Our Top Yoga Blogs directory is full of inspiring and original yogis, all sharing their love with us through their yoga journey. We thought they could use a bit of love from us, too, so we're featuring one of our top bloggers each month in a Q&A style. This month we interviewed Arundhati B. of Aham Yoga. Here's what she had to say.
Yogapedia: What brought you to yoga?
Arundhati: I am a professional Bollywood dancer and instructor. Dance injuries brought me first to yoga. I was also looking to teach something else other than dance that was entirely physical as I had been teaching dance for a long time. When I tried yoga for the first time, I was hooked. I knew I had found what was right for my soul.
Why do you continue to do yoga?
Arundhati: Yoga makes me the best version of myself every single day. Ever since I started doing yoga I have become more confident, more content, joyful, optimistic, healthy…I can go on and on. This is also why I teach and advocate yoga to others, so they may discover a better version of themselves through the practice as well.
(More on the practice of discovering and getting to Know Your Atman (Self).)
Why do you blog about yoga?
Arundhati: I blog in order to make the wisdom of yoga practice more accessible to everyone, irrespective of where they live. A blog is a simple yet powerful media of education and awareness. And it's free! I also feel more connected to my community through this blog and love hearing stories about how people try the practices in the blog and how it affects them.
What’s unique about your blog?
Arundhati: My blog is a bridge between Eastern and Western forms of yoga. Having been born and raised in India and then moving to the U.S. six years ago, my blog has the traditional elements of yoga along with the modern. Though the blog is always a work in progress, I feel like I have the ability to bridge the gap and help people understand the essence of yoga and what yoga is like in India today.
What is your most popular post and why?
Arundhati: "Yoga in India Vs Yoga in America." This is special because it was the first blog post I ever wrote, and it was published by Seattle Yoga News. This went viral overnight. At that time, I didn't know this huge blogging world that existed. I didn’t even have a website for people to link to. I remember it crashed the Seattle Yoga News website one night because Yoga Alliance had shared this article. It continues to be read and shared even today, and has a special place in my heart.
Do you have a favorite go-to pose? Why does it resonate with you?
Arundhati: Supta padangushtasana (supine hand-to-big toe pose). Anyone who practices with me knows how much I love this pose. I make everyone do it often and it’s the one pose that makes me feel AMAZING. Since I teach a lot of yoga and Bollywood dance, this pose is great as a warm-up, cool down, recovery, hip opening, etc. I do all three versions of it: up, out and across.
What has yoga brought to your life?
Arundhati: Joy, contentment, community, love, fulfillment and focus.
What yoga lessons do you still consider a work in progress?
Arundhati: All the yamas and niyamas: so easy, yet so difficult. Every moment is a work in progress.
(See what Arundhati means for yourself in Yama and Niyama: The Yogi's Moral Guiding Lights.)
If you had to give one tip about living the yoga life, what would it be?
Arundhati: Start small and don’t get influenced too deeply by the yoga on social media. There is a yoga for everyone. If you stick with it, you won’t be disappointed.
(You can subscribe to Arundhati's blog at blog.ahamyoga.com.)
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.