At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Lakshaya Gupta for an exclusive interview with us. She is a Yoga Trainer, Instructor, Coach Entrepreneur, Influencer and Change Enabler. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Lakshaya:
Talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I have been immersed in the field of yoga for five years, initially, it was by chance and later out of free will. I was pursuing my post-graduation in English Literature in 2018 when I was introduced to yoga.
Practising new poses, maintaining them, maximizing my potential each day, and witnessing changes in myself on levels subtler than the physical; ensured that I never looked back. My interests heightened during the lockdown in 2020.”
This was when I got my Teacher Training Certification from Yoga Alliance and shortly after that, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to share my teachings and experience by conducting yoga classes at Absolute Yoga Studio in DLF, Capital Greens, Moti Nagar.
To fuel my hunger for comprehending the depths of yogic philosophy I enrolled myself in a Master’s Program at SVYASA University, Bangalore.
Later in 2021, I joined Yogatreya where I got the opportunity to lead online group yoga sessions that included Pranayama, Kriya, Sukshmavyayam, Asana practice, and sometimes short yoga Nidra or meditation.
These teaching experiences prepared me to then run offline yoga sessions (at my place) aiming toward the well-being of middle-aged women.”
Currently, I take pride in being able to work towards a shared idea of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being as an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT200, RYT500) with Yoga Alliance.
How did you discover your passion for Yoga?
It is hard to say whether I found Yoga or Yoga found me. Our encounter was pretty random but once it happened I knew instinctively that this was something that comes to me, borrowing the words of the poet John Keats, “as naturally as leaves to a tree” and therefore, something that I willingly plan on pursuing for the rest of my life.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Witnessing growth, awakening and a feeling of satisfaction in my clients serves as my daily fodder.”
When I watch people making the same mistakes that I once made or struggling with the same physical or mental rigidities I feel like, “Oh! I get it, and… I got you”.
I feel blessed when I hear people say things like, ‘this is the most peaceful hour of their day’ or ‘the session sets the energy for the rest of their day’ and also, watch them ace the poses they formerly were fascinated by but were afraid to practice.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
It would be my mom. I look back and I can’t remember a single time that she wasn’t there. To be honest, I have been a difficult kid while growing up and thus, my mom was unfairly burdened with the task of dealing with all my nonsense almost every single day.
All those TED talks, practising classes with me, playing my student (my sister did that too, I’ll just drop her name in before she kills me for not doing so :p), helping me deal with clients that were challenging at times and most importantly, believing in me on days when it was a tad bit hard for me to do so were immensely motivating.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
– Being compassionate towards fellow humans and the self
– Working hard alongside taking enough rest
– Reflecting on constructive feedback
– Believing in the self and my work
– Being meditative
In your opinion what is the key to success?
I’d like to say, consistency.
Wake up! Get in those yoga pants and the rest will fall into place.
What advice would you give to our readers?
Practice yoga and you’ll find solutions to issues emerging on all the layers of your existence.
Let me back this up with learning about Yoga that came a little late to me. I joined Yoga in 2018 because the gym near my place only functioned in the mornings.
My goal was physical fitness. But I am so glad that I was lucky enough to be able to realize how limited my understanding of it was. YOGA IS A PHILOSOPHY. It is a way of living. The physical aspect is just the byproduct of the whole ocean of things it delves into.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
I consider myself one of the lucky and privileged ones to finally, be able to find and pursue an area that is of interest to me. I know that work is a big part of our life and I can say that I enjoy my work. This is satisfying enough for me.
Moreover, Yoga is as vast and as old as the universe itself and it is constantly evolving. We, naively, try to put it in boxes like Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, and even the most recent ones like Prenatal Yoga, Aerial Yoga, etc.
There is no scope for getting bored or mastering it all. It is a beyond-exciting journey.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
