Love and Light- How Yoga Changed My Life

During these unprecedented times, given the current context of the pandemic, it honestly took a toll on my mental health. With a hefty amount of workload as a pre-medical student, my mental health was severely compromised. There were days where in I got so drained to the point where I would breakdown. Thankfully, my dearest friend, one of the greatest influencers who also introduced me to this platform, @asasiklause, introduced me to yoga, well not really introduced but he pushed me to carry on with my practice and to strive to be better in my journey.

One November afternoon, while I was out and about taking my dog out for a walk, I saw him bringing a yoga mat and it got me curious as to what exercise he was about to do. He then invited me to do yoga with him and I gladly agreed since I wanted to experience more of the practice. I got my yoga mat and brought it out so I can practice with him. At that point, we really did not know where to practice because apparently, we did not have a spacious environment to do so but we find ways right. Lack of space is not an excuse to not practice. Then we found a small area right in front of our neighbor’s house so we could practice. And so it has begun! It was a quick gentle flow, yet I felt pain during the practice but afterwards all I felt was relief because I got to let go of all the negativities in my life and just simply focus on my intention and that was gratitude and peace of mind.

Ever since that fine November afternoon, which is about a year from now, I have been trying to practice daily. Although I find it difficult to be consistent at times due to school work and a busy schedule, I always want to make my mental and physical health a priority. Doing yoga after a busy school day, after a day of facing the screen, has been a game changer. Because through yoga, I am able to stretch and strengthen my body while calming my mind. Doing yoga allows me to give time for myself even just for an hour of meditation and flow. Doing yoga gives me mental clarity and allows me to take a pause on the stressful thoughts that ruminate my mind day by day. Doing yoga allows me to be graceful despite being under pressure. If you’re looking for a sign to do yoga, this is it. It’s never too late to start doing yoga, no matter how old you are, we can always start where we are but first just to be safe, consult with your physician first. And if you want to try doing yoga, I recommend “Yoga with AJ” and here is a link to one of her videos (

**Sending love and light to anyone who has been struggling mentally especially during these unprecedented times! Hopefully, you will be able to explore more of Yoga and be convinced to try doing yoga as well. **

*Disclaimer: The first photo was edited via canva and some of my photos were taken by my friends. *