Grateful for Every Moment
Recently, I completed three years of my yogic journey by becoming a trained yoga teacher. I am really very grateful for the moment when I decided to take up this one month course to become a certified yoga teacher.
It was because of that moment that I can be grateful for every moment in my life; not just the good but also in some of the worst times of my life, for it has given me the strength to help others.
Five years ago, I was suffering from postpartum depression, hypertension, anemia and lower backache. Many people could have been discouraged but I decided to take charge of my life. I decided to heal myself in my own way, starting with yoga which I learnt from a South African yoga teacher.
She was my inspiration in my lifestyle change and in my yoga journey as I followed her footsteps to take up a yoga course in India, where she completed hers. Though the determination in my mind was clear, the journey had many twists and turns and it eventually took me two years to actually pursue my dream.
Eventually, I found myself in the yoga village of Rishikesh with 22 batch mates and three wonderful yoga teachers for a full month. I was dedicated to my yoga practice and decided to carry that on outside of the village. Leading a full yogic life was not easy, and I still struggle to balance being a mother, wife and daughter in this new lifestyle. But with the full support of my family, I have continued on my journey.
One of the founders of my first yoga school said:
“Yoga is like Pandora's box, and you do not know what is going to come out of it”.
Since that decision five years ago, I have witnessed the overflowing of surprises from Pandora's Box.
I have seen and experienced the goodness that has come from this decision - for my mind and my body.
I was a 34 year old mother, with a 5 year old, suffering from severe backache and unable to perform even the simplest asana. Today, I can stand in a headstand without any wall support; a handstand despite years of wrist pain. I have incorporated forty minutes of meditation into my daily routine.
I've been able to share this with others as a yoga teacher and through Marma therapy - an Ayurvedic therapy to heal people.
I've been able to foster my skills of writing; here for School of Shine and on my own website, Yogdhiyah.org.
From all these fruits, the best of all is learning to enjoy being in every moment. Knowing the 'what' and 'why' for everything I do means I can live my life with real purpose and a knowledge of how it fits into my life. I have learned to show gratitude of Sun, Moon, trees, flowers and the whole Universe for the greatest gift it has given to me: life itself.
By: Sapna Singh
