Love affair with Yoga

I wasn't always into Yoga, infact I didn't know anything about Yoga until this flight I took from India to SFO in 2006. During this flight, I met a kind and compassionate man from Berkeley, who has established a non-profit niroga.org for teaching Yoga, Meditation & Breathing skills to under-privileged kids going through trauma or juvenile hall, struggling to survive in the society. He gave me the 4 books of Yoga written by Swami Vivekananda - Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Gyana Yoga and Raja Yoga.

After this interaction, Yoga came to my life on multiple occasions, almost playing hide and seek with me but I was not paying complete attention. So, it kept slipping away until I knew for certain and gave my complete self.

The journey has been interesting and a progressive one. For anyone riding this path, I want to assure there is immense pleasure and satisfaction in every step of the way. After my brief interaction with Dr Bidyut, he gave me a Yoga DVD to practice. I was 27 and this is the first time I practiced Yoga Asanas. I look back to these days and I know that though I practiced Yoga, my mind was pre-occupied with so many other things that I never really realized how it felt. After a year, one of my friends gave me a DVD from Baba Ramdeo teaching pranayama practices. I started doing these practices and ended up crying my heart out every day. All these were very temporary and short stints with Yoga.

Finally, I approached Yoga way later in life after being beaten down and feeling at the bottom. This time I chose Yoga and practiced with an attitude of gratitude with no expectations. And I chose to slow down and hear what my body and mind has to speak. As I listened more, I learned more about myself and realized the impact of Yoga on my body and mind. This time I am holding it with care, giving it my all and keeping it close instead of letting it slip away.

Yoga helped me find myself when I was lost; it heals me when I am sick and gives me joy no matter what. May you find your joy in Yoga !!