“ I always thought I had all these health problems (PCOD, acne, excess weight, hair fall) because of my hormones & genes, but it was really about the kind of food I had been eating and the lifestyle I followed. One month into the Satvic Lifestyle & I saw all my diseases disappear one by one.” 

 

Losing my spirit

All my childhood I had been a sporty and an active person. Most of my school years were spent in the playground playing various sports. No one would have ever imagined that such a chirpy and lively girl would be suffering from so many health problems down the line. I was 14 when it all started. I suddenly gained a lot of weight, my periods were not regular, ugly pimples were popping up all over my body, my hair started to grey. I didn't know what was wrong, even the people around me including my mother said it was a normal thing at this age so I let it be. However, as soon as I reached college I had become totally a different person. As the bag of my diseases got bigger, my will power got smaller. Like most of the young hostel dwellers in the country I had an unhealthy lifestyle; odd sleeping hours, eating Maggi and chocolates in the middle of the night, fighting exam stress by drinking 3-4 cups of tea every day. It didn't take long for my health to worsen and my diseases to multifold. 

 

 Annanya struggling with excess weight during her college years

 

When it really hit me 

The acne had now come to my face, my weight was at its highest, my hair was almost half the thickness as earlier, the gap between my periods stretched from 3 months to a year. It was a drastic change for me; my energy levels became low, I was getting frequent cold & fever. I became moody and grumpy. I was losing my inner spirit. As soon as I got acne on my face everything became real. People around me started asking questions and giving unsolicited advice. I tried everything from niacinamide or AHA & BHA serums to different facials to expensive cosmetics to cure or at least cover up the pimples. I was spending more money on skin products than on my college stationary and more time in my room watching skincare videos on YouTube than with my best friends.

 

Annanya's skin covered with acne (August 2018)

 

Finding the solution 

I had just come back home to Nagpur after giving my exams when I met Ved bhaiya, who unlike others after seeing my health asked me to change my food habits & quit dairy instead of adding another to-do task in my skincare routine. In the beginning, I did not listen to him and laughed off the advice. I mean the man was asking me to quit dairy & sugar. How could I leave my dear tea, haldi doodh or all those pedas (sweet dish) I absolutely loved? Never. At that time he was following a YouTube channel called Satvic Movement, which he couldn't stop raving about. He somehow made me watch their video on 3 ways to detox your body after which I binged watched all other videos on the channel. It took me only a week to cut out dairy and sugar from my diet and the effect was instant, I did not get any new breakout after that. After a month, my periods came naturally, my acne started healing, I was feeling light & full of energy. 

 

A newfound love  

That one video made me question all my food habits and lifestyle choices. I always thought I had all these problems because it is in my hormones & genes, but it was really about the kind of food I had been eating and the lifestyle I followed. Slowly, I incorporated fasting & Satvic diet in my life. I enjoyed sunbathing more than sleeping in an extra hour. My morning tea was replaced with different flavoured herbal tea every day, the plate of boring poha or upma gave way to a platter full of colourful seasonal fruits, coconut became my new favourite snack & vegetable juices my mood refreshers.

   

Annanya enjoying her breakfast while basking in the sunlight

 Annanya practicing pranayama in her home backyard

Coming back to myself 

3 months and it is not just my food that has changed but my complete perspective towards life has been transformed. A year & half ago I didn't even enjoy the things I love doing but now I find joy even the most boring & tiring of the tasks. If this is not magical then what is? The day I got my periods naturally I was so excited that I called up my best friend just to let her know. She laughed and said it was not a big of a deal, but to me it was. From not getting periods for 6 months straight to getting it every month, from full-body acne to healthy clear skin, from 75 kg to 55 kg, from feeling miserable to the happiest person alive. Can you believe all this happened within a span of a few months? Earlier, I didn’t even like looking at my face in the mirror let alone love myself. But now I realise it was never about my appearance or how I look, but more about how I feel from the inside. Whether it is doing meditation, practising yoga or respecting the food I eat & the people I meet, everything feels like a celebration to me. I believe that all it takes is the right knowledge, trusting the process & a little will power and some hard work to heal every and any disease. 

If I can find myself back again, so can you. 

Ask yourself, what is stopping you?

    

If you too suffer from any of these symptoms and wish to live a disease-free and pain-free life, today is the day to give yourself that gift. Sign up for our Health Transformation Workshop and let joy return to your life. Click here to know more.