In Delhi, visually impaired youth deal with exclusion and fear in a chaotic city. But through acroyoga, they build trust and confidence, defying disability and societal neglect. Yoga helps them connect with their bodies and reclaim visibility in a world that often overlooks them.
00:01Blind people face a lot of problems and difficulties.
00:06Even if society doesn't support us, we'll still continue doing yoga because we're doing yoga for our body.
00:15Being blind in a city like Delhi can be tough.
00:20What will happen to him if he falls? There are so many horrible scenarios.
00:23But some blind people founded an acroyoga group through which they get connected with one another, with the world and their bodies.
00:33People are fascinated by us. He can't see, but he can do the toughest of yoga asanas.
00:38You don't need eyes to do yoga. You need to feel and understand your body.
00:53These kids are members of the yoga artists group.
01:04As always, their session starts with breathing and humming. Most of them are blind.
01:10At a park in Delhi, they're warming up for acroyoga.
01:15Acroyoga is a style of yoga where you perform asanas in a group.
01:19An asana is a body position that promotes physical flexibility, strength, balance and mental focus.
01:32Although they are blind, they were able to perform the most complex acroyoga asanas, by touch and trust.
01:40I don't know why this is happening.
01:44Here they are competing against each other to hold a position for the longest duration.
01:52Five more seconds.
01:54Five more seconds.
01:56Three.
01:57Four.
01:59Relax.
02:01Yes.
02:03Even if society doesn't support us, we'll still continue doing yoga because we're doing yoga for our body.
02:16Our opinion of ourselves isn't dependent on what people think of us.
02:20When I do an asana and if someone wants to learn, then I teach them by touching them.
02:29Even I learn the same way.
02:31By touching someone, I can understand what they're doing with their bodies.
02:34Once I've learned something, I can teach it to others.
02:37And I try to feel the position in space.
02:38Suraj is 18.
02:41He was one of the first members of the group.
02:45And it wasn't easy for him at the beginning.
02:48When I did yoga for the first time, I was scared.
02:52And I used to get nervous if I had to perform a tough asana or if I had to climb on top of someone for a pyramid.
03:05Then I used to get scared.
03:09Like many blind students starting acroyoga, Suraj's body stiffened when he was at the top of a pyramid.
03:16But over time, he learned to let go to trust his body and the other yogis.
03:20Now, Suraj teaches others.
03:24The group relies on verbal cues and touch to understand the asanas they want to hold.
03:30How to do yoga asanas? How to form an acroyoga pyramid?
03:39These were the first questions.
03:41Some kids were frustrated. Many times they failed.
03:45But their mental fortitude enabled them to do acroyoga in six months.
03:50The confidence the process gave them has helped this group continue.
03:54Being blind does not limit one's ability to perform acroyoga.
03:59And yoga can help channel one's emotions.
04:01My brother Ishid used to be very aggressive. He used to get angry very easily.
04:08By practicing yoga, I can see a change in him. He doesn't get angry as often.
04:13It feels like he now has a source to utilize his energy.
04:15There is a difference because people pitied him. He is blind. But when he does yoga, when he performs other tasks like everyone else, then people see that they are capable of leading normal lives.
04:32This makes a difference. Yoga can change lives.
04:34When the session is over, the members have to deal with the real world again.
04:42With the help of their phone or a partner, they face the challenge of moving through a city that can be unforgiving.
04:51Delhi is a tough city for blind people.
05:00Nineteen million people live here. Traffic flows constantly, and there are hardly any traffic lights.
05:10Here in Nanggloi, an industrial neighborhood in the Delhi suburbs, Suraj lives with his single mother.
05:20She is raising three kids in a rented home, and working in a garment factory close by.
05:27And she often worries about her son.
05:34I cried when I saw him doing acroyoga for the first time.
05:37What will happen if he falls? There are so many horrible scenarios.
05:42But then I feel proud. He is doing very well in his life.
05:45I know he will progress further in life because of yoga.
05:48In this way, I want him to pursue yoga.
05:52She says yoga has not only given her son confidence, but has also given her hope that he will not be left behind because of his disability.
06:02We live in a rented house. I educated my children, got them the necessary medical treatments.
06:09I dealt with everything alone. I just hope he gets a job and he can take care of himself.
06:15Being able to take care of oneself, that's a concern of many blind people's relatives.
06:22Suraj reads a lot because he dreams of going to college to secure a better future for himself.
06:33He also owes this self-confidence to yoga.
06:36Blind people face a lot of problems, a lot of difficulties. If a blind person leaves their house, many people comment on them.
06:46They don't help them. There's no use hiding in our homes.
06:49We should be courageous enough to step outside. It's hard, but it's the only way for us to achieve our dreams.
07:00We can then show the world that blind people are no different to able-bodied people.
07:05For Suraj, becoming a yoga teacher was a big step. He hopes yoga can change the outlook for visually impaired people in a country like India,
07:19where facilities and opportunities for blind people are scarce.
07:22Yoga is a skill that can be learned by anyone, even visually challenged kids.
07:37They can also learn this skill and become independent.
07:40When children are exposed to something as profound as yoga, you might not see the change it creates overnight.
08:01But these kids will grow up and become capable. Yoga will help them believe in themselves and give them a clear path in life.
08:07Yoga is a good thing.
08:21Anita Sharma is the former Principal of SDE Public School.
08:26She wanted to present the group to show that the visually impaired are equally physically fit.
08:31This story started when we were working on a project with the British Council.
08:38For the project, we had to present an example of our school connecting with the wider community.
08:45Fortunately, we came across the yoga artist group.
08:48We gave them a stage, a platform to showcase their talents.
08:52Because of their performance, I could see a change in the children sitting in the front.
08:58I saw admiration and appreciation for these kids.
09:02And this realization that there is nothing lacking in anyone.
09:08Because of the resonance that this message found, I have continued to support and rally behind this group.
09:19After their performance at SD Public School, the group very quickly grew in popularity
09:25and received many invitations to perform at events and TV stations all over India.
09:33But even after all of this success, there are some in the group who believe it's not enough that yoga be introduced to people with disabilities.
09:43Sayam thinks that Indian society as a whole needs to improve the assimilation of visually impaired people.
09:51I would like to tell you that whatever news has been published about us by the media has just been created and discarded.
09:58They have been created to increase the channel's shareability.
10:02They have always presented us as special and used us.
10:06We are just treated like objects and then discarded.
10:14Uncle, excuse me.
10:16Can you help me cross the road?
10:21Thank you uncle.
10:26We follow the same steps as other people when doing yoga.
10:33Still, people are fascinated by us.
10:36He can't see, but he can do the toughest of yoga asanas.
10:39You don't need eyes to do yoga.
10:41You need to feel and understand your body.
10:45Is this the bus station?
10:47When is the bus coming?
10:51What number bus is it?
10:54Can you help me sit?
10:56Because of yoga, we have opportunities to represent our country.
11:01Because of yoga, we are also getting recognition.
11:05That's why yoga is also important for us.
11:08It's a platform which always gives us direction.
11:11We have a new country.
11:14Sayem might be the group leader, but he isn't afraid to ask for help.
11:19He's one of the few members who lives alone in Delhi.
11:22Sayem is currently focused on his graduation studies
11:26and wants to be an aid for the blind in the future to help his community.
11:31Today, the 19-year-old is giving an online lesson.
11:34Yoga connects them and helps everyone develop a new awareness for their body,
11:50whether blind or not.
11:55As a group, we have been practicing yoga for the last 12 years.
11:59When we do any asanas or form a pyramid,
12:01we are more confident in our partner's ability.
12:05You know that he might take the fall, but nothing will happen to you.
12:09These experiences change your perspective about life.
12:12They fill you with belief and trust.
12:15You become capable of things that you otherwise thought were impossible.
12:31You know, you're not being able to learn and believe they found it.
12:33There are super teams coming out for you,
12:35you know, it's not really bad for the family.
12:36You know, they don't have to be honest or not know about that.
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