Annu suffered for many years from cervical pain, sinus, acidity and weight issues. She used to manage her cervical pain by doing commonly known exercises. She assumed it all to be a part of life that one had to live with. A course on natural lifestyle answered it all for her. Here is her story!

Annu Jawa

45 years, Yoga Instructor and Therapist

New Delhi

My journey began!

I had severe cervical pain for almost 2-3 years and used to manage this by self-exercising, but this did not help me. In November 2014, my friend introduced me to yoga classes conducted by Dr. Salila Tewari, which I started attending regularly. Little did I know that this would lead me to vibrant health! I got more and more involved as each day passed. Once Dr. Tewari had invited an expert from Faridabad to teach us Acupressure, which I learned with great enthusiasm. After a month, in December, Dr. Tewari mentioned she would be conducting 16 classes on Naturopathy in our locality. I showed a keen interest in attending them. I had already experienced a treatment through Naturopathy around 2013, and now this was an opportunity to learn it. I enrolled immediately. The classes were held 5 days a week every day for 3 weeks.

My learning - the five elements of nature

Through these classes, I became more aware of the elements of Nature. I learnt that our body is made up of 5 elements, i.e. Earth, Water, Air, Sun and Space. When all these elements are in balance, our body also works in harmony. If there is an imbalance in any of the elements, it causes pain, inflammation, disease and discomfort. It is, therefore, essential to use these elements for holistic health:

• The element of Earth can be achieved by eating only a limited amount of cereals
• Our bodies are composed 70% of water. The element of water can be achieved by eating fruits & vegetables, coconut water, vegetable juices, fruit juices, lemon juices, etc. since they are high in natural water.
• The other element Air could be achieved by proper breathing or pranayama.
• The element of Sun could be achieved by exposure to sunlight and maintaining the digestion power of our gut.
• Lastly, the element of space could be achieved by eating food only until our stomach is half full and eating only when hungry.

Other learnings

In line with the above principles,

• We were taught to eat only 2 cooked meals a day and be on raw vegetable juices and fruits till noon.
• I am a vegetarian, but I used to occasionally consume dairy items. We were asked to stay away from dairy and all animal products.
• All processed and packed foods were to be discontinued as they contain artificial elements which interfere with the body’s normal functions.
• I also learnt the enema therapy, wherein we help our intestines get rid of the waste products.
• And other therapies like kunjal, jal neti, hot and cold fermentation and dry friction.

My health improved

While attending the classes, I started implementing whatever I had learned into my life. I reaped many health benefits. When the classes ended after 3 weeks, I realized that the cervical pain I was suffering from the past 2-3 years had disappeared. I was feeling very light and energetic. Even though the classes had ended, I decided to continue on this path.

Over a period of 6 months, I was surprised that my sinus and acidity issues were under control. Earlier I used to get a sore throat every 2 months or so, now it was rare. I had reduced weight from 65 kg to 50 kg. This also resulted in my body being more energetic throughout the day. I could climb stairs easily. Also, I used to get very heavy periods earlier, and they became regular. In short, many health conditions got corrected holistically.

Family joined in

My family was also into it with me. They also saw immense health benefits. My husband had a stone in his kidney. While following these laws of eating and living naturally, he got rid of the stone while urinating. My daughter, who was overweight lost weight. My son also cured his tonsillitis.

Conclusion

It's been 4 years since I got introduced to the natural way of life. I have seen the positive side of changing my lifestyle. Since we all are part of a social environment, I do deviate many times. But I feel empowered that I can press the “Restart” button anytime, and get back on following my new mantra of living in tune with nature!

(About Annu Jawa: Annu is a B.Sc. graduate. She has also done B.Ed. and Diploma in Yoga and Naturopathy. Her hobbies include sketching, reading books, singing and spending time with nature).