#theFridayFeature — Yaggyaseni
“Giving up and being depressed/frustrated is very easy.
Strive hard and keep trying, nothing goes waste.”
- Yaggyaseni
“Dude… how old is she?” I asked Raveen (yes, I met Yaggyaseni through him as well, if you haven’t read Raveen’s blog, check it out here) pointing out to a short girl standing at a distance. Raveen gave me a weird look, as though asking why the hell was I wondering about someone’s age in Goa when there was so much more to wonder about. “Why are you so concerned?” he asked in one of his patent, exclusive and normal mind-your-own-business tones. “She’s way older than you,” he said. “Older than me? I thought she’s a teenager.” Precisely, meeting her for the first time, seeing her energetic, cheery and bubbly attitude; who would not? Plus, her physicality adds up to the notion. “Amey, don’t act like a retard. She’s older to you and she’s married.” For me, it was a Santoor ad moment. Seriously, I was looking around if a kid was running towards her and my shocked face would then blurt out in Raveen’s irritated ear — “Mummy?”
Today, as I write this blog, it is convenient and easy for me to joke around. Jokes apart, she has worked really hard towards getting where she is today. Not all are born and blessed with a perfect body, achieving what you see in the picture requires loads of commitment, dedication and a huge amount of passion. Happy accidents in the past, led her to her present . Yaggyaseni is —
- A Certified Zumba Instructor ( ZIN™)
- Pilates Instructor
- Group & Fitness Trainer
When asked what the word energy means to her, she says,
“The word energy means my contagious smile throughout my
sessions no matter how exhausted I feel.”
As she narrated to me her story during a brief chit-chat in Goa, Yaggyaseni re-instilled in me a belief which maybe, through time, I had halted to believe — omnia causa fiunt — “everything happens for a reason”. Every moment and every instance in our lives, either good or bad, are all written and meant to happen the way they do. At that precise moment, we perhaps feel as if life is being too hard on us, but it all makes sense when we look back sometime later. We often feel victims of cruel situations, we seldom feel that ‘now’ would be the ‘perfect’ time to ‘give-up’, but hey, hanging in there for a little while might lead you somewhere you were always meant to reach.
“I had been through 2 major surgeries of my knee, I have artificial ligaments in both. My weight, then, had reached to 84kgs. My doctor said that for you,
medicine isn’t a solution. If I had to avoid a knee replacement surgery, I had to
accept fitness as a way of life. I got fitter and decided that if I could, I would inspire others to stay fit and happy too.”
- Yaggyaseni
For someone who, at a moment in her life, lacked inspiration to live on; today is an inspiration to so many others. Choosing something as Zumba after being exposed to two major ‘knee’ surgeries, mind you, is not really easy. Along with so much more, the decision requires some heavy guts too.
If Yaggyaseni hadn’t been through the surgeries, where would had she been today? I often wonder.
We are all aware that the life of a fitness instructor demands time, all the more if you’re into Zumba. Despite being a married woman, Yaggyaseni always has the time to instruct people through the day, travel around the country attending various workshops/programs (in search of being a better professional) and also take care of a dog when she’s done with all. When I had asked her if the knee still hurts while the dance, she simply shrugged and said, “It does, but ab kya kare, passion hai.”
“Well, being married it definitely is more challenging managing a household and shuffling across cities but I have a very cooperative and super supportive husband who always encourages me to pursue my wishes.
I believe that every person is indeed born with a purpose. Initially, I worked as a school teacher before taking up Zumba and fitness as a full time profession. So I had always been an educator and a source of inspiration for my students irrespective of whichever age they were .
If given a choice, I would definitely love to live my life in the same way with more travel to new places.”
- Yaggyaseni
Thank You Yaggyaseni for being an immense inspiration to me and many others. Hope the dreams that you are working towards are achieved shortly in the near future!
“You don’t find the way.
The way finds you.”
- Kapil Muzumdar
Well, that’s all for today.
Keep reading, keep sharing and never stop believing!
“My accidents had made me believe that I have forever become a cripple in life and won’t be able to pursue anything further. Had been through much pains and sufferings but I believe that has made me much stronger. That has made me the person I am today.”
- Yaggyaseni
