, he turned to the very practice that had transformed his life. “I started meditating between training sessions. Slowly, I regained my focus. Little by little, I began finding myself again. Before I knew it, I had a gold medal around my neck. That medal was for Gopal,” he affirms, stating that there is a common misconception about competitive yoga that he wants to dismiss: “People think a yoga competition is not as competitive as other sports. That’s not true! It’s just as intense. The difference is, in yoga you compete with yourself more than your competitors. The real challenge is: Mastering your mind.”Today, Aakash hopes India’s dominant performance at the recently concluded championship will bring greater attention to Yogasana as a sport, and fuel the thought that yoga is a way of life. “Yoga can change lives with yoga. It changed mine! India has a rich history and heritage when it comes to yoga. People from all over the world come here to learn and practise it... Our performance at the championship, where India won more than 100 medals, showed just how strong we are in this (competitive?) field.”He pauses and then comes one final, parting thought: “I hope yoga becomes a part of everyone’s lifestyle. It has the power to transform lives, just as it transformed mine.”For more, follow HT City Delhi Junction