Hi everyone, I’d like to share with you how I found my way to the HIYC and Sharat Arora’s method of the Iyengar Yoga style.
It’s been a roundabout journey and I certainly didn’t aim to reach this destination. Yet as for each of us, life is full of surprises which can lead us to unexpected places.
I’ve always been a spiritually inclined and somehow, at the age of 28 I arrived in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India, where I read my first book about Buddhism (The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche).
In there, so many of my vague ideas about life and its purpose were clearly expressed, questions answered and a whole logical system presented. I was amazed and determined to explore this road in more depth.
Besides attending various teachings and reading many more books I soon realized that the greatest discoveries were to be found on the meditation cushion and in my own head. Hence, I participated in various meditation retreats, the longest being 3 ½ months in complete isolation up in the mountains above Dharamsala.
I’ve always been a healthy and strong-minded person and paid very little attention to the needs of my body, taking it for granted and using it stubbornly, often beyond its limits.
Then I developed a condition which left my right body side strangely numb and partially paralyzed.
With further investigation I was told that it is an autoimmune reaction to the Epstein Barr virus, which cannot be cured.
Although in time most of the symptoms reduced significantly, I continued to feel abnormally fatigued, had a very weak digestive system, low muscle strength and lost control over my right leg after a certain period of walking or exercise.
Since there was no cure, I chose to ignore this condition until the weakness of my right leg impeded too much on daily life and became at times quite dangerous. (My family loves adventures in remote and challenging places, but I kept losing my balance and fell quite often.)
As active exercise was out of question, I tried various Yoga styles to strengthen my muscles, yet never felt inspired enough to pursue them.
Then, through a friend’s suggestion I tried Sharat Arora’s method at the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre.
By no means did I like this yoga style initially either and was quite irritated using all these props.
However, it made me realize that my physical imbalance was far greater than I previously admitted: I couldn’t even do simple standing poses without support and just standing still was hard. Also, it made total sense to me to start building strength and body alignment from our ‘roots’ i.e. our toes and feet, to which Sharat’s method pays particular attention.
As I continued practicing, I even begun to appreciate the support of the props. Now I understood that they assist us to stay aligned in each pose for a longer period, and thus giving us a chance to create more body awareness and reap the full benefits of each Asana.
No Doctor had given me hope of recovery, since damaged nerves cannot be mended. Yet miraculously, with daily practice of paying attention and trying to penetrate the unresponsive body parts, I slowly started to feel and gain control over them again.
I have spent years of practicing meditation, always focusing on the mind and never really on the body. Yet Asana practice is meant to prepare body and mind for meditation – a fact I chose to ignore.
My physical condition pointed me in a new direction and for the first time I am grateful for this rather than despise it.
While practicing Asanas I feel more focused, able to stay in the present, at times transcend my body and experience total clarity and freedom.
This has been such an awakening for me, and I love to encourage and inspire others to try Sharat Arora’s Yoga method – especially people with physical ailments.
I am practising every day for one to two hours and my health has overall improved significantly. I have much more energy, I can walk for hours without support, my digestion is much better and even my chronic cough has disappeared.
I’m nearly 50 and always dreaded growing old, but in fact I feel younger today than when I was 40.
I discovered the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Center about two years ago and since then it has become my second home. I practice there, I love assisting other students and recently started teaching myself.
My sincere wish is to spread Sharat Arora’s Yoga message, and through Norsang Journeys make it possible for some of you to participate in a course at the HIYC, so you too can experience the amazing benefits of this unique method of Yoga.
Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.
Thank you for sharing your story Mona.
HI Sudeep- Ji, you are welcome and do let me know if you like to find out more about the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga center, Sharat Aroras Yoga method or our Yoga holiday packages. I’ll be most happy to assit you.
What an amazing journey for you Mona. Thank you for sharing. X