Ashim Dey
IIT Graduate and IT Professional from Ellicott City, Maryland
Yoga as practiced by Life in Yoga Foundation has enabled me to get rid of my spinal
chord problem that I had caused by unconsciously trying to do yoga by reading books.
For about 10 years, there was not a single day when I did not feel any back pain.
I could not stand for more than 30 min. Within couple of months after I started
Yoga with the Life in Yoga approach, all my back issues were gone for good. My lifestyle
changed. My behavior changed. My interaction with people changed, and above all,
my attitude towards my own life changed. I started enjoying my life again.
Further, I have started to understand and feel my body, each and every organ, external
and internal. This allows for control of seasonal afflictions like sinus, cold,
viral, flu, acidity etc. -- at least manage their intensity if not completely preventing
them. So I avoid visiting the doctor most of the time.
I have been practicing Yoga Asana since my childhood. I started practicing Asana
everyday since 1994 after I got my lower back hurt while lifting a heavy load. After
being bed ridden for 2 months, I recovered through Asana and naturopathic treatment.
Since then I had been doing asana everyday. But without further guidance and training
or association with any Yoga group, my Asana got distorted slowly. Without my knowledge
I damaged my spinal chord at various positions in 10 years.
I practiced Nichiren Daisonin's Buddhism from 1996 till 2006. But due to the physical
challenges, probably I could not get the full benefit. Raja Yoga provides complete
tuning of body, mind and spiritual thought. It provides eight steps of Yama, Niyama,
Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
In 2006, I started coming to Life in Yoga. I started practicing Yoga from a different
perspective. I worked on all aspects of Raja Yoga, which I had been dreaming about
throughout my life. I had read about Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnyana Yoga and Karma
Yoga when I was in school. All of them came together in my practice with Life in
Yoga, and the consequent benefits are noted in the first two paragraphs.