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In this week’s article of our Rediscovering Ayurveda series, we interviewed Sushmita Mukhia.
Sushmita is a banker who juggles her tasks throughout the day trying to make the most of her conflicting passion for the corporate work life and the divine practice of Yoga. For someone who awakes even before the dawn, Sushmita loves to stay busy and try new asanas. She certainly wants to keep getting better at what she does so she can help those in need.
She recalls her journey of following and pursuing Yoga and tells us how Yoga never seemed like a foreign concept to her. As a child, she was required to engage in regular Yoga sessions wherein she had to perform asanas she didn’t really enjoy! “I always thought that Yoga was for older people, people who were suffering from some or the other ailments or who weren’t physically fit and so I always disregarded it,” says Sushmita, who had no clue about the college days that awaited her.
During her college days, Sushmita again encountered the same ordeal of having to perform Yoga and Meditation in order to fulfill the necessary criteria as part of her academic curriculum which she indeed complete half-heartedly. Now you might wonder, what changed? What was it that forced or rather encouraged Sushmita to pursue the divine path of Yoga and Ayurveda? Well, let’s hear the answer from her:
“It was when I had begun with my MBA and started living in a hostel, did I start developing several health-related problems. I developed all sorts of gastric problems and had to undergo multiple medical examinations. The doctors even thought I had ulcers or stones! No matter where I tried to seek treatment, nothing seemed to make me feel better.”
Sushmita then decided to seek Ayurvedic treatment upon the recommendation of a friend and gradually started delving into Yoga to strengthen the impact of the Ayurvedic treatment. What really turned the tables for her was when she learned about the concept of Jal-Neti (nasal cleansing) that helped her cure the problem of sinus. From what began as few pranayams and asanas 15 minutes a day soon turned into a full-fledged passion for Yoga! Soon after she started experiencing the magical benefits of Yoga and Ayurveda, Sushmita decided to go for a Teachers’ Training Course in Rishikesh where she learned about this ancient practice in depth.
A firm believer in the concept ‘charity begins at home,’ Sushmita is on a spree to spread the good word about Yoga and its incomparable benefits. She takes immense pride in helping people get better and calls delving into Yoga the ‘best decision of her life.’ Along with indulging in her own set of asanas that begin as early as 4 AM and last up to 2 hours, Sushmita also has a rich clientele that she counsels on weekdays after work.
“I used to be a workaholic until some time ago I realized that our body is all that we have and giving it the much-needed rest is the least we can. To ensure flexibility, I perform each asana at least 4-5 times and consume mint soaked water every night for detoxifying my body.”
We have three kinds of gunas – Sattva, Rajas, & Tamas. While Sattva depicts goodness and harmony, Rajas represents passion and activeness. Tamas includes the dark and chaotic attributes of the world. When a person is feeling low, that is most likely because of the presence of Tamasik guna. Ayurveda & Yoga are interlinked philosophies that help us understand the human mind as well and the body, believes Sushmita.
“It is easy to tame the body, but difficult to tame the mind as the mind travels swifter than the gust of wind. But yoga helps in training both mind and body, that’s why it is also referred to as a ‘work in’ instead of a mere workout,” opines Sushmita.
Social media is the best and most convenient way for individuals like us to spread awareness about both Yoga & Ayurveda, says Sushmita in her concluding remarks. Since her skin is a bit oily, Sushmita would love to try the Amrutam Face Clean-up!
We are proud to have Sushmita as part of our #AmrutamFamily!
More on Rediscovering Ayurveda –
Rediscovering Ayurveda x Pranita Pawar
Rediscovering Ayurveda x Sujala Roy
