Rishikesh Yoga Prakash

My Yoga Journey - Why & How?

Dear readers, I would like to share a brief of “why and how” I started my yoga journey.

I started my yoga journey in the year 1999, when yoga was not very popular in Indian culture and there were very few health clubs/gyms or yoga studios offering yoga classes.

My yoga journey started at the point in my life when I was questioning the purpose of living. Due to my poor health condition and unhappy state of mind, I always used to ask myself questions such as; “What is the purpose of this life?”, “Why am I alive?”, “Why are we born?”, “Is pain a part of life and do we all have to go through pain?”, “Can I be forever happy?”

To seek answers, I turned to India’s oldest yoga institute known as “Kaivalyadhama”, best known for its scientific approach towards yoga with various scientific researches on yogic components.

Living the ashram lifestyle, the first thing I learnt in my yoga journey was “Discipline”, which changed everything in my life. I gradually started experiencing the effect of yoga on my body and mind. I started feeling healthy with a sense of lightness in limbs and organs and there was a deep sense of inner peace within my mind. With daily practice of yogic components (Asanas, Pranayamas, Cleansings, Meditation and inner aspects of spirituality with study of Vedic scriptures), I started feeling the positive effects on my body and soul. Improved concentration, better sleeping patterns, good digestion, cleansed inner body and so many health benefits brought great joy in my life.

After completing my post graduate diploma in yoga education, I started sharing yogic wisdom from the year 2000. Much later, I also enrolled in Yoga Alliance 500 hours Teacher Training course and got my ERYT-500 as well. Later in 2002 I had the opportunity to teach yoga in Macaw, Philippines, and for over 9 years I taught yoga in Singapore too.

Learning yoga was a new beginning of my life. I have found the inner paradise, which was always inside me, but which I had lost. Yoga has always given me inner strength to be calm with a feeling of inner satisfaction towards every aspect of life. My yoga practice helps me to be physically healthy and to enjoy the stillness of my own mind, which allows me to live a stress free life.

I have begun to appreciate myself in a better way out of this yoga journey. I would like to express my respect to my teachers at Kaivalyadhama and to all those whom I have met along this beautiful life changing journey. I have learned from everyone, including my students as well. I consider myself as a yoga practitioner or aspirant, rather than a yoga master, swami or guru.

Teaching yoga, simply makes me feel happy. When I see relaxed and happy faces after each class, when I witness the well being expressed by the participants, it gives me a plain feeling of inner satisfaction. After having taught over 4000 students, I truly can say, yoga teaching is soul satisfying.