With admiration for our family physician, Dr. Oza, I began practicing my first asana, “Mayurasana” Dr. Oza used to visit us during weekends at Jawahar Navodaya Vidhyalaya Ramkhiriya – Panna, where I was staying in the hostel. This initial experience sparked my interest in yoga. Later on, yoga became a regular part of my mornings when it was incorporated into our daily physical training sessions. Sri K. P Agnihotri, our language teacher and a yogi, greatly inspired me during this time, and gradually, yoga became an integral part of my daily routine.
Influenced by books and spiritual knowledge, I began cultivating a yogic culture in my life. I would frequent the school library, selecting books about remarkable figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. This unknowingly laid the foundation for my journey with yoga. It wasn’t until 1999, while pursuing my studies in Ayurveda in Gwalior, that I formally embarked on my yoga journey. My genuine love for yoga led me to enroll in my first Yoga Teacher Training Course.
Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev Maharaj, Dr. Ritesh Patel and Mrs. Poonam Patel at Yoga Mandir Trust in Kanakhal Haridwar
Throughout my time studying Ayurveda, yoga naturally intertwined with my life. It felt like an intrinsic aspect of my existence. During this period, I began to connect the dots between my past experiences and philosophical understanding, which organically molded my personality. Since then, yoga has been an inseparable part of my life’s journey. I am grateful for the opportunities that have allowed me to deepen my expertise in this field and share this passion with the community.
Under the guidance of Sri Anil Sarole Ji, my yoga master, at my first institute, I had numerous chances to delve into and apply the philosophical underpinnings of yoga, particularly drawing from the ideas of Swami Vivekananda. Following the completion of my residential course, I started volunteering at the same institute, which focused on social causes aligned with yoga’s principles. I conducted yoga sessions at diverse locations, representing our institute, Vivekanand Kendra Needam. These places included the Ordnance Factory Itararsi, Central Jail Gwalior, Cancer Hospital Gwalior, schools, and personality development yoga camps for children and young adults.
My pursuit of yoga education continued with a Diploma in Yoga and Naturopathy from the same institute, which provided hands-on training in yoga therapy. After obtaining my BAMS degree in Ayurveda, I worked as an Ayurvedic consultant at Arogyadhama JRD, Tata Research Institute for Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy in Chitrakoot, founded by Bharat Ratna late Sri Nanaji Deshmukh. This experience enriched my knowledge and practical skills, as I had the opportunity to apply Ayurveda, yoga, and naturopathy to patient care.
Subsequently, I joined Divya Yoga Mandir Trust in Kanakhal Haridwar, established by Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev Maharaj. While working as an Ayurveda and yoga consultant at the OPD center in Vadodara, Gujarat, I witnessed firsthand the remarkable potential of yoga as medicine. This solidified my belief in yoga’s ability to prevent and manage various chronic physical and mental conditions. It is here where Life Spring Yoga Institute became a tool to serve my purpose, wellness for all.
Driven by my inherent affinity for yoga and with the support of my partner Poonam’s dedication to fitness, we established Life Spring Yoga Institute. Over time, I have evolved into an established Yoga Teacher Trainer and Yoga Therapy Teacher Trainer. Teaching has become a new path of learning for me as a Yoga Teacher Instructor.
