How Yoga Changed My Life

    Eighth grade marked a turning point: my grades peaked, I enjoyed plenty of free time, and I had trustworthy friends I could share jokes with. Life was great, and I was certain that it would only get better from here. 

  Fast forward two years, and I am questioning my life choices. I have pathetic grades in my classes, especially in AP Pre-Calculus. My insecurity made me cranky and led to frequent arguments with my mom. Not to mention, I felt like a Pillsbury doughboy, weak and chunky. I was unable to swim because schoolwork was eating up most of my time. Life felt overwhelming, and the decline seemed impossible to stop.

  During spring break, I shadowed cardiologist Dr. Devraj Nayak and was impressed by his extensive knowledge, ranging from patient care to insights into wealth accumulation. He also knew the histories of all the hospitals in San Antonio and could estimate their ages based on their locations. His mindset reminded me of “The Book of Knowledge”, and I was curious about what helped him develop this trait. After an incredible shadowing experience, we returned to Dr. Devraj’s home. My mom’s friend, Mrs. Nayak (Dr Devraj Nayak’s wife), attempted to convince me to join yoga and described in detail how it could change everything in my body, such as increasing my muscle mass, changing my hormone levels, and enabling me to open my body's potential in ways I was not aware of. I am not sure why, maybe it was that moment or her sincerity, but I signed up for my first yoga class, figuring I had nothing to lose.  

  When I entered the class, I was confident that it would be easy. After all, how hard can stretching be?  Two hours later, I was sitting in a pool of my own sweat, wondering when on earth stretching had become so difficult. Even though I had to wake up at 6 a.m. for yoga, something that felt as intense as calisthenics, I was unexpectedly energized—as if I had woken up at the ideal moment with the perfect balance of rest and stimulation. Additionally, despite not having eaten since morning, I did not feel the slightest pang of hunger. Since that day, I developed a strong appreciation for yoga; each Sunday, I diligently practiced stretching exercises to the extent of my physical capability.

  Eventually, the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and the effort began to show. I drastically improved my flexibility and got strong enough to do sirsasana (headstand). This requires an immense amount of core and back control, which toned my stomach, made me look leaner, and gave me a boost in confidence. Every time I swam and ran, I often got so sore that climbing up the stairs was the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. When I was sore and practiced intense yoga stretching, much of the soreness would be gone by the next day. This allowed me to take fewer days of rest and exercise more efficiently.

I started to feel a shift in my mindset, too. I was able to feel more empathetic towards others and understand what caused them to behave the way they did.  As a result, I was able to resolve minor disagreements with my mother and others more effectively. Practicing yoga enhanced my patience and observation skills, which proved valuable in my academic pursuits, particularly in pre-calculus.

  In my opinion, since yoga is not very prevalent, many miss out on its benefits. Not only does yoga make a person stronger and healthier altogether, but it also allows one to discover oneself from within. Similarly, it showed me that when I choose to focus, I can be incredibly determined—so much so that failure becomes nearly impossible. Yoga taught me that the human body is more capable than it appears and can recover quickly when given the right techniques, like when I stretch to relieve soreness after a workout. The most important thing that yoga has ever gifted me is self-confidence. As a sophomore, I felt very nervous about what people would think of me, especially since I felt many people were better. I watched other kids qualify for state in HOSA, while I was struggling to keep my own grades up. Seeing others struggle during yoga practices with poses I could easily master helped me relate to life itself. I felt everyone is on their own journey, but eventually, all will aspire and succeed in their goals, whether it be to hug their legs or to an L sit in yoga or get the dream job with the perfect family or any other life goals, as long as we strive, success will follow, and that is what life is all about.