My Journey to Wellness: Why I Started Do Yoga With Aashish

This month I would like to share with you why I started Do Yoga With Aashish.

10 years ago, my health was in poor condition with cholesterol, high blood pressure and

diabetes completely out of whack. I had a wakeup call when my doctor confirmed that I

had graduated from the prediabetic scale and arrived being termed diabetic and

presented me with a certificate in the form of a prescription for a diabetes drug. That

wakeup call led to a discussion with myself on where I saw this going.

Being brown with roots from the South Asian region, I had seen family elders not

managing their health, taking things for granted, not changing their eating, drinking and

lack of exercise habits end up with having to get on insulin, injections to the stomach

and basically making big pharma rich. I had a lot to think and to be honest, it was very

overwhelming.

Right around that time, my wife and I took my daughters for the first time to India on a

trip. We stayed a few days in a small village hosted by extended family who fed us real

fresh farm to table food that was simply delicious, healthy, cooked and served with love.

That is when it struck me that I needed to take control of my own health, and it would

have to start with an introspection of the food I ate followed by exercise.

The logical me, did the math, and came up with the following annual cost after

insurance covered partial costs (and we have been fortunate to be with very good

insurance):

Diabetes drugs: $3,500

High blood pressure: $60

Cholesterol: $180

Baby aspirin: $40

Total: $3,780

$3,780 to begin with, and as the years would go and if I continued the way of life as did

my elders, the cost of drugs would only increase, not to mention the degraded quality of

life. I wanted to be fit to walk my daughters into marriage and in the event, they elected

to have kids, give myself the opportunity to be healthy and well to give quality time to

grandchildren.

Fast forward to today, in 2025, that was ten years ago. I invested in myself, learnt what

changes I needed to make in my life. Self-taught the nutritional value of basic

ingredients to make high value foods cooked fresh. Developed a routine, or sadhana as

called in India (the roots of Yoga), for exercise, sleep, waking, eating and continue to

follow today. Sure, there are cheat days when I am with friends and social events, but I

will need a couple of days to come back to normalcy, so it’s a choice.

Keeping with the math, without taking the escalating cost of drugs over the years and

the costs of higher power drugs, I saved $37,800 or lets say $40,000. As my health

improved, I regained normalcy in life with a new lifestyle, one that was empowered. My

elders had experienced deflation in the headwinds of these health challenges, and I felt

empowered and on top, being knowledgeable and with a strong toolkit to pull from. I

have made it my mission to continue spreading the availability of this toolkit to everyone

and to engage with those that are ready. Invest in empowering yourself versus feeling

deflated in the headwinds. Only you can bring change to yourself. As the Greek

philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change”. Embrace the change

and take on the challenge for growth and renewal. You will appreciate yourself in the

changed you. Your family and friends will appreciate the new empowered and changed

you.

Curious to know more about the toolkit? The toolkit consists of getting to know your

body, taking your physician into confidence and taking their advice as you take control

of your health, build your own yoga routine, learning to eat right, and most important of

all, building a routine…sadhana. Yoga is not just about asanas, or exercises, it is about

blending the mind, body and soul to unite.

Sound like a lot? Imagine navigating this journey by yourself….it took me ten years to

learn the value of binding a custom sadhana (discipline) of body, mind, nutrition,

wellbeing, putting myself through uncomfortable situations to reset myself. Learning

from my journey, one has a higher probability of success when couples can work

together on a common cause. For that reason, I have partnered with a yoga teacher to

offer a co-ed group. My partner, Arianna Reel Cook, is a certified yoga

teacher, a coach specialized in Inner Alignment, working through the intricacies of life

healing anxiety and depression at the root cause, childhood trauma stored in the body

to give one new tools to pull from. Arianna is also a Herbalist and Art educator. We are

both intuitive, naturally draw from each other to meld the creative, logical aspects, and

excited to bring you the best experience for you. Your needs will be treated individually

even if you signed up in pairs, as each mind, body, spirit is unique.

Join Arianna and me on September 22nd in El Salvador for a transformative retreat designed to reset your mind, body, and spirit. Immerse yourself in a digital detox, guided practices, and a supportive community to help you stay accountable to your wellness goals. Set in the serene beauty of Playa Mizata, our carefully chosen location offers locally sourced meals, warm hospitality, and expert yoga guidance. This retreat is your opportunity to cultivate a lasting sadhana—a personalized path to health and balance. Reserve your spot today and embark on your journey to renewal!