How A Remarkable Yoga Teacher & Distinguished Surgeon got me to the finish line!

Confession alert: Every time I sit for long hours on a chair (almost daily at work), a part of me wants to run and roll a mat to do a handstand…to get back my energy.

But the thing is, I have never been able to do a handstand! :)

14 years ago during a sabbatical, when I completed a Diploma in Classical Yoga, there were a few inversion asanas that petrified me. So I put them into a nice bucket list. "Kabhie future main"

But then after a year of work from home, on Jan 2021, I couldn’t evade the bucket list anymore. 

I mustered the courage to enrol for an intense 3 month AATP (Advanced Yoga Asana Training Program) with @RatishRRao (Yoga Guru, Mysore Tradition)

Even after registering, I doubted if I would actually be able to learn these challenging asanas online! 

Would I would be able manage this class with other commitments?…my monkey-mind kept questioning my already loudly beating heart.

But I did enrol anyway, because yoga had always done me well.

The first class of the awesome AATP revealed that:

1)              Not only had I forgotten a few asanas, in spite of upskilling with different Yoga Schools through the years (and teaching yoga to many during lockdown)

2)              I also needed to rebuild my stamina levels over weeks to ‘even attempt’ the advanced asanas. In other words, I learned the indispensability of daily practice. 

The class was not for the faint-hearted, and in spite of acute muscle soreness, I felt stronger within the first few sessions.

 I was lucky to be part of a pan-India cohort, who inspired each other by sending videos of their practice and progress. Truth is: each of us competed to get featured in our teacher’s ‘Student of the Day’ Instagram stories. :)

Sir, (Ratish Rao) was not only patient while repeatedly explaining steps to achieve tough asanas, he motivated students to go beyond their self-created limitations and phobias. 

For eg: I have always been super scared of the Unsupported Handstand, and Bakasana (the Crane’s pose) after severely bruising falls (on my face!).  

But so eager was I to achieve it after joining this class, that I unfortunately tore a wrist ligament (TFCC) owing to compulsive practice to achieve the final pose!

This was a horrible setback just a month after starting the program!

I knew I would need to leave the class mid-way due to the injury. Worse, I knew I will not have the time (or heart) to attempt this again, anytime soon...

But then, something in me did not want to give up. 

I first called a well-known orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Aditya Menon (his kind reputation preceded him) for medical advice, post which I called my teacher.On sensing my disappointment as well as my enthusiasm to complete, both these concerned gentlemen decided to find a way out for me, so I don't quit!

Dr Menon asked me to follow some do's and don'ts, beside using a splint and doing an ice pack after every class. And Ratish Sir designed an equally intense sequence of asanas which I could practice, without using my wrist!! 

Today, at the end of the program,  I find myself excelling at many asanas I never thought I could do, in spite of the ligament tear!

There is this popular quotation by JM Storm about magic happening in the universe for someone who does not want to give up! But how would this magic happen without such thoughtful and caring people?

Being in the education space, married to someone who loves teaching, I know how messy an endeavour it is to teach something difficult and heal phobias. It is much like nurturing a garden. To pluck someone out of their limitations requires huge commitment with unguaranteed returns. 

This is less a review, and more a note of gratitude for a distinguished doctor and remarkable teacher’s dedication to get everyone to the finish line! For their immense knowledge which makes them so empathetic towards everyone.  

Thank you, Ratish Sir, for not giving up on me. For your sense of purpose, and helping all students to flourish even through 3 months of tedious, weekday classes. 

And thank you, Dr @AdityaMenon for such empathy and camaraderie toward a complete stranger, who asked for a consultation in your building lobby after a long day in hospital. 

I have seen real magic and therefore I remain truly grateful.

Ratish Rao can be reached on 9004530005 for basic, advanced and personal Yoga classes.