Is there any relation between yoga and playback singing? Ask Unni Menon, famous playback singer from Kerala, who got initiated into Carnatic music when he was just 14 year old and sang the famous 'Puthuvellai Mazhai' in Mani Ratnam's award-winning Roja, composed by A.R. Rahman.
"After my morning jog, I do yoga for an hour at 6:00 every morning on an empty stomach. It includes the suryanamaskaram, sarvangasana and many pranayamas. Yoga has definitely helped me in singing better because the breathing exercise clears my nasal cavities and keep it clear of infection. It helps me maintain my total health too and I feel very good after doing yoga," Unni Menon said to a local newspaper.
Many researchers also say that pranayama techniques are beneficial in treating a range of stress-related disorders, improving autonomic functions, relieving symptoms of asthma and reducing signs of oxidative stress.
Unni Menon has sung in over 500 films in all South Indian languages and has to his credit over 500 albums of devotional and light music. He won Tamil Nadu Government's Award for the Best Playback Singer in 1996 for 'Ooh lalala' in Tamil blockbuster Minsarakanavu and for 'Enge antha vennila' in Varushamellam Vasantham in 2002.
