TRAVEL An Indian Odyssey, part 3

An Indian odyssey


Part Three
Personal trainer
Paul O'Brien

Setting up Camp
‘SSENTIF’. That’s my new Indian word for ‘fitness’. It’s suitable because here the concept of fitness is, in many ways, a mirror image of ours.
The Indian approach to fitness is a far more integrative one than that we experience in Ireland. Sure, we have yoga, meditation, tai chi and many other disciplines and practices that help calm the mind. Our use of these disciplines, however, is rather piecemeal. Like buying the standard ‘Sky’ channel package and then adding on the extras – sports, movies or whatever, the aforementioned practices are often add-ons to our basic gym package or regular physical exercise.
In India, as early as the formative years of primary school, children are taught yoga and meditation. They study these as part of the curriculum. It’s the first step in the importance of health and vitality – from the inside out. There seems to be a far greater emphasis on the inner person and an innate understanding that what lies within determines what is manifest without.
From talking to kids at the summer camps we are setting up, it’s clear they understand the value of this aspect of their education. They know their studies spring from an ancient and invaluable source of tradition. What’s even more impressive is that they have the words to describe this. Even at a young age. Kids in India, at least the ones I’ve worked with, are smart.
‘Supercamps, India’ is a new concept here. In many ways, it takes the traditional concept of UK-style summer camps one step further. The bottom line is still to provide an exciting, fun-filled experience for kids aged 4-15. However, the approach is a little different. More emphasis is given to ‘life skills’. Nurturing skills that will help children express themselves and find a purpose is a cornerstone of the program. It’s a lofty goal.
Luckily for me, I’m a qualified life coach as well as a fitness trainer and it’s been great to be able to bring all those skills to the mix here. As yet, I’ve shied away from emphasising the physical component to fitness we practice so diligently back home. Although perhaps a little body-weight training would be a great addition to their overall routine, I find they don’t really lack at all.
Their holistic approach includes the disciplines already mentioned and a great deal of sports, mainly cricket. If anything, the kids here are teaching me more than I am them.
Overall, these past few weeks of running the camps has been less a learning curve and more a straight-up incline. One thing not ingrained in the Indian culture is the capacity for organisation.
The evidence of this is all around – the traffic, the way of doing business, the mad potpourri of people everywhere. In the camps, this only serves to add colour.
One lesson has only been reinforced for me, kids the world over just want to have fun. In India, they simply do it with less resources. I’m thankful for the education.

Paul O’Brien is a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise and a qualified life coach based in Westport.
He is currently spending a couple of months in Bangalore, India, where he is setting up Summer fitness camps for Children. This article is one of a series detailing his experiences as a fitness instructor in a foreign culture.