Ashtanga Yoga (Primary Series): A transformative practice that holds the power to change your life.

Find out more about Manisha

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  So, here is a small story about my interest in Yoga, which develops from my home. My father used to do it for his health and later my brother started yoga as a profession and he is teaching yoga internationally.
  So I used to do yoga and meditation for concentration, strength and flexibility when I was young but I started liking it when I was 15 and started Ashtanga yoga as a self-practice, I used to follow David Swensen and I still do. After few years my interest developed more theoretical and I decided to learn yoga as healing. And I pursued Yoga therapy and a Master in Yogic science double degree in Yoga.
  
  So, I'm a Yoga therapist and a yoga teacher.
  And I teach what peoples' bodies and minds need. Different forms of yoga to different minds and bodies, I am an expert in teaching diseases and sickness through the help of yoga. I know what to teach a 50-year-old person and a 20-year-old person.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  My father is my motivation who inspires me that nothing is bigger than health. Health is everything, you cheat health, health will cheat you back. So I am somewhat like him, I take care of my health and the people who learn from me and that is how I started teaching.

• How does your work help society?

  Our work is to make everyone healthy and create a healthy lifestyle for every individual and slowly people started to understand the value of a healthy lifestyle, how important it is to be in a good shape and not to be overweight.
  If the entire world understands and started Asana meditation, pranamaya, there will be no stress no anxiety no more obesity, constipation, etc.
  So this is how my work will help to build a healthy and peaceful life for all.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  If I have to choose a role model then there are many names, first is my family from where I learnt everything. And I do read other people as well, another name would be Tirumala Krishnamacharya, I think he was a fantastic man.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  Well, I am a healthy person, I take care of my health, but I do enjoy cooking and eating food, like authentic Chinese cuisine (hot-pot).
  And I do enjoy modelling, these are the fancy things for me, besides that, I love reading books (stories). I have many hobbies but they are not hobbies anymore but a part of my life now.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  So, one of the anecdotes I would like to share is my online experience with one of my students who learnt meditation for insomnia, his life was disturbed and he used to have a lot of thoughts and he was never living in his present life he used to be in his future or past, he used to have lack of awareness about his body and breath but he never knew that meditation could change his life completely.
  He used to think meditation is just a practice that helps in getting calm.
  But, I made him practice traditional meditation every day. His understanding improved and he can take better decisions, learnt to appreciate his body, breath the power of heart & time, learn the deepness of stillness, he is more focused but relaxed at the same time, he is happy and enjoying the present time and that makes me proud and happy.
  Traditional meditation is all about your understanding and balance.