This book is a product of constant inspiration from my beautiful daughters. Without their love, sincere help, strong determination, persistent encouragement and enormous patience; this book would not have been in my hands today. I am thankful to my grandkids. 
They are computer geniuses and helped me setting, fixing and repairing my computer all the time whenever I needed. Thanks a lot to my daughters and grand-daughters for appearing in the yoga pictures for my book. And of course my loving husband, who is so loving, caring, thoughtful and knowledgeable, always helped me correcting and guiding me for my writings. He is highly educated and has done extensive study on spirituality. He loves to talk and is ever ready to speak on spirituality for hours. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with such intelligent daughters, grandkids and husband that I thank my Babaji each moment of my life.
The year was 1984, I had car accident and had bad health and my body was very sick – many physical problems made my life miserable. I had very busy life, i.e. a fulltime job, my husband owned a restaurant and I used to help there in the evenings and weekends. And, of course, I used to take care of my house and kids too. Honestly speaking I was a very active person in life, but due to car accident which damaged bones in my body and slowed me down. I felt miserable because I was unable to perform my duties appropriately. At work, my boss was very co-operative and helpful because for my treatment, I had to go to doctors and physical therapist very often and she never refused.
I had hurt my spine in the lower area of my back. I spent a lot of time with my physical therapist but no relief. I was sent to different doctors for treatment but no one could help me. Then I was tired of the treatments and stopped going to the doctors for sometime but I suffered a lot. Many X-rays and tests were done but they could not figure out the real damage.
After being treated for long years, I was referred to a very reputable and famous bone specialist for the treatment. In fact, I was sure to be cured by that doctor because the walls of his office were full with the newspaper clips, articles and pictures in his appreciations and praise. He claimed that he would diagnose the problem and fix it up. He emphasized on giving me an epidural injection and assured me that my pain will be gone. I was given epidural injection but the pain still persisted. I felt at that time that the doctor lied to me and did not give any injection. After one month he convinced me again to get second injection. The pain was so severe that I had to agree because day-to-day life had become miserable. I was given another epidural injection. After one week I went to visit him for post appointment and told him that second epidural also did not work. He was very blunt and he said that I had to live with this pain all my life or I could have third epidural. I was very hurt on his advice, my tears rolled down on my cheeks and I walked out of his office.
Here comes my husband’s nephew Pradeep Bassi from India, a yoga expert, to live with us for one month as he had planned. This was March 8th 1986 his second day in our house and I was going to swallow my medicine, when he took away the medicine bottle from my hand and said, “Nobody will eat any medicine in this house while I live here. I will treat you with yoga exercises and Nature Cure.” Next day I started practicing yoga exercises and followed the instructions carefully. After three weeks I started feeling changes in myself, i.e. less fatigued, less stressed, little more energetic and little less pain in the body. Then he started making some fusions and powders (using herbs and spices from the kitchen) and gave me to swallow am pm. I followed him sincerely because I wanted to get my health back. I tried many times to know whatever he gave me to eat or drink, but each time he laughed and said “Nothing special, everything belongs to your kitchen”. I also remember that he used to encourage me to eat certain foods more and told me not to consume certain foods.
The best thing happened that my daughters, who were little girls at that time, did quit eating beef as Pradeep used to request them not to eat hamburger. He always advised my daughters that it is presumed that red meat helps generate cancer in the body. Also my husband turned to vegetarian – lucky me. In 1978 I had immigrated to USA with my husband and three little lovely daughters.
Pradeep liked this place and stayed with us for five months. He kept himself busy doing his projects for which he had come to USA. He treated me quite a bit with yoga postures and with natural cures. I can say that 30% of the pain was gone. He treated me no doubt, but he did not teach me yoga.
So in 1987 I went to India and attended the most famous and oldest school of yoga in New Delhi. I was fortunate to have top instructors like Balmukandji and Kavi ji. When I told them that I was from USA, Kavi ji gave me extra time, helping me understand doing correct postures and their benefits. Also he gave me quite a bit of knowledge about Natural cures. Now, don’t be surprised if I say, “I don’t need a doctor and I don’t take any medicine.” I was so much happy and satisfied with my health at that time in 1987 that I wanted others to enjoy same kind of BLESSED HEALTH. So I started giving free yoga classes in Vedic Dharam Samaj, Fremont Temple, in Fremont, California. I got so much interested in Nature cure that I started studying Nature Cure and whenever I went to India, in each trip I went to Yoga School to learn more yoga postures and Nature Cure plus my health was boosting. By now 70 to 80% of my pain was gone and I started living a normal life.
In early 90’s I had couple falls and each time my pain came back but again doctors could not help me. I did not quit yoga and Pranayam, which helped me all my life and in this way, I try to help myself and stay healthy and active. Whenever my yoga instructors explained about food I kept on making notes and I used to wonder whether these things really work? I was little skeptical and I used to try those herbs and spices on myself after my return to US. For example in 1990 I went to Beauty College. I had accumulated lot of vacation, so I worked 5 hours in my office, attended college in the afternoon and was paid 3 hours from my vacation. I wanted a full paycheck while going to college. There was no time for lunch. I used to bring one banana for my breakfast, two cut up carrots for lunch, which I ate on my way while driving to Beauty College and one cucumber for evening (coffee-break). For little more than six months, five days a week plus Saturday 10 hours class, I lived on this food schedule. You won’t believe how good I felt when my studies were over. Fruits and vegetables became my favorite food and now I live on it. Finally I understood the meaning of those suggestions of my teachers and it is 100% correct. That is why I repeatedly mention, which you will notice in this book, to consume lots of fruits and juices, vegetables and soups and of course beans too. This is the secret to live healthy, enjoy life and weight will never dare to look at you. I am not convincing you to eat the above food only, but I am assuring you, by consuming fruits and lots of green leafy and colorful vegetables every day, you may never have weight problem and physical disorders in life.
There was another reason to learn more yoga and Nature Cure because here in US, doctors had told me that they cannot fix my problem and I have to suffer and live with this pain all my life. I thought “who knows, how long this “Perfect Soul” decides to live in this human body, so I had to go to yoga school to acquire more knowledge to keep this body fit and healthy”. Whenever I visited India, I studied yoga from many learned Yoga Instructors and Gurus from all over the beautiful awesome continent from the high Himalayas through many jungles, mountains, Kumaon Hills of India. Whenever I stayed in New Delhi I went to a new yoga school each time and I got new yoga instructor. I am so much thankful to my Lord for giving me wonderful teachers like Dr. Grover Kailashi (Naturopath), Dr. Navin Bhargav (Naturopath) and Kavi ji. I believe that I have accomplished in my life what I wanted and needed.
We lived in California for twenty-five years, quit my job and moved to Arizona in 2002. I started volunteering my time and teaching yoga to students in Anderson Junior H. School then I switched to Senior Center and still teach Yoga postures, Pranayam Deep Breathing exercises and Meditation to seniors in Senior Center. I really enjoy what I do. Many times people offer me money to coach private yoga sessions but I request them to come to Senior Center in Chandler. Being rich at heart is the great richness and being healthy and living a stress-free and disease-free-life is the greatest achievement on this earth.
I just remembered that in 2006 I had a fall from the tread-mill and my shoulder’s large rotator got hair-line fracture. It was very, very painful. My pain in the hips also came back. I was given very strong painkillers which I consumed only for one week and then I started taking my own herbs from my kitchen like turmeric (spice) and gugal (herb). I registered only four visits for therapy, just to see what physical therapist would perform, because I knew that the therapy could not be better than yoga postures. I went to chiropractor for treatment on persistence of my husband for one complete month, six days a week religiously, but my pain increased so much that I could not sit in Padmasan (Lotus posture) for my one hour daily meditation in the early morning. Since then I sit in Siddhasan for morning meditation. Then one of my yoga students suggested one acupuncturist and my husband took me there for 8 visits, but no relief. I determined to live free of pain and invented a few special postures and started helping myself and almost 100% of my pain is gone. My daughters and my husband helped me so much at that time that I feel very fortunate to have them in my life. My yoga students were amazed and happy to see the improvement in my health as I did not miss a single class.
I want to tell you very frankly, that I am not going to give you any instant powder, magic pill or magical liquid drink for “total physical fitness” which will help you instantly. There is no such thing in yoga. At the same time I assure you that whatever time and effort you put in yoga and meditation, it will definitely pay you back. Think how much you rely on Allopathic Medicines? Have you ever given a thought on its after effects and side effects? When we take any medicine, most of the times it helps, but it gives us a temporary relief and the “after effects” and “side effects” of those strong medicines are horrendous. Yoga exercises and pranayam deep breathing exercises set our metabolism and cure from the root of the physical and mental ailments permanently. In simple words yoga cuts the roots of our ailments. Yoga is cure. Yoga is science of life. Yoga is not only great medicine, but it is also excellent preventive medicine. I, very strongly believe that if I can help myself and cure my body then anyone can do. When you go through this book, you will not only learn how to prevent certain or particular condition, but also you will understand that your health and your body are under your command. Once you learn the set of postures or “keep body fit” yoga postures, practice Pranayam and meditation, you may be able to cure, heal, correct and eliminate all the symptoms of almost any physical problem persisting in your body. The feeling of curing yourself makes you feel better. If you practice every day, religiously six days a week, you will never be sick. I have met many people who say it is hard to lose weight but for me it is not difficult at all. You train your mind, adopt good habits and you can do wonders. Be master of your mind and body. Now life is fun, peaceful and very comfortable. I have no pain at all. My health is a treasure to me and I wish you all to own this treasure.
~Sudesh Abrol