Engineer-turned-yogi performs rare feat

[Raj30]

The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : Engineer-turned-yogi performs rare feat

After mastering the materials science, a mechanical engineer has mastered yoga postures to elevate his body up in the air winning the appreciation of one and all.

The 24-year-old Venkata Panindra, an assistant professor in an engineering college performed "Vandana treyam" by locking the air in his throat, stomach and perennial gland at a packed TTD Kalyana Mandapam here during the Sadhus meet that concluded on Sunday.

"It took six months to learn the yoga posture mentioned in Bhagavad Gita under the guidance of Sri Yogananda Bharati from Vizianagaram'', says the youth, an M.tech in Mechanical Engineering, while talking to The Hindu .

"I got fascinated with yogasanas during my childhood itself," says the yogi who has mastered different yoga and Pranayama techniques, winning acclaim from sadhus and laymen as well.

He wants to explore the Patanjali yoga system fully and propagate the greatness of the "Hindu way of life" so that the present generation gets benefited, he adds.

 

[Energon]

that looks like phtoshopasana

 

[satish007]

well done.he is so young and able to get to that level. Yoga is for men.
Chinese foroumer never practise like that, very dangerous if you body is not in good status.

 

[TheLord]

that looks like phtoshopasana

I doubt that news paper like Hindu will publish photoshoped photo. In the link the photographer's name is mentioned under the photo.

 

[jalsa]

I doubt that news paper like Hindu will publish photoshoped photo. In the link the photographer's name is mentioned under the photo.

There is no reason to say it's fake, these types of asanas are mentioned in Patanjali Yoga Sutras.

 

[spikey360]

Yoga is a Science. There is a scientific explanation to this phenomenon.
A wonderful feat indeed.

 

[warriorextreme]

I have never seen this before..I hope it is not hokum..

 

[Energon]

If a person was truly able to spontaneously levitate the entire world would have heard about it.

Yoga has many benefits, but it also has limitations (including the ability to break the fundamental laws of physics)

 

[jalsa]

If a person was truly able to spontaneously levitate the entire world would have heard about it.

Yoga has many benefits, but it also has limitations (including the ability to break the fundamental laws of physics)

Its Patanjali himself who mentioned these types Asanas in his YogaSutras, Pramahamsa Yogananda said he saw one yogini levitating ( from Autobiography Of An Yogi).

 

[spikey360]

If a person was truly able to spontaneously levitate the entire world would have heard about it.

Yoga has many benefits, but it also has limitations (including the ability to break the fundamental laws of physics)

Don't take everything at face value. Magic is a science. A performance art. Similarly, this is a science.
Always remember, things are not always what they seem.

 

[Dovah]

Magic is a science

One of Clarke's Laws

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Similarly, this is a science.

What is 'this' here.

 

[Energon]

Don't take everything at face value. Magic is a science. A performance art. Similarly, this is a science.
Always remember, things are not always what they seem.

A few things,
1. The concept of "Magic" (in the current context) is not a science, it's a performance art specifically designed to defy proven scientific laws by feigning supernatural powers. The objectives are either entertainment or malicious fraud.

2. The whole point of questioning the veracity of this picture is because I don't take this display at face value. My skepticism is founded on currently established scientific principles and their irrefutable incompatibility with the concept of spontaneous levitation.

3. Now if you're referring to the science of optical illusion and working under the assumption that this guy has succeeded in creating an optical illusion, then you have to take a couple or things into consideration:

a) Performers have been performing levitation acts for decades (using varying techniques) so in that sense this guy's performance isn't remarkable per se.
b) Optical illusory falls entirely beyond the scope of the principles of Yoga. And hence in this case the facade of Yoga would be part of the illusion and not it's source.​

The foundational principle guiding the practice of Yoga is an individual's ability to conflate physical, mental and spiritual (for some) entities in order to explore and maximize his/her potential (physical, mental and/or spiritual). Hence the display of optical illusions in order to feign supernatural powers is antithetical to the fundamental ethos of Yoga.

Chances are that this man is either full of crap or he's a Jedi

Edit: If we're going to talk about science I must point out there's no such thing as a "perennial gland." If this is a typo (which brings into question the quality of the article) then chances are they either meant to say perineum or perianal gland. If this man has a gland in his perineum (commonly referred to as taint) then he would be a biological anomaly. If he has a special perianal gland then he would be an ever bigger marvel because these glands are found in dogs. But then again chances are that this only leads more credence to the 'full of crap' theory

 

[ani82v]

He is not flying in the air; he is just bend in such a way that his weight is on his knees. That pose itself is very difficult to attain and he said that he practiced 6 months to inhale and keep air in his throat and lungs to attain that pose.

Kannada media have given correct idea of his achievement.

 

[Razor]

How come there aren't any other pics, from say different angles ? How about a video ?
Surely, a person levitating would have sparked enough interest, for somebody to record this.





1100

 

[spikey360]

@Energon you are entirely correct when you say this is an optical illusion. Because that's what this is. Watch his knees.

Optical illusion is a science, I think all will agree. He doesn't bend any law of physics. Your scepticism is well founded. Just look at the picture very carefully and you'll find the answer yourself. There is no hoax. He doesn't claim to levitate, the article claims he did. The journalist didn't think everything through before he started writing, that's it.

 

[farhan_9909]

may be he's a traine of dynamo

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

If a person was truly able to spontaneously levitate the entire world would have heard about it.

Yoga has many benefits, but it also has limitations (including the ability to break the fundamental laws of physics)

As one practices Yoga for a long period of time, he will get this power of levitation, it is known as the laghima siddhi. But the person in the photo is too young a practitioner to achieve those heights, neverthless it depends on ones practice and aim. Yoga has no limitations and only the Human body has the limitations as we limit our brain capacity. But the human body and brain has no limitations and this has been proved scientifically also....

 

[Energon]

@Energon you are entirely correct when you say this is an optical illusion. Because that's what this is. Watch his knees.

Optical illusion is a science, I think all will agree. He doesn't bend any law of physics. Your scepticism is well founded. Just look at the picture very carefully and you'll find the answer yourself. There is no hoax. He doesn't claim to levitate, the article claims he did. The journalist didn't think everything through before he started writing, that's it.

Truth be told I think the picture is doctored. For one the pigmentation and resolution between the guy and the rest of the picture is off as are the angles of his body vis a vis the background indicating a discrepancy in depth perception. This suggests that either his picture was taken separately from a different angle, under different lighting conditions and/or with another camera and then superimposed, or that the picture has undergone extensive selective/focal manipulation (of poor quality) using photo editing software.
Secondly, when a person sits/ puts pressure on a fabric placed on any non rigid surface (in this case grass) there' s a visible indentation in the material and subsequently an imperfect contour along the section of the body which rest upon that fabric (like the contact between his left heel and his pant). The contour along his legs is unrealistically straight, and that is what creates the levitation effect. It also dispels the theory that he's resting on his knees. If his legs are indeed suspended while still maintaining that angle between the torso and the lower body it's probably by cantilevering the lower extremities while sitting on an elevated surface. Given how weirdly his arms taper down to his hands it does not rule out the possibility that he's holding on to something.

There's no point in attributing an optical illusion to the practice of yoga (because many others have successfully created this illusion without any involvement of yoga). And again, creating this optical illusion has no therapeutic benefit whatsoever nor does it conform with the ethos and spirit of yoga. Also, the last time I checked, attention seeking magic tricks weren't an indicative measure of the "greatness of the Hindu way of life" as proclaimed by the performer.

What we are witnessing here is an act of fraud attempting to make a connection between Yoga, Hinduism and supernatural powers. This if anything undermines the image of Hinduism and is an insult to the practitioners of Yoga.

There's no need to suspend belief in order to accommodate these claims.

 

[Yusuf]

Levitating eh? Unless he has let go a big and sustained fart to cause a "rocket" effect

 

[Splurgenxs]

Dont tell me ppl seriously gave into this steaming pile of plopage.

Whatswrongwithu..!!!!





Edit....lo and behold the article has been removed.