My Yoga Journey

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My family & I immigrated from India to the U.S. in 1994 and eventually settled down in Iowa. To preserve our culture, I spent every other summer in India with my grandparents. I was first exposed to yoga, pranayama (breathing), and meditation in Kerala, my home state. My grandfather would wake up at the wee hours of the morning to practice breathing and meditation; I often admired and tried to mimic him. As I grew older, I began practicing classical Hatha yoga with my aunts during my visits to India. Meanwhile, back home in Iowa, I spent a decade training as a Bharathanatyam dancer, which is a South Indian classical dance form that combines intricate footwork, facial expressions, and mudras (hand gestures) to illustrate and emote spiritual and mythological stories rooted in Hinduism.

After college, I found myself drifting back to my yoga practice as a way to reconnect with my Indian roots. As a Hindu, yoga is my outlet to practice deeper spirituality. As a classically trained dancer, yoga is my performative space to move with intention and grace. Finally, as a mental health advocate receiving weekly psychotherapy for chronic depression/anxiety, yoga is my safe space to check-in with my emotions and confront my discomforts.