Today we’d like to introduce you to Hetal Nayak.
Hi Hetal, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was happily married to the love of my life. I met my husband at the age of 18 years old and we studied together in same med school. we got married at the age of 23 years old in India. We moved to the US for career opportunities and a better quality of life. Leaving our country and families back home did leave us feeling uprooted. We slowly got adjusted to the new life that we had chosen.
During our residency in New York, our first daughter Rhea was born. After our training was complete we moved to Floresville to fulfill our visa requirements. During this period our younger daughter Aaria was born. Our younger daughter was diagnosed with congenital heart disease leading to surgery at the age of 6 months. This led to me taking a break from my carrier as an anesthesiologist. Health and wellbeing were very dear to me since childhood…had a very strong inner intuition for gravitating towards healthy food and lifestyle.
During this time frame, I was blessed to come across good yoga books that caught my attention. Started self-practice of some yoga postures at home. ….this increased my curiosity and joined yoga classes for 2 years …I saw tremendous changes in physical wellbeing, peace of mind, change in appetite, making sound decisions, emotional wellbeing, and improved relationship with the self and others. This led to a formal yoga teacher training course and from there on never looked behind…..went on to study with some of the well-known yoga teachers from around the world, traveled to India, did courses in yoga through the universities in India, and started teaching yoga to all age groups …This was very fulfilling ….continued to dive deeper into the philosophy and practices of yoga ….my quest lead me to find a spiritual master ( My Guru Swami vidhyaDhishananda ) I got initiated into the path of Kriya Yoga. The joy and inner awakening came along with these teachings of authentic, lineage-based meditation practices available. Parallelly my volunteer work in the community kept organically growing. My husband and I decided to donate our personal piece of property in the heart of the medical center to build a spiritual center where we could share the practices of Yoga with the community. We received tremendous support from the. community. We are blessed to be part of Sewa international, HSS ( Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangha ), and the Aum school community which has given us the opportunity to serve.
Yoga has changed our life
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Had a personal health challenge that I was able to overcome with the help of Yoga. Was Diagnosed of Pelvic organ prolapse and was recommended to surgery to overcome my symptoms but with consistent yoga practice for the last 12 years, I was able to avoid surgery and feel more stronger and healthier than ever before.
Giving up my role as an anesthesiologist was not an easy decision The road was challenging but with the support from my Husband, the community, the Yoga practices, and teachings of my Guru was able to pave the path.
Opening a yoga school that can serve the community and train quality Yoga teachers is like a dream come true! It has given purpose to our lives.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an anesthesiologist by training. Now a full-time volunteer Yoga teacher. I practice Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and Kriya Yoga. I am known for my love for teaching yoga to all age groups, teaching and serving the community through educating on a Yogic lifestyle. I am grateful for all the grace that has allowed me to be on the path of yoga and grateful to be able to serve the community where there is a tremendous need for educating people on healthy lifestyles and wellbeing at all levels.
I am a founder and organizing committee member for IDoYoga ( A community project of Sewa international ). I am a President for Sewa International san Antonio Chapter. Founder and director of Aum Yog Sadhana school of Yoga. Advisory board member for Aum Ashram. The most fulfilling work I do is Being a loving and compassionate daughter, wife, and mom. raising a healthy and happy family and cooking is what I enjoy the most.
What were you like growing up?
Grew up in India. Very Shy, sincere, hardworking, friendly. Was interested in healthy food and wellbeing ….
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: aumashram.org, IDoyogasa.org
