A little-known secret in West Windsor is an early morning yoga class on Sundays taught by Poonam Gupta in her home. She began practicing yoga with her father when she was “a little girl” in India and had taught yoga for more than 20 years. Her training was at Vishwayatan Yoga Institute in New Delhi, India, and she has received yoga teacher certification from Yogafit. Gupta has also studied breathing and meditation with Art of Living, and is certified in laughter yoga. “Yoga is my passion and hobby,” she says.##M:[more]##
Gupta, pictured at right, presents Laughter Yoga on Sunday, August 16, at Mercer County Park. Call for the exact time and location. “I want to offer it as a free session to everybody because I think there is nothing more enjoyable than a good hearty laughter and in this session we will laugh nonstop for 45 minutes followed by total relaxation,” she says. “Usually laugh is at the expense of somebody but laughter yoga is not laughing at somebody but pure genuine laughter.”
Gupta’s class is for all ages and all levels. “I help beginners by suggesting variations and by using blankets and supports,” she says. “I encourage and help more experienced yoga students to try harder poses and take their practice to next level.” The 90-minute class includes hatha yoga with stretches and poses, pranayama, breathing exercises, laughter, and total relaxation.
“One tip I give for beginners in yoga practice is that whenever you begin a new yoga practice, relax and be in the moment fully while practicing yoga and slowly expand this yogic approach to everything you do in your life and you will see that you will feel much more relaxed and alive,” she says. “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured,” her philosophy based on yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar.
Gupta, who began her career as a professor in University of Delhi, India, worked as a CPA for a few years after coming to the U.S. in 1989. A computer software analyst at Prudential for nine years, she also presents yoga classes at the office.
The family moved to West Windsor eight years ago. Her husband, Pradeep, is a senior IT manager at Medco Health in Franklin Lakes. Their daughters are Nikita, 16, a rising junior at High School South; and Ruchika, 10, who enters sixth grade at Grover Middle School in September.
Gupta recommends yoga practice to fix a poor posture and relieve stress with exercises that stimulate the mind, body, and spirit. “Yoga and laughter yoga helps to remove the negative effects of stress, which is the number one killer today,” she says. “Many illnesses have some connection to stress.”
“Laughter is a new revolution in body-mind medicine that teaches the body to laugh without depending on jokes or humor,” she says. “Laughter helps us keep healthy by enriching the blood with ample supplies of oxygen, the lifeline of our system.” — Lynn Miller
Yoga and Meditation, Let’s Do Yoga, 15 Jewel Road, West Windsor, 732-887-3561. Multi-level yoga class. Beginners are welcome. Bring mat and blanket. $10. Meditation session follows, $5. E-mail letsdoyoga@gmail.com. Sundays, July 27 and August 10, 8:30 a.m.
