Bidar, Karnataka:
The residents of Bidar town are part of a growing movement of pyramid meditation.
It's an ancient therapy believed to offer solace to those seeking a cure for ailments such as tension, fatigue and lack of concentration.
Every morning and evening, a group of about 15 people gather for a pyramid meditation session at this house.
The word 'pyramid' is taken from the Greek meaning 'in the middle of fire'. 'Pyre' means fire and 'mid' stands for middle.
According to ancient Indian scriptures, fire as an element represents universal energy and power.
The pyramid is a solid structure with four triangular sloping sides joined at the apex and resting on a square base.
For believers, the pyramid is not just a geometrical design, but a source of positive cosmic energy drawn from the universe.
"I don't have words to explain how much I have benefited from this meditation. It has made me happy. The happiness that we look for outside, is actually inside us," says Pandhari, a local resident.
Many people here have built pyramids in their houses and are meditating inside them in a bid to achieve physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
The ancient Egyptian pyramid structures were used for preserving dead bodies, but followers of pyramid meditation believe that the structure has the power to relieve tension of the mind as well as heal the body.
The practitioners of pyramid meditation say the benefits include revival of mental capacities, activation of the energy centres in the body and a feeling of happiness and relaxation. Others claim it goes further than that.
"Earlier I was suffering from Urticaria (skin allergy) and allergic disorder that is sneezing, cold, nasal blockage and constipation....and mentally became very fickle. So by doing the meditation now I have become completely healthy - physically, mentally," says Kailash, a qualified practitioner of the traditional Indian medicinal system, Ayurveda.
Kailash was so taken by pyramid meditation he decided to build a pyramid in his bedroom at home.
A 10 feet tall (3 metre) open pyramid structure now rests over his bed and his entire family sits under it and meditates daily.
A tribe of pyramid meditation followers in Bidar town is growing by the day.
Several residents have converted parts of their houses for pyramid structures, where groups of men and women can gather to meditate.
There are many who have mastered the technique for maximum benefit and offer their services as instructors.
Gyaneshwar Rao has been helping beginners learning how to retrieve positive cosmic energy from the pyramid.
A veteran instructor who has taught meditation to hundreds of people, Rao says meditation cleanses the mind and believes doing it under a specially-built pyramid enhances its benefits.
"Everyday we clean our bodies with water. But there is garbage getting into our minds everyday - and the way to clean that dirt is through meditation. It is completely scientific...it has got nothing to do with caste or religion. Just observing the breath is meditation," he says.
And for those who do not have access to an actual pyramid structure, pyramid caps can be used instead.
Wearing special paper caps designed in the shape of a pyramid during meditation can have a similar positive impact on overall health, say the practitioners.
The movement to popularise this form of meditation is being led by the Pyramid Spiritual Society, a voluntary group which is helping build pyramids across India and training pyramid meditation masters .
(With Associated Press inputs).