What 5 years of Yoga can do for you

My journey in yoga started in the year 2002. I went for a short yoga course with my sister to Vivekananda institute in Hyderabad and continued practicing by myself at home after completing the course. I enjoyed practicing asanas and pranayama, and yoga was also keeping me energized all through the day. However, I eventually got busy with my work and family commitments, which lead to a break of 3 years from practicing yoga.

In 2006, I put on weight pre and post-pregnancy and had also developed quite a few complications during that period. It turned out that I was allergic to certain foods, so my doctor had asked me to avoid eating them. To get back in shape, I decided to join the gym and I started working out 5-6 times a week. I did start losing weight but was constantly in physical pain and was always low on energy. A close friend of mine suggested I restart practicing yoga, and this was a life-changer.

I practiced yoga for 5 years, after which my life seemed more relaxed. I was calmer, I was more energetic through the day, I could do a lot more things at ease and was more patient. This change made me want to explore and expand my learnings in yoga. With my teacher's encouragement, I did the teacher training course (TTC) from Bodhi Yogishala and started teaching immediately after my training. I also took teaching courses for prenatal yoga, restorative yoga, pranayama, and meditation. I am continuing my journey in yoga, with the Patanjali Yoga Sutra philosophy and Vedic Chanting.

We all have our ups and downs, in our everyday lives and our life in general. We all tend to hold on to emotions - happiness, sadness, anger, stress... Yoga has taught me to learn how and when to let go, and be a happy, positive and peaceful person.