Every child has dreams that she wishes to fulfil in her life. As years pass by, the child is often told by well-meaning adults around how certain dreams are not meant to be fulfilled but can adorn my diary. Daydreaming too, is rarely taken seriously.

Some years are covered in stardust all throughout. As they say, some years ask questions, and some years have answers. Gone year indeed answered innumerable questions.

Right since my childhood, I’d dream of the life beyond formal education. I’d often wonder, how many of the bucket list items I would be able to strike off in this lifetime? Since past few years, long standing dreams have been effortlessly fulfilled and it is sheer magic how the dots continue to get connected. The dip in life which I often considered as a setback, turned out to be the golden period. I now realize, I gained immense learnings that year. In hindsight I feel, we make toiling too much of a chore and at some point when we finally let go of our ores, magic takes over. It is our initial tryst with brilliance and a glimpse of abundance that awaits beyond the waterfall. Yes, responsibility always needs to be taken, no matter what!

This year started rather normal, but with the most awaited Yoga Teacher certification. Yes, a major one from my bucket list. I mean, not everyday someone goes into an Ashram for a few months and learns Yoga the Gurukula way! Being Yoga Shiromani is indeed the most precious jewel in my crown, and a certain hint of pride accompanies too. Sivananda Ashram is my home away from home, and I often miss the bland Sattvic Ashram food which I’d complain about in my initial days. A person who doesn’t exactly enjoy a strict routine life, got so very well accustomed to the running by clock during our training, now I know I can follow any disciplined routine ever. A day that would start before 04:55am, I never missed a cold shower bath any of the mornings before Satsang. I cannot believe I could ever manage to do Yoga 4-5 hours a day, but this training pushed me to my extreme limits. One of those days, even a two hour trek and other days hour long walk to and fro the backwaters. Some mornings I’d wake up not wanting to go for it, but sheer commitment that I experienced then somehow showed up what all I am capable of doing. I was doing some of the unthinkable, and so did my over confidence got the better of me. But that indeed set a tone for the upcoming year.

This year’s theme seemed to have been ‘learning’, a lot of it. A lot more than I felt I had asked for, ready for or could even bear. But as they say, everything happens for the higher good. Trust me when I say this, the worst experiences are the capsules of learnings we need to take, the most essential one. It depends on how you waltz through it elegantly!

Coming back home, at a most awaited function I was welcomed by a well-meaning aunty who probably met me after years. I was basking in the brilliance of shedding few pounds during the Yoga training, when she pulled me right back to the ground asking if I had a hobby of getting fat. I laughed it off then, but I thought to myself, what a brilliant way to put it. I certainly had developed this hobby of piling pounds which refused to let go off me. It was evident by then, that it had absolutely nothing to do with the food and the amount of exercise I was performing. It got me thinking really hard and I set out on the most beautiful journey of my life. It all reinforced that there were deeper issues that needed to be addressed before I set out to do anything else. Everyone was mirroring my own internal critique. Maybe what seemed a little harsh, coming from someone else, but wasn’t I doing the same to me. Actually, even worse. The lethal hope for perfection wasn’t serving me at all. A perfect 10 might be good, but 8 or 9 ain’t that bad!

I straightened my crown, gathered my shit together and unknowingly set an altogether strong intention to have certain things answered and moreover understood. Along with a friend, we both set out written intentions and put an end date of certain accomplishments as 30th September. On that summer afternoon, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me as I was penning down the things.

All this while, I was plain clueless as to what I was doing with life. I would shyly tell people that I was an architect, but I am interested in Health and Wellness, but I barely did anything about it. It was merely halfway through the year, and I was already trudging along. I remember not reading any books around that time. I mean, imagine me doing that just a few months ago! After all that awesomeness that had already gone in. The only thing that I sincerely been at throughout all the ups and downs, was my meditation practice. Absolutely non-negotiable. People often ask me, what few minutes of shut-eyes give me? I finally have an answer to that question, ‘Magic’. Meditation makes me an out and out a magician. Perplexed?

Don’t freak out (as yet)! I might not be able to put all the experiences in words, but the journey has been extremely incredible ever since the touch of this magic wand in my life. Mentally I can visualize myself waving a magic wand and get things done. Or rub a Magic Lamp, and order the genie what I wish to bring to my experience. How else can we justify my knee injury that popped up out of nowhere, that had me cancel the most awaited Valley of Flowers trek, and in turn land me in a certification course of my long sought dream?!

Oh yes! Another epic bucket list item got checked off, when I got my Heal Your Life® Teacher’s certification done. I still don’t remember how I ended up on that online page which followed up to series of magical incidents hence. All seemingly random strings woven into a magical tapestry.

Words fail me as I intend to write about the training and what all went through me in those four walls of the training hall. Was it the scenic view outside? Or was it my willingness to be at the onset of the most beautiful life I could ever have imagined for myself. Frankly, I never had imagined all of it. But as I mentioned before, daydreaming of the best of both worlds. This is where joy and profession could coincide, and it might have had its inception in my teenage years. Indeed it dates back to more than a decade, when I had casually dreamt of becoming a Life Coach. No one probably even talked of these things outside my home, and hence this lovely little dream resided safely in some corner of my heart. I don’t know when it began germinating, developed a life of its own and came to fruition this year.

This indeed was the turning point I had always hoped for in my lowest moments. When all my peers were earning six digits yearly, I was still walking in the dark hoping to find the right direction. A door opened at the end of this dark corridor which illuminated the treasure I had gathered on my way which lay dormant all these years.

My first ever workshop made me nervous beyond measures, but soon I realized this is something I deeply enjoy doing. Conducting transformational workshops come naturally, and I get to learn immensely in each and every session. The wonderful support system we’re blessed with. The people who come up when you have instant connections, and together you seem to seek answers on your own paths. I had conducted two workshops by 30th September. It all is magical in true sense. No exaggeration whatsoever.

I found all the books that I was called to read, right inside my home library. The books my father had been collecting over decades, seemed to have been right out of my current reading list. No! I don’t even want to analyze that anymore. I enjoy calling it magic, now on. But being an analyzer by nature, I certainly dug as deep as my understanding till now, and discovered gems after gems in all the known places. I indeed read The Alchemist all over again, and it certainly did have a different meaning this time.

My newly found love for running blossomed further towards the last few months of this year. I ran a few marathons and outrun myself. In spite of being sporty all my life, I never thought I could actually run in Marathons, let alone actually do it. Especially after last few inactive years, it seemed so bizarre, that I never even bothered to enroll into any runs before. One of those crazy dreams one would laugh over.  Running a full marathon had always been a dream, but the kinds that one always dreams of, but never hope to achieve it. But now, it is just a matter of few months. Look at my confidence to even write this down. A ‘Marathoner’ medal hanger proudly sits on one of the walls in my room, to be a constant reminder of my love to be on toes. The colourful ribbons and the shining medals make sure I carry a grin throughout the day, day after day.

I am tempted to take along the aunty for Pinkathon, as I’m an Ambassador now. But do I tell her my new hobby? The fact that I’m in love with long distance running?