yoga

76

december 2018 / january 2019

yogajournal.com.sg

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

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Kuldeep Kushwah

meet

How long have you done yoga, and what

made you start?

I embarked on my yoga journey at the age of 14, so that would be 18

years already.

At the beginning, I was just playing without knowing I was actually

doing yoga poses (wheel pose, headstand, seated forward bend,

etc.) One day at school, I saw some students practising yoga poses

and I asked their teacher what they were doing. I was told they were

practising yoga asanas for a national competition sponsored by

the Indian government. If selected, the students would go on and

participate in divisional, state and national levels competitions. I was

attracted to the idea of travelling around the country, seeing new

things and making new friends. So, I told the teacher I could do some

of these poses, and upon demonstration, he offered me a chance to

join his yoga team and participate in competitions.

What inspired you to become a yoga

teacher?

I was in a sales job before I decided to become a yoga teacher. I felt

that I was just chasing after quotas and targets, which caused a lot of

stress. I started to feel that there wasn’t real meaning in that, hence it

didn’t give me satisfaction and contentment.

I started to think that I could help the masses by teaching yoga

and making their lives better, as I realized that service to others is

the higher purpose one can have in one’s life. I saw that through

yoga therapy, I brought smiles to faces by alleviating some of the

discomfort caused by lifestyle diseases. All these gave me a sense

of satisfaction. I really think it is such happiness that makes life more

meaningful, rather than just money.

Tell us more about yoga therapy and why

your classes are focused on it.

Yoga therapy is a form of holistic treatment that supports the

amalgamation of body, mind and spirit. It is about helping individuals

to overcome their health issues. It integrates several yoga techniques

such as Asanas, Pranayama, Kriya, Mudra, Bandha and Dhyana etc.

that work at the Pancha Kosha level (five sheaths of existence) and

helps to eradicate the disease from its root cause.

Yoga therapy produces significant positive outcomes, and it gives

me a great sense of satisfaction when I see improvement in health

conditions of my clients, their medication scores and quality of life.

Vyasa Yoga Singapore

ART DIRECTION: ANUJA BAGADE