They say adversity makes you stronger. Looking back, what could have been the bleakest period of my life — being afflicted with arthritis at the age of 21 — was actually the turning point. And it was a simple three-pronged approach that saved me: food, yoga and prayer. I started learning yoga at the age of four. Despite hailing from an under-privileged background, my efforts bore fruit when after a long struggle, I established myself as a yoga teacher.
For me, teaching yoga was a way to connect to the soul; an extremely intense approach inclined towards healing. While working with clients, I’d give 200 per cent, often taking up to 12 classes a day, understanding their personality, emotional and physical problems, and giving them confidence to face ailments. Unknowingly, the effort was taking a toll on my own body.
Being bed-ridden
As I later realised, while curing a patient, I was transferring a lot of energy to him/her, thus depleting my own energy levels tremendously.
One day my body gave away. The simple act of pushing the door sprained my foot. There was shooting pain and swelling which gradually spread to other areas — collar bone, ankles, knees and elbows. I also started vomiting and my system practically collapsed. Often my hands started closing by 3 pm and I couldn’t open them. The pain was excruciating.
My diagnosis read ‘Seronegative arthritis’, a condition, that doctors said, had no cure; only life-long medication could contain it.
Naturally, I was devastated as even my business was affected. My condition was never known to anyone except my close friend Seimaa, who came upon a book about curing arthritis without using drugs. Though I was on medication, we decided to try the approach. We contacted renowned nutritionist and naturalist Vijaya Venkat who gave my nutrition philosophy a makeover. She taught me the importance of body rhythm, rest and relaxation, silence and poise — things I’d known but had forgotten in my busy quest to “make it”.
A new approach
Food formed a major part of this healing process. Firstly, I started having lots of fruits and vegetables in natural and raw form, and gradually turned vegan. I began my day with nearly half-a-kilo of fruits. I would then consume six to eight glasses of vegetable juices — lauki, carrot, tomato, palak, pumpkin — all seasonal. This was complemented by salads, sprouts and nuts. And I’d have dinner at 6.30 pm (or 8.30 pm at the latest), mostly a plate full of raw fresh salad and moderately cooked food like one cup of rice and one cup dal or sabzi. Simultaneously, I also tried to reduce my intake of medicines. I also sun-bathed and did pranayama while sunning.
Interestingly, though I had very little cooked food, there was no loss of energy or nutrition. Moreover, for me eating is almost spiritual; I enjoy each bite with gratitude. I follow this diet even today.
Spiritual strength
Around the same time, another life-altering episode happened. A client-turned-friend introduced me to Buddhism and the power of chanting. I took to the beliefs whole-heartedly — my chanting increased from 10 minutes and stretched to three to four hours.
This was voice meditation to connect with the soul. The Buddhist philosophy of making others happy to be happy, self-dignity, respect and seeking true peace by being in rhythm with the universe deeply impacted me.
I also believed in the cause and effect theory which made it clear why I had taken ill. My ailment was simply a message from my body to slow down. I had been over-exerting myself. The results were magical. In just one month, my hands started opening up. I slowly felt flexibility in my joints and my system welling up with energy.
Back to square one
I was pain-free and could even get back to teaching. The good phase continued for seven months before the pain and swelling returned. One day I felt very breathless. The chest X-ray indicated a shocking 90-92 per cent inflammation in my lungs. I was suffering from drugs toxicity, probably the result of all the medicines and steroids I was taking.
That’s when I decided to use my mind power to the maximum. I had to spend 26 days in hospital, but even then I religiously practised pranayam, followed a diet and chanted, which gave me energy to heal my lungs.
My belief paid off. In just a few days there was about 70 per cent improvement. In the process, the arthritis too had been subdued. And when it would have taken four to six months of hospitalisation and three to four months of bed-rest to get cured, I was back in action 15 days after being discharged.
Since I was on strong steroids in the hospital, I had to withdraw slowly. Therefore I took a small dose for a month. What worked for me more was a combination of the three — diet, pranayam and spirituality. Ever since I was healed, I have been completely drug-free.
What has changed
I feel illnesses happen because of an imbalance in the system. Hence it is important to take care of your body. In retrospect, I feel my arthritis was a blessing in disguise. It taught me so much about my body and its tremendous healing power. You only need to take care of it with the right nutritious and complete food, prayers and yoga
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