What’s your favourite yoga pose?

On this year’s International Yoga Day, we dropped our global stars a virtual visit.

opportunity to go on a world tour (virtual, of course!) to check in on our global stars practicing their favourite yoga poses.

hopeful now but a consistent headlinegrabber in his own right, what other than a majestic swan to rival a peacock?

BY LP AYER

On 21 June this year, hundreds of men and women took on strange poses, stretching their hands and legs in quixotic movements, and twisting and turning their trunks in exotic positions in parks and other public places. To witness these scenes on International Yoga Day, the sun had even come out earlier and stuck around longer on the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

Unlike in the past five years, the spectacle was a bit different this time round, with participants keeping a safe distance from each other. I took the

Donald Trump takes on Simhasana, the lion pose. After the ‘howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ extravaganzas, he roared like a lion with high hopes of re-election. (But the pandemic and pandemonium of racial riots played spoilsport, leaving him more like the trapped lion in Aesop’s fables.)

Kim Kardashian is busy perfecting Mayurasana, the peacock pose. As the most colourful and showy of all birds, a peacock must be her perennial favourite –she never hesitates to seize an opportunity for publicity.

Kanye West is testing out Hamsasana, the swan pose. After all, if Kim K is the showy peacock, her husband couldn’t possibly be far behind! A US Presidential

Kim Jong-un, the other Kim in our list, is pleased with Makrasana, the crocodile pose. Submerged under water, it is hard to predict when this wild creature will strike at its target, as with Kim’s sudden missiles after lying low.

Meghan Markle has settled for Setubandhasana, the bridge pose. Currently enjoying life away from all that bad British press of being the negative trifecta (black, divorced, and oh my, American?) the duchess aims for being the bridge, if only in yoga.

Beijing has sneakily tried out Bhujangasana, the cobra pose. Besides rhyming well with Bhujang, they’re honoured by a headman as charming as a cobra with its hood spread out.

Scott Morrison gave Vatayanasana, the horse pose, a shot. After a poor showing during the bushfire, he had come out like a proud show horse who vanquished the virus – and got a nod from other nations for his call for enquiry into the causes of COVID. But the second wave in Australia could well come as a startle that could throw him off his game.

No surprises here, Narendra Modi has perfected Padma mudra, the lotus. He relished some delicious virtual ‘scomosas’ from down under but now he’s busy getting India’s engine back up and running.

And whether any of us are yoga enthusiasts or not, the coronavirus has ensured we’ve all perfected at least one pose, Sirsasana (the head stand), given our worlds have turned upside down!

Dr. Payal Gupta