NIRVANA

Almost two years ago, I experienced excruciating pain at my lower back. I couldn’t walk and was admitted to the emergency ward at the clinic. That experience was very scarry for me but it also taught me to pause and apply my emergency brakes. Through yoga, I embarked upon my healing journey. I discovered the power of yoga and healing.

The Doctor's Appointment

Following the MRI, I was given conservative treatment and met with one of the best orthopaedic surgeon of the island. He showed me my MRI report which clearly showed the severe impact on my two lower discs. My doctor looked at me and told me that it is irreversible and it would all depend how I will take care of my back. He also mentioned that the pain can come back. That felt like a heartbreak to me but I appreciated his honesty.

I was instructed to take one week off from work and continue with my medications. I was also advised to do regular walking and lower back exercises.

Reflecting on the Origin of the Pain

I knew that the pain did not arise just from poor posture. It was more than that. It was the days I overworked myself, the days I felt overwhelmed while my colleague was undergoing medical treatment, it was the chronic stress and expectations at work, the ongoing demands of working in operations, working while on my period when my body was begging for rest. At that moment it felt as if I deceived my own body and I felt guity.

I knew deep inside me that something had to change.

A few months after

I engaged in daily walks, but as my doctor mentioned sometimes the pain came back again. Those were hard moments because while I thought that I was making progress, the pain would remind me that it is still there. I had to be very patient with it and rest when my body asked me to.

Embarking on my Yoga and Healing Journey

I embarked on my yoga teaching course, I started practicing my daily sadhana including pranayama (breathwork), yoga postures, and meditation.

I also experimented with different yoga postures and did a lot of research on which poses were most beneficial or not recommended when having spine disc related issues.

When I completed my course, I wanted to start teaching and so I did. While teaching, I started to do more and more yoga which also strengthened my lower back and the pain subsided hugely. Yoga has been the most important part of my healing journey.

The Power of Yoga and Healing the Body, Mind, and Soul

The meaning of yoga originating from the sanskrit word ‘yug’ is to unite the body, mind, and spirit and bring them in harmony. The healing process of yoga starts with the breath bringing calm and clarity to the mind. The yoga postures help to strengthen the body and muscles. Meditation heals our soul, thus bringing harmony to our body, mind, and spirit.

Yoga offers breathing techniques and yoga postures to heal many ailments including hypertension, disc issues, sciatica, migraines, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, spondilytis, ADHD-Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, thyroid issues, and many more.

The Role of NIRVANA

• Yoga and Meditation

Being a yoga and meditation practitioner, my goal is to help people reconnect to their breath and be in harmony with their body, mind, and spirit. Through breathing techniques or pranayama, we can shift from our sympathetic (fight or flight) to our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) bringing calmness to our mind.

Yoga postures or asanas along with breathwork help to release tension in our bodies hence, preventing burn-out or chronic stress. My objective here is to tackle the negative effects of stress of our modern lifestyle before it becomes a chronic issue.

Meditation helps to bring clarity to the mind while enhancing alertness and emotional regulation. Research has shown that meditation helps to manage conditions like anxiety and depression. Moreover, meditation has been linked to increased gray matter in several brain regions including the prefrontal cortex important for decision-making, the hippocampus for learning and memory.

• Life Coaching

Being a life coach, I guide individuals towards clarity and help them to get to the source. Often the source of our body pains is something different. Chronic stress often affect the hip and spine area especially in women. When we become stressed, our body has a tendency to contract, bracing ourselves from perceived threat. Painful shoulders may result from bearing too many responsibilities.

Sometimes, it is to learn to listen what our body is trying to say to us. Observe how your body reacts in different situations. Is it a stress at work, conflicts in relationships, lack of rest, not enough movement, or not being aligned with our life values?

My Conclusion

As someone who has experienced chronic pain and is on the journey of healing through yoga and meditation, I highly recommend to start your yoga journey if you haven’t started yet. Yoga is a way of living which can only be experienced once you are living it.

If you are someone who is experiencing any kind of pain or stress, know that you are not alone. However, once you detect that you have started to experience some kind of unusual body pain, stress, sleep issue, overthinking, or overwhelming thoughts, it is better to act or seek help before it becomes a chronic issue. Remember that your HEALTH IS WEALTH.

Take a deep breath in and exhale completely. Ask yourself if you feel any kind of discomfort or pain in your body. Your body might be speaking to you if you know how to listen to it.

How do you feel inside your body right now?

Yashna Veera

Life Coach and Yoga & Meditation Practitioner

NIRVANA