7 years of committing to whatever little I knew of everyday yoga practice

9 Months Old: The Beginning

I was a plump newborn with a healthy weight, but I got tinier when I contracted a very high fever when I was nine months old. The doctors could not find the reason for it, and so they had to remove the CSF from my spine, and I was kept in an elevated head position as instructed by the doctor. That's when I started getting thin, and it became easy for me to catch colds and cough frequently.

Childhood & Teenage Years: Growing Up Fragile

Growing up, I was a sickly child who used to catch fevers and colds easily and was also emotionally tumultuous. I did not have a strong appetite as a child, so maybe that's the reason why I used to love chocolates so much—because now I understand they give you quick energy.

Pre-2016: Intermittent Wellness Practices

Very intermittent, but activities included dance, karate, learning things at the military training camp (rope mallakhamb, horse riding, and hockey), running, Zen meditation, Vipassana, gym, and treks.

May 2016: The Breaking Point

In May 2016, I contracted E. histolytica amoebiasis—this was the last straw for me. Though my doctor treated the amoebiasis by putting me on a dose of very heavy antibiotics, I was suffering from its aftermath.

2016-2018: The Challenging Years

From May 2016 up until the end of 2018, I suffered badly from severe health issues, including IBS, colitis, and chronic stomach pain. The allopathic doctors could not find a tangible reason for these symptoms in pathological reports.

May 2017: The Turning Point

It was only in May 2017, after my head shave and Vipassana, that I started looking towards yoga and Ayurveda very seriously. Even before this, there was always a natural attraction towards learning new things, challenging myself, and spirituality—but now I was seriously wanting to look at how I could heal my body. I asked myself if I wanted to normalize and live with gut issues, and the answer was absolutely no. So it actually started with a Sunday-only yoga class at TYI and then holistic medicines from a Tibetan place that year.

August 2018: Daily Practice Begins

Sometime in August 2018, I decided to start with 5-15 minutes of practice every day, drawing from my Sunday-only classes from TYI. When I started to see the improvements in my body, I decided to enroll in the 7-day camp at TYI, Inner Engineering at Isha, and later a 900-hour TTC later that year. I started my everyday yoga in 2018 and never looked back.

Because somewhere down the line I was like, "There is no way I am going to live with gut issues, and that too at this age…" I vowed to myself that I will come out of this anyhow. That's when I met some Ayurvedic doctors, and someone led me to IYA; slowly my health issues started disappearing.

In August 2019, I met Dr. Pankaj Naram, who suggested very simple dietary changes as per my body type according to Siddha systems, which I started applying. I continued with these very basics and started to see changes.

2020-2021: Hormonal Struggles & Breakthrough

Later in 2020, 2021 had hormonal issues due to the aftermath of an emotionally charged episode, but I was eventually able to heal it—a testament to the healing power of consistent practice and holistic approaches. I think it was because I was already so much into my practice that I could choose not to go for an antidepressant I was prescribed in May 2021. I chose to go for a combination of homeopathy, Ayurveda, and expressive arts, along with my daily practice.

The Deepening: Obsession with Learning

I started to get obsessed with learning about yoga and everything related , all while continuing my practice of the two schools I follow.

2022 & Today: The Transformation

But today I am strong, healthy, and emotionally good. I reached my normal weight for the first time in 2022.

Current Practices: yoga, meditation, strength training, trekking, dance

Yoga and Ayurveda truly saved my life.

The rest is history. :)

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