I started doing yoga for my own health benefits way back in 1999. I was suffering from an identity crisis and my body reacted in the form of developing asthma. Being a Ph.D. in Philosophy, I had practiced yoga for three months during my studies, but mostly knew yoga in theory. The first two months were very difficult, but after four months, I found my rhythm. I could throw away my inhaler and all medicines related to asthma.
The whole attitude towards myself had changed. After that, there was no looking back to my miserable attitude. I decided to do teacher's training course to learn more and deepen my knowledge and experience. I went to the Shivananda International Yoga Vedanta Centre near Trivandrum, Kerala, India for an extensive teacher’s training course in 2000.
The more I practiced myself the more I went deep into self-knowledge. The experience of my own yoga practice became my teacher. This gave me insight to understand others.
Practice of Asanas (steady pose) and Pranayama (breathing exercises) changed me for good unknowingly and unnoticed. Practice of yoga has taken care of me from all sides, physically through Asanas, mentally through Pranayama, and emotionally through meditation, which comes after practicing the earlier two. When I fell into meditation for first time, I felt that I have taken bath from inside. This experience cannot be described, as you cannot tell the taste of sugar to a person who has not eaten it.
People ask about spirituality. I believe that we all are inherently spiritual. Only some dust is covering our souls in the form of emotions. This dust can be cleaned through the practice of above three methods when done together but not singly.