This story is unlike any other. Reversing a disease wasn’t the motivation, the pain in the body wasn't the motivation, leaving junk food wasn't the motivation, scary BP readings weren’t the motivation either. If there was a reason to make a change, there was only one. And that was his sadhana (spiritual journey). The words from his spiritual master were strong enough to shake him and make him do something about his life choices.
Spiritual Master: “Jab saadhan hi theek nahi hoga, toh aap kya hi saadhna karoge.” - “If the chariot that takes you to your soul (i.e.your body) in itself isn't strong enough, how can you expect to ever reach God’s abode?”
Let's see how Vatssal took this to his heart (quite literally) and decided to make a better home for the soul residing in his body. It sure was a bumpy ride but he was glad to finally have the steering wheel in his own hands. Let's see how far he rode.
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Name Vattsal Patel |
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Age
34 year old
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Profession Project Manager |
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City
Anand, Gujarat
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| Diseases reversed High Blood pressure & high cholesterol |
| Workshop attended July, 2020 |
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Time taken to heal
2.5 months |
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Satvic Lifestyle steps followed
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Email address
vatsalpatel16@gmail.com
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"My biggest disease wasn't diabetes, cholesterol, or blood pressure. My biggest disease was my mann ki bhook”
Stuck inside the body
Burdened under the kilos of fried food, packed snacks and heart-racing sugary drinks, I could barely get up from a place once I sat down. Anger was always on my sleeves, and my blood pressure would shoot off the roof, reaching 180/140. Sweat, dizziness and headaches were my constant companions. So much so that I had forgotten what walking without a heavy head was even like.
You know those very few friends that manage to stay close with you even after school, all the way through college and surprisingly even post marriage? Well, I too had two such friends in my life. Obesity and Blood Pressure.
These two friends stuck to my body like leeches since early childhood and only got worse with time.. Slowly sucking the blood both out of my body and my life.
Was it scary? Oh Absolutely!
Was it enough to have me do something about it? Not really.
Then what changed?
When I realized that I remembered the names of my medicines better than the names of my colleagues, or the money I was spending on my doctor’s visits was more than the money on my wife’s birthday presents, I realised life was going in the wrong direction.
To worsen the situation, my spiritual master too could see this downfall and made no effort in hiding his disappointment in me. I knew it was time to make a change and I began looking.
Rewiring the body
After searching for a while, I came across a video on YouTube - “3 ways to detox your body” (insert video link) by Satvic Movement. I got curious about the lifestyle and decided to attend the online Health Transformation workshop, led by Radhika, in July, followed by a juice fast workshop with Subah and Harsh in August.
2 months and 15 days in, and my medications, my stress and my palpitations were all gone. 5 months into the lifestyle, and I had lost 18 kg. My BP was down from 140/100 to 130/80. Boxes full of medicines were thrown out into the black trash can outside our home. The same can which was surprised at having no sight of all those packaged chips, ice-creams and samosas all through those months. Even more surprised was my family who couldn't believe how quickly I had shifted my old food habits to my new ones.
Was it as easy as it sounds? Definitely not in the beginning.
What was my motto then? Just keep going!
I didn't stop. No matter how big or small my steps were, I just kept moving.
I diligently followed a few things and kept trying to be better at others. For instance, I was deeply enjoying satvic food. My days started with Ash Gourd juice at 9 am, followed with fruits at 1:30 pm, salad at 4:30 pm and dinner with millets and vegetables at 7:30 pm. Fasting had become my shortcut to sadhana (meditation). Always going deeper in my spiritual journey when on water fast. I also used to incorporate enemas and wet packs around my fasting days, as it made my sadhak (the body) even lighter, throwing away years of accumulated toxins. Sunbathing and surya namaskar were things I did only on the weekends, but that is one part that I wish to improve with time.