Towards Peace

In Pune,Montante would wake up everyday at 7 am,perform regular exercised and then focus his attention on yoga and meditation under Vinod’s guidance. Also,learning about the city’s culture and interacting with the other yoga students was part of his daily routine. “I wish had started with yoga much earlier. I was quite inspired by a 13-year-old yoga student here,” Montante says.

Stress is on the rise in the US. “The workforce is being considerably reduced. Earlier I had one job. Now I have two jobs,but get paid only for one!” he says. His days are longer and he seldom spends time with his family. “Because of work,I distanced myself from everything,” he says. He is one of the thousands of victims of stress in the United States. “It is an epidemic there. I wish I could have come here and learnt yoga earlier,” he adds.

Montante’s fast paced life also took a toll on his health. But now the father of two is ready to battle stress in a better way. “I will fight it back easily. I am looking forward to going back and resuming my hobbies again,” he says. His favourite activities are hiking and exploring the sea.

Vinod is all praise for his new student. “The western approach to yoga is different from ours. Theirs is more about posture and less about mental spirituality. Montante’s quest to learn has no end. He is ever inquisitive about each and every posture,” he says.

While in Pune,Montante has grown to enjoy Indian food,a stroll down Sadashiv Peth and an all-day meditation routine. “A part of my heart will always remain in Pune,” says Montante who also visited the Aga Khan Palace as Gandhiji is his “hero”. “I also bought a few Puneri shawls for my wife,” he says with a smile.