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june / july 2018yogajournal.com.sgIf you heard your calling, we
would love to hear your story.
Write to us at
[email protected]Fast forward to the year 2000, I was officially a
teenager, with a Walkman playing “Bailamos”
on a loop. We’ve all been there. This was
another exceptionally tough year for my family.
I was diagnosed with acute asthma; and the
same year my father met with a freak accident
which put him into a coma for a fortnight.
After a couple of surgeries and a few titanium
plates, he regained consciousness. Although
all the medical staff involved doubted that my
father would ever walk, Dad did beat the odds.
After three years of constant home therapy
and my mother’s unmatched dedication, he
took his first step. This was one of the happiest
days for my family. My father could not drive
us to school or play street cricket with us like
before—but together as a family, we had a
sense of achievement and contentment.
Years passed and there I was, an asthmatic
overweight teenager with no drive or crave for
success. The prescription steroids were taking
a toll on my growth trajectory on a physical,
and more importantly, on an emotional level.
I decided to focus on my studies, and soon
completed an undergraduate degree and an
MBA (I am still pursuing a PhD).
On a subconscious level though, I never
accepted the limitation my hardships had put
upon me. My soul was craving for a purpose.
My calling, or my realization, occurred to me
nearly a decade ago. Or simply put, my soul
said I’ve had enough.
In 2008, I found myself travelling with a
colleague on a yoga vacation to the beautiful
Sivananda Ashram in Kerala.I will never be truly able to explain my
transformation in words. But everything
seemed to make sense then. The truth is
that the reality of life is sometimes tough,
and people become so hypnotized by the
levers and cogs that they forget why they are
working on the machine in the first place. In
Kerala, I met such wonderful people with such
beautiful perspectives and philosophy. My
hardships, or my limitations, seemed to pale—
let’s just say there is always someone dealing
with something much worse than you are.As the vacation was ending, I realized I must
not become lost while operating the machine.
I must find a meaningful outcome to this
chaos. I was re-energized by emotions, and
yoga brought everything to the surface. I
set myself on a mission to try every existing
physical regimen of exercise. I travelled to
many countries, got certifications from Taiji
to body-building, participated in National and
International contests—and came to realize
that Yoga is the father of every exercise, and
not just physically. After learning, travelling
and being part of the best ashrams, institutions
and schools around the globe, my purpose
became much clearer.Whatever your profession may be, whether
you are a doctor, teacher or a soldier, you want
to share your knowledge and be of service to
others. But you can only do that if you are
aligned with the values of your profession.
Yoga to me is a way of life—to be of service.In January 2018, I founded Jal Yoga with my
partner, Jasmine, for the sole purpose of
providing health and wellness to prevent and
to cure, to meditate and to realize, to live and
not just exist. This is just the beginning for
me...Namaste.Pardeep Fogat can be reached at
[email protected].
Visit http://www.jalyoga.com.sg.