Serendipity

 I finished a 3-week Yoga Teacher Training Course in July 2023. It was a 200 hour long residential program. I have to say opting for the course is one of the best decisions I have made. I hadn't planned to write about it, but when I got home a few days later, I was suddenly inspired to do so, and here it is.

Working in an IT world has its ups and downs .Sometimes work is chaotic, with lengthy office hours and tiresome calls. Sometimes not so much.  With my last project, I had some free time. As there was some gap between my aspirations and the role, I wasn’t much inspired to work. I kept myself busy with reading, paintings, and afternoon naps. After a while, I started to feel dull. I was losing interest in accomplishing anything. The best part of my day was waking up early and heading to the gym. That was all. I knew I needed a change, so I started looking for hobbies that would keep me focused for extended periods of time while not seeming mundane.

How I ended up on the Yoga Training course is still a mystery to me. Today it feels like I was meant to go.

One of my friends is a yoga trainer herself; I explored the idea with her, and she informed me that there are yoga schools in Rishikesh that provide short-term training. I was on board with the concept of traveling somewhere far because I wanted to get away from the everyday. Taking my friend's advise, I went online to find schools in Rishikesh, only to discover that there are numerous registered ones. And with that, I was confronted with another challenge: selecting the best possible school.

After conducting additional research, reading reviews, and making some calls, I restricted my options to two colleges. I came to a decision based solely on intuition. How that works is a complete mystery.. Anyway, the best aspect about the whole procedure, and indeed my entire experience of completing the course, was that I wasn't alone. Apart from my friend, who was overjoyed for me to be doing this, my younger brother Sushant was also pleased for me. He's my human diary. Talking about him and his affection for me makes me feel tremendously fortunate, and if I were to write an essay about my experience, it would be incomplete without mentioning his support for me in all I do, including this course. He is always the one who tells me, "Sis, you got this." His backing makes everything better. I'm not sure how, but it does. Yet another mystery.

I travel to Rishikesh in two weeks having no idea that this experience will turn out to be so much fun. We were a group of 23, with people flying from all over the world. People were from different countries, including Spain, Japan, the United States, Russia, Bhutan, and Germany. Wow, right? I had never taken part in anything like this before. I remember being disappointed when I was told over the phone by a school official about the amount of students in the batch. Being around so many people does not come naturally to me. When I began writing this piece, I kept wondering what was unique about the event. The answer was extremely straightforward. People. This was a lovely collection of people. It was a new place and experience for everyone. We were all strangers. And that left no room for judgments.

I had been living my life in great comfort. I'm someone who lives in a shell. I only talk to the people I choose to talk to. While being alone is enjoyable, it may sometimes be lonely.

I recall sitting in my room one evening during the first few days of the course, weeping about being lonely. After a good cry, I realized there are folks downstairs who, like me, came here without knowing anyone. Why am I sitting alone in my room when I could go chat to these people? How tough would it be? So the next evening, after supper, I sit in the common area rather than in my room. I sit there for a long, watching folks and overhearing their conversations (guilty), wondering how easily they could strike up a discussion with one another.

I noticed a bunch of people from another batch out for a walk, and one of my batchmates was with them. While he was headed outside the compound gate to join others, he asked if I wanted to join. I didn't expect such a question, so I immediately rejected it and told him, "I don't know any of these people". What my batchmate replied back to me was something I won't forget. He said, and I quote, "There is only one way to find out". It took me completely off guard. Despite knowing that this is my que, I still do not go. I suppose it wasn't as easy for me. And as far as things went that evening, I was simply pleased to be outside.

Our day would begin with Ashtanga Yoga class at 6.15 a.m. and end with meditation at 7 p.m. There were breaks in between for breakfast, lunch, and tea. I enjoy performing yoga asanas, therefore I would look forward to asana classes but theory lectures are less appealing. As we neared , I couldn't stop telling my friends back home how much fun I was having here. I didn't expect to become so comfortable with people in so little time. I actually made a few buddies. We would go to Ganga every evening after dinner; there were a few chairs facing Ganga where you could sit. That had become our spot. We'd have so much fun talking and making fun of each other. I may not have laughed as much throughout the entire year as I did during the first 21 days of the course.

I've been blessed with kind and loving individuals in my life, so the idea of wonderful people out there in the world doesn't surprise me; nonetheless, every time I see people being kind to one another, especially to me, it overwhelms me.  Throughout the course, I saw individuals assisting one other, people from diverse areas and backgrounds become friends, people motivating and caring for one another. Not to mention that people helped each other throughout the course's final exam; thanks to my buddy Neha, I was able to answer a few questions on the written examination.

Why was I so comfortably myself during the course? Why did I have such a great time at this place? Why did I not feel alone again? 

Answers to all of these questions are the same. People always make a difference.

I was sick on the third day of the course, and I didn't even know who the other students were, but one of my classmates called and asked if I needed anything. He brought medications for me. He did not have to. One evening, I broke down in the dining room because I couldn't eat supper because I didn't like what was served. The caretaker ran to the kitchen and grabbed me all the fruits he could. He did not have to. One day at lunch, I was depressed about how much I dislike my job. A girl from another batch joined me at the side table for lunch. She listened while I vented. She did not have to. One evening, I arrived late for supper, and everyone had already completed theirs. I wasn't in the mood to have dinner alone that day, so one of my batchmates sat with me till I finished. She did not have to. These small acts of kindness inspire me every day.

On numerous occasions, I moaned about how busy this city is, how hot it is, and how there are no lifts in the buildings. On the last day of my visit, I found myself enjoying the city streets as if it was my town.

I didn't anticipate any of this to happen to me, nor did I expect to have such a wonderful experience. As my friend previously stated, "There is only one way to find out".