There was a time when i thought that yoga was for the weaklings. My life was active, what with sports and other activities apart from academics that i was always a part of. Boxing, sprints, basketball, etc.
Now why Boxing, sprints and basketball? Let me explain
I grew up in a household where everyone was so calculative about everything. There were no risks taken. Monthly cheques came in and it was a breeze to make monthly payments. Why? Because we knew what the money had to be spent on. Everyone knew their duties. To be able to break away from monotony was something I was craving. Hence Boxing. No one in the family did anything like that. There were engineers and bankers in the family, and one odd cousin who took up law. And another crazy one getting into the defence services. When it was my turn to choose a college and a subject of ‘Choice” i chose literature. Much to the disbelief of everyone. I loved being the black sheep, it felt as if i had no responsibilities, that family wouldn’t give me any major roles to play, that I could just wade through life without a care in the world.
The usual falling in love, marriage and child ensued. Life was monotonous, tending to the family’s needs. I was happy playing the wife, attending social events, being momager to my daughter who was active in her sport, and traveling the world. A trip to a yoga studio in the midst of all this, and my rigourous workouts in the gym were something I looked forward to everyday. Everything was planned and sorted until Covid hit all of us. Being stuck at home, without pretty much nothing to do, at the same time having to figure out household chores and the best effective way to do them. Also, there were no workout spaces to go to, except for that one spare room in the house.
That’s when yoga took over as a full fledged workout. I was happy with my daily practice, I started watching way too many yoga videos of Instagram influencers, and we all are aware that once you open a specific type of video, all video suggestions would be on the same lines. My daily practice continued and strangely I liked how my body felt, how energetic it made me feel, and how calm my mind became. Around the same time, my cousin called me to see if I could take some yoga classes for his office. I was speechless since i had never done something like this before. But there i was, posed with an opportunity. What am i to do with it. After thinking about it for a few days, I said yes. What could possibly go wrong? I know a bit of yoga, i practice almost everyday, and all i need to do is teach basic asanas. So there i was, in front of some 40 odd members of a reputed firm, teaching them basic yoga. To my surprise, the session went so well, that they booked me for a few more classes. A few friends joined as a group and wanted me to take classes for them. Over time, i got so involved with the classes and my practice that I was having yoga on my mind constantly.
Now, as a certified teacher, I am happy with what i am doing. My practice is taking me places where i have chances to teach and make new friendships. My practice has calmed me so much, is making me grounded, is making me more aware, i making me more giving and forgiving. Most importantly, it’s making me accept people and change. Today, I go through teaching daily classes, a full time job, housekeeping and of course, social time with so much ease that I never thought possible. Most importantly, I am navigating life as a yoga teacher.
All that started with that one inhale and one exhale.
