How Yoga Healed Me

If we met for the first time, I would introduce myself as a yoga teacher. After that, I would tell you that I love to write. Most of what I write about is yoga. It shaped my life, and through my writing I share teachings that can actually be practiced. You will often hear the teacher’s voice in my words.

I teach yoga because it is a practice that saved my life. Only recently have I begun to speak openly about my past, growing up in an abusive environment, forced into arranged marriages, surviving life threatening situations and wars before eventually arriving in the United States. Years later, life tested me again when I was diagnosed with cancer. Through it all, yoga remained the practice that helped me find freedom and remember who I truly am.

The purpose of sharing this is simple. If this story sparks hope in even one person, if it inspires someone to believe that a different life is possible, then it is worth telling. If I could find my way out, coming for under a rock, so can someone else.

I intentionally call it “this story” rather than “my story” because it belongs to the past. It is something that happened, but it is not who I am.

I am currently writing my memoir, Maha Unshackled, where I share this journey more deeply. Some chapters and audio recordings are already available, if you feel called to explore them.

My Yoga Journey

My first yoga class was challenging. Actually, it was brutal. I had not taken care of my body or been physically active in years. During my second class, I got sick and had to leave within the first ten minutes. It’s embarrassing to admit, especially because the teacher was Bryan Kest. But in a strange way, it also feels like a full circle moment, since I eventually went on to teach yoga at his world renowned studio.

Still, something had already been planted deep inside me. I noticed a certain glow in the yogis around me, a sense that they experienced life differently. I wanted that feeling. So I kept going. Slowly I became stronger and began to find what I call “the yoga zone.” It didn’t happen overnight. It’s called a yoga practice for a reason. I had to commit, put in the time, and do the work, most importantly with compassion toward myself.

There is a saying in yoga, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. After a decade of practicing, I had the privilege of studying with world renowned teachers Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom, and eventually received my Yoga Alliance instructor certification. I am also deeply grateful to Bryan Kest, Govind Das, Dan Ward, and Byron de Marse, who each had a profound influence on my path. Everything I know was shaped by these incredible teachers.

Yoga became my refuge, a place where I could heal and release what cannot be changed. My purpose now is to pass that experience forward, to hold space for others to heal and to share what I have learned over the years with as many people as possible. My teachings will challenge you physically and inspire you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

See you on the mat.