Asja, from Bosnia, came to see me in New Delhi to talk about the raw food diet. She was suffering from MS. I saw an angelic face, beautiful smile, warm heart, thin, frail, and a determination to heal herself.  I loved her immediately. Familiar with Kundalini Yoga, Asja started to attend classes that I offered. She came at least 3 times a week regularly. At first I treated her differently from the other students tuning into her “dis-ease ” and being very understanding and gentile with her. As a teacher I coach people to go beyond their comfort zone and get to the other side.  About 8 months later, Asja showed me her medical report. She no longer had MS.  She healed herself!

I CAN

By Asja Dupanovic

There was one yoga class with Soorya in Delhi, in which I won a battle that would change my attitude towards myself and life for good.

I happened to be alone in class that morning. Soorya gave me my exercise – I was to extend my both arms 90 degrees from the floor and make small, anti-clockwise, rotational movements with them. For 11 minutes, she said. If you ever attended her Kundalini yoga class, you would know how long these 11 minutes could be. Looooong. ! And you’d think you couldn’t do it. And you’d want to quit very soon, but not with Soorya there. The loving energy and support with which she empowers her student makes you cross over mountains (short on breath but with a big smile on your face!).

As soon as 30 seconds into the exercise, the pain sat into my arms. Soon after, the pain spread into my shoulders and than into my whole body. Before I knew it, my Ego sat in, with fine qualities of my it’s most favourite identities – I am weak, unable, unworthy, I can’t, I just can’t do it. I became overwhelmed with pity for myself (one of my Ego’s favourite defences), started crying a river and practically fell apart in pieces, right there on my yoga mat. But I kept on rotating my arms. How could I not – feeling all the love and encouragement coming from Soorya’s “YOU CAN DO IT, ASJA, YOU CAN DO IT…” All of the sudden, just as Soorya always told us it would be if we kept on breathing into the pain, as if I crossed some line and – I did it! I did it! The pain was gone! I have won the battle, which began to change the course of my life…The 11 minutes were over just as I was exhilarated with joy.

We enjoyed the moment together for a while and then Soorya said: “Now 11 minutes in the other direction.”
Needles to say – I smiled and did it! And I keep on smiling. The life changing experience of that, and many more yoga mornings with Soorya continues to follow me on my path. Now I know what I need to do when times get tough and I know just how much I CAN.