Why is Heal Yourself Yoga so different than other Yogic practices?

Anywhere you look these days you can find Yoga websites and videos. In fact, I would say that the market is damn near flooded with all things Yoga! Everyone is a Yoga teacher. And every Yoga teacher has something to offer you.

So why should you pay attention to what Heal Yourself Yoga, and what I, Jessica Desai, have to say?

Great question. And one that I would be asking!

Some other questions I would be asking are:

Who are you?

Why should I even pay attention to you?

How are your services so much different than others?

What can you provide me that is so special?

Well, I’m sure glad you asked!

Because what I’m offering is special. And I don’t say that in a boastful or arrogant way. Far from it. I’m confident in what I’ve created because it’s based on powerful and life-changing practices that are thousands of years old.

Now that doesn’t mean they’re inapplicable or impractical for present day!

No! Far from it. These ancient Yoga practices are tried and true. They have stood the test of time. Generation after generation. They are mystical and holy, but also practical and viable for daily life in modern times.

Who are you?

But back to the question “who are you” or as I would have said “who the hell even are you?” (said with love).

I too am one of those Yoga teachers I was talking about earlier. Guilty! I completed my Yoga Teacher Training in Mumbai India. I in no way wanted to learn about this ancient and mystical Indian practice from Nancy in Illinois.

What prompted this ill advised 5 week trip to India is…..intense. As I imagine all major life changes are. It involves a devastating family death and an even more devastating diagnosis. I don’t want to hit you with all that heaviness now, but you can read more about it here!

But suffice to say, at certain points in my life I needed a lot more than what I was experiencing. I needed practical tools to deal with the very real life situations I found myself in:

I needed to learn how to not see my anxiety and my mind the enemy. (I later found out it’s quite the opposite – it’s only untapped energy)

I needed tools to deal with stressful bosses.

When my mom died, I desperately needed a soothing balm for my heart.

I needed practical ways to manage seemingly simple irritations – like LA traffic.

And after my 3rd IVF, I wanted to learn how to step into my power as a woman and ground myself.

Yea – real life right? The small hardships, and the large. The big life events that threaten to alter your heart, and the minuscule one’s that silently eat away at your courage and trust.

You see – I’m not here to present you with a hippy-dippy esoteric practice that has no real life applications. That’s not my shtick.

I’m only interested in pragmatic and practical Yogic techniques that can be used anytime, anywhere.

Sitting in the doctor’s office

#PandemicLife

Going to a family get-together

Making a big career change

Succeeding in marriage

Loving an addict

Trying to fall asleep

Well you get the picture! Anytime. Anywhere. Any circumstance. In any scenario, you will be able to dig into the toolbox YOU created and pull out a practice that will help.

Help with what?

Relaxation, sleep, digestion, stress relief, blood pressure, wisdom, health, relationships, self-esteem…..

Literally whatever you want.

That’s how powerful these practices are. They were developed over thousands of years, so they cover the gamut of the human experience.

Now the last thing I ever want to do in life is sound sales-man-y. Gross. Or like a life coach asking you to spend your entires savings.

No.

But what I am trying to do, is to put into words, even though words could never be enough, how beautiful and magical these Yogic practices are.

And honestly, I just want more for you. Maybe you say, “I feel just fine, thank you very much.” Maybe you have a religious practice that you feel covers all the needs that life presents.

But we can always use more right?

MORE love

MORE happiness

MORE calm

MORE insight

MORE confidence

MORE connection.

MORE of it ALL!

Why should I pay attention to you?

I started my Yoga journey like many others, purely focused on Asanas (postures). I believed that I would somehow become spiritual enlightened, supermodel fit, and emotionally healed by a physical practice.

But an injury and exercise limitations brought on by endometriosis and IVF severely changed my practice.

So I tried a non-traditional Yoga class that I would never have ventured into before. If a class didn’t have a strenuous physical aspect to it, I was not interested.

Not only because I had severe body “issues,” but also because my anxiety got really bad when I stood still for even 2 seconds.

However I had no choice.

I found myself in a class combining Breathing Exercises (Pranayama), Mudras (special hand placement), and Mantras (sacred chanting). And let me tell you, after it was finished, I felt on top of the world.

And I felt high.

Literally.

High on my own supply. It was great.

But more importantly (I guess), I felt relaxed. I had never spent a single minute without anxiety in my entire life. I’m not exaggerating for dramatic effect here.

Even on vacation on tropical islands I was super anxious.

But I remember thinking after that 1st class, “huh, so this is what normal people feel like.” I had never experienced such calm and peace. And definitely not through just an Asana practice.

Even to this day the memory is incredibly vivid.

And it changed everything.

Initially yes, the relief from my anxiety was more than enough to lure me into this beautiful path. But I quickly discovered the other benefits.

I became obsessed with learning all about the more subtle forms of Yoga such as Pranayama, Murdas, and Mantras. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to incorporate all of them, every-time, into my personal and professional teaching practice.

I felt like I had found the Fountain of Youth. It was like discovering something so special and magical.

But I wanted to incorporate it into more parts of my life as well. You see I had a gaping space left open in my heart that was ready for something sacred. I left a fundamental religion in my early 20’s and had been looking for something practical yet spiritual ever since.

I was looking for tools that I could reach for in both times of great need, and also times of just wanting more of the good stuff.

How are your services so much different than others?

I provide customized Yoga sequences to deal with these modern life needs. But this isn’t a typical Yoga sequence that you’ve seen a hundred times.

Heal Yourself Yoga is jammed packed with healing practices in every offering:

Few Yoga teachers dip their toes into these all these healing waters. And few have the confidence to then bring these magnificent practices to their students.

And I get it, it’s intimidating!

The knowledge is scattered and unconsolidated. It takes so much research and tenacity to uncover these ancient ways. And the technicality and specificity in each Pranayama, Mudra, and Mantra is incredibly intricate.

What can you provide me that is so special?

Maybe another way to say this is: “What can you provide me that others can’t.”

And while it’s true that there are many Yoga teachers, I’d seriously doubt there are any as passionate about bringing you tools and techniques for you to Heal Your own self as I am.

I want to give you the ability to reach down into your own wealth of knowledge to comfort yourself. To bring more prosperity to yourself. To take control of your health.

This is all about you and your insane ability to make your life better, all by yourself.

I want to bring you these oftentimes secretive and hard to find practices so that you can go beyond asana practice. I want more for you.