Intrigued by the mind-body connection, I casually went to check out a yoga class when I was eighteen in India. This was my first insight into a world that would expand and open my life. My yoga teacher was a woman full of heart and told me that it could help me achieve the sense of freedom that I was seeking. In my naivety, I started attending classes thinking it would help me maintain a good figure. Little did I realize that I would benefit so much more from this ancient science.
Obstacles Leading to Learning
I moved to America for my undergraduate program where I learned that there were many other forms of yoga such as Vinyāsa and Hot Yoga. I never got a chance to practice while I was in America.
I developed hyperthyroidism in my senior year and in retrospect I feel this was a path that lead me to higher learning and healing. I had to start medication for my thyroid and doctors in India wanted to use radioactive iodine, which was a drastic step to take as that posed a fear of there being some abnormalities if I were to deliver a child. I have always been interested in alternative medicine and forms of healing, and everything seemed to be leading me on this journey of discovering my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
WELL-BEING; I want to highlight this word as a lot of people around me lack this state of being. I regularly hear of aches, pains, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, sinus problems, and the like. Yoga, to a large extent, helps address all these issues, and I have only begun to describe the immense depth of positivity and the higher sense of awareness I have experienced and continued to discover with each class.
Trying Different Styles of Yoga
I started Power Yoga, a vigorous aerobics-like style, and enjoyed it for six months but was not able to keep up with the pace. I did like the setting, as I knew a lot of people, and it was air conditioned which was a lure for me. Seeking comfort in trying to achieve something is not always the best idea, but I basked in the comfort of a working out in a pleasant setting. That’s all that it was for me at that point — a workout.
I later was to come to realize that being led by a teacher with whom you can form a connection is vital to your growth and healing process. The next yoga class that I started was taught by a disciplinarian of a teacher in my home, where I had a one-to-one session.
How Yoga Cured my Thyroid Condition
There was a point in my illness when it was dangerous for me to be on the medication. Some of my blood reports were not good due to its side effects. However, ceasing all use of the drug was equally dangerous because it created anxiety, hypertension, shaking hands, and a lot of weight loss. I had become eighty-six pounds and was scared of losing more weight at this time. I was at a crossroads in my life. I went to an Ayurvedic doctor, and he gave me some medicines and a diet, but it did not help much.
In my desperation to get well, I decided to turn to yoga and found a person who would come home to teach me. I started with breathing exercises and Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations); an exercise that is said to be a complete workout leading to overall wellness for the body.
He also started me on the Asanas that work on the thyroid gland and start improving its function, including the following:
- Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand Pose)
- Viparita Karani (Upsidedown Pose)
- Halasana (Plow Pose)
- Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
- Ustrasana (Camel Pose), and,
- Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose).
In a month’s time, my thyroid levels came back to normal. There is a reason I did not add an exclamation mark after the previous sentence. I do not want to advocate stopping any medication in the hope of yoga curing it like magic. Nevertheless, I experienced the incredible power and benefits of yoga curing an illness that I was battling.
The Magic of Neti
As I started feeling more confident and energetic, I began addressing my chronic colds through the Neti (nasal irrigation) exercise in class. This was not something I enjoyed, as you had to pour water into one nostril from the neti pot and angle your head for the water to go through the nasal passage and come out of the other nostril. However, it helped me open up my blocked nasal passages. Finally, I could smell and breathe through my nose again!
Also, my period pain, which was excruciating for the first two days of my period, started subsiding, and I could go to work and move around freely in those days as opposed to being in bed writhing in pain.
Further Health Challenges Lead to New Discoveries
After three years of regular practice, work pressures eventually led to me not attending classes and unhealthy eating habits taking over. As a child, I had a kidney illness called nephrotic syndrome which resurfaced after ten years. I was more than shattered as I knew what this brought with it. Steroid side effects, abnormal swelling of the face, abnormal weight gain, and many horrible side effects of the medication. This made me nervous, emotional, anxious, and very self-conscious.
My bones became brittle and years of steroids lead to osteoporosis showing up in my bone density test. In an intense struggle and battle with myself, I decided to restart yoga for the sake of my body and mind. Despite still being young, I joined a class for elderly women, as its slow pace was ideal for my condition.
This yoga class, which was the fourth I had joined, made me feel spiritually uplifted. I could deal with each day calmly thanks to the meditative power of the asanas and the gentleness of the teacher. She always encouraged me, as she could see my weight gain, self-consciousness, and battle to heal and overcome the illness affecting my mind and body.
I reached a stage of acceptance of my illness and made a lot of lifestyle changes like giving up gluten and dairy. My willpower and determination were centered in the peace that yoga brought to me. There were days I was like a zombie. I could barely function and would just collapse and fall asleep in the evening, but I slowly started regaining my energy and zest. I was able to deal with everything going on naturally.
The seven chakras (energy centers) are said to control a lot of functions in the body and when blocked can cause illnesses and keep the body out of balance. My yoga teacher made us do an exercise to energize and send white light to these chakras. This was the highlight of my class, as I love energy healing, and I could feel the aura around me transforming. It was a strange yet super feeling!
My Commitment to Practice
Eight months after my attack I feel alive again. I have shed my steroid weight and feel good about myself now. I am still on a strict diet, and I cling onto yoga asanas for any and every little ill feeling I have. I now know the specific yoga postures for stomach pain, sinus issues, headaches, back pain, thyroid problems, and more. I feel EMPOWERED now; bright and cheerful. I would definitely attribute a lot of my improvement to yoga and its effect on the mind, body, and heart.
My yoga teacher once told me that yoga works on the mind, and what happens to the body is a bonus side effect. The training and discipline of the mind and body naturally lead to a better place. This is what I have experienced time and time again. My body is prone to illnesses, and I need a tool for keeping it in balance. Yoga helps me deal with stress and hectic schedules by providing me with determination to carry on and live my life to the fullest.
I would definitely advocate anyone, whether fighting illness or not, to experience the beauty of yoga. Each person needs their own class, their own pace, and their own mind’s comfort in being able to enjoy the benefits. Laziness can definitely be an obstacle, even in just trying yoga, but once this is overcome, the mind’s eye opens and one feels liberated.
