Lalit Jain
Yoga offers a special lens on wellbeing for this engineer
When tackling tough problems, at times we need to switch our lens to unearth creative solutions. Bringing the lens of Yoga to our community is Lalit Jain. Yoga provides an avenue to tap into the abundant creativity that resides within each of us, by unifying body, breath, and mind.
Lalit has hosted weekly yoga classes for the past 20 years. At the onset of the pandemic, he decided to offer free classes over Zoom.
He says, “I’m always thinking about how to enrich people’s life around me. Yoga is a good opportunity for me to work with people to improve their health and immune system through asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing), and meditation.”
For Lalit, living a creative life means giving back to the community in a way that nurtures people’s wellbeing, while encouraging future leaders to act in socially conscious ways. An engineer by background with extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, Lalit also initiated a scholarship fund in 2009 at the University of Calgary designed for research in the area of environmentally responsible oilsands development.
In February 2020, he helped to organize a medical camp through Change for Children Edmonton consisting of a team of 15—dentists, eye doctors, and hygienists from Canada who traveled to rural area of India for a week and treated per day over 150 dental patients, and 75 eye patients.
Asked why he is passionate about these creative endeavors, Lalit says, “Helping people around me through yoga, and giving back to society through the medical camp and scholarship, provides me fulfilment in my life.”
Lalit’s yoga classes now run every morning for an hour and half. They are much more than a set of exercises. In his classes, he shares his knowledge on how the ancient Indian practices (asanas, meditation, and pranayama), cultivate the human personality at physical, mental, and emotional levels, thus bringing about balance and harmony.
“It is through the concentrated, coordinated, and tireless effort to integrate one’s body, mind, senses, and reasons,” he explains. “That an individual attains the prize of inner peace and tranquility. This ultimately helps in redefining self.”
Lalit sees the value of yoga extending beyond individual benefits, and into corporate applications such as holistic leadership development. As we continue to grapple with the impacts of the pandemic, perhaps Lalit’s lens on yoga is just the shift in perspective needed to enhance wellbeing and creativity.
On November 16, 2015, Calgary Arts Development hosted a working session with approximately 30 creative Calgarians from various walks of life. Many of the small working groups voiced the need to gather and share more stories of people living creative lives.
That need has turned into The Storytelling Project.
The Storytelling Project raises awareness about Calgarians who, by living creative lives, are making Calgary a better city, effecting positive change and enriching others’ lives.
That need has turned into The Storytelling Project.
The Storytelling Project raises awareness about Calgarians who, by living creative lives, are making Calgary a better city, effecting positive change and enriching others’ lives.
The Storytelling Project raises awareness about Calgarians who, by living creative lives, are making Calgary a better city, effecting positive change and enriching others’ lives.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
