Retirement often marks the beginning of a slower phase of life, with people looking forward to spending more time at home and stepping away from professional responsibilities. But for S Sampath Kumar, 74, retirement has meant something quite different. More than 16 years after hanging up his boots as a physical education teacher, the Telangana resident continues to teach, write and work towards making fitness and wellness accessible to more people.A former physical education teacher, karate instructor and yoga master from Karimnagar, Sampath retired from service in 2010. However, he never gave up teaching. Instead, he devoted more time to promoting health and wellness through free yoga classes, healing practices and books.According to a report by The New Indian Express, he has authored 55 books covering health, yoga, meditation, fitness and traditional martial arts. And he is not ready to stop writing yet. Sampath hopes to increase the number of books to 100, continuing to share the knowledge he has gathered through years of practice and teaching.His books cover a range of subjects, from yoga asanas and meditation techniques to fitness and martial arts. His interest in preserving knowledge also extends to language. He has written three research monographs documenting Telangana’s dialects, recording the region’s distinctive words, expressions, accents and meanings. Among his notable works are Dhyanam Lothullo, Telangana Pada Vaibhavam, Arogya Yoga, Telangana Palle Parimalam and Karate Nerchukundam.
Offers free yoga coaching and helps people manage health problems
Writing is only one part of Sampath’s post-retirement work. He also offers yoga coaching free of charge and guides people dealing with health concerns such as spondylitis and back pain through yoga practices and health advice.His classes go beyond physical exercises. They also emphasise teamwork, strength, discipline and the importance of maintaining both physical and mental well-being. For Sampath, the larger purpose is to help people understand the value of staying healthy rather than simply teaching them a set of exercises.He continues to explore different dimensions of yoga as well. One of the practices he teaches is Pavana Yoga, which includes floating on water as part of the practice.With knowledge of around 500 yoga asanas, Sampath is also planning to document them in another book. He hopes that putting this knowledge into writing will help preserve and share practices that people can learn and benefit from, as per the report.
Wants to take yoga to IT professionals
Even after decades of teaching, Sampath continues to look for ways to reach new groups of people. One of his plans is to introduce yoga to IT professionals, whose sedentary work routines can affect their health.His efforts reflect a belief that knowledge should not remain confined to books or personal practice. Instead, it should reach people and help them make healthier choices in their everyday lives.Sampath says the purpose behind his continued efforts is to “distribute knowledge among people, help them stay healthy and ultimately build a healthy society.” He also appeals to people to support his mission.For Sampath, retirement has not meant stepping away from the profession he spent years building a life around. Whether through his books, free yoga lessons or efforts to preserve Telangana’s linguistic heritage, he continues to find ways to teach. And with 45 more books as his target, he appears to have plenty of work ahead.