In January 2018 we learned Upa Yoga (beginners Yoga) during a 4-day retreat in Coimbatore, South-India at the Isha Foundation Ashram (Sadhguru). We promised to keep doing two 40-minute sessions every day for 40 days, if I remember correctly. We stuck to it – even in Chennai where we stopped on our way home. A lot of progress was made during those first 40 days. We started to feel the difference. I was soon able to put my foot into the corner of my arm and hold it like a baby (Shishupala asana). That was probably the hardest one of them all.

Now, after over 7 month, I can enjoy Shishupala Asana – really enjoy. And Upa Yoga has become a daily morning routine. Nothing is now more important after taking a bath and before having breakfast. We have lost weight, we feel better and we need less food. The ancient Yoga techniques do work – even in 2018. How could something that is thousands of years old, survive so long – if it is not of the highest quality among all the things you can do to stay healthy and strong ? My body feels different now. It is hard to put into words. I am more flexible and stronger. Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning with a mild headache originating from a childhood eye-injury when the barometric air pressure is low, I may not feel like doing Upa Yoga. But I don’t bail out and do it. Why? A very simple reason:  Upa Yoga removes the headache. I have experienced this time and again. Another reason for sticking to Yoga.

Yoga is much more than certain exercises that have an individual purpose in terms of addressing a particular area of human health. I learned about this in South-India. We don’t sub-divide Yoga into pieces. It is one whole thing that relates to the core of human health, well-being and upliftment. The more I practice Yoga, the more I realise that this is true. Yoga is based on a complete and deep understanding of the nature of humans and insofar it goes beyond the boundaries of present science.