About five years ago, returning home after a shoot she woke up with an acute pain in back that for long did not show any sign of ebbing away. So incapacitating it turned out that she could not even get up. No medication brought about any mitigating effect. Being in showbiz, the mere thought of having to live with such pain was simply terrifying. She saw her dreams shattering. Her family did its best to see her back to normal life.
And it was at this juncture that former Femina Miss India Universe Nikita Anand came into contact with Yogi Ashwini, the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. He initiated her into Yoga through regular practice of Sanatan Kriya based on Ashtang Yog. Her pain disappeared within no time and a new world opened before her. She has since then been an avid Yoga practitioner.
In Ludhiana recently to conduct a Yoga session at Sutlej Club, this Jalandhar-born daughter of an Army doctor, traced her initiation into the realm of spirituality. Doing so she could not help express concern over increasing commercialisation of Yoga which, according to her, has distorted this pious Vedic science into just another physical wellness fad. Drawing from her personal experience, she attributed her clarity about the subject to Yogi Ashwini who has been telling the world that “Yoga is sadhna not a business”.
“I have been taught by Yogi Ji that charging fee renders Yoga ineffective which is actually a subject of energy. The so called Yoga gurus today are hence distorting and diluting this pious subject. It is the science of the Creation which helps its practitioner led by a Guru- who himself is free of bondages of Maya-on to the path of evolution through service and charity. The latter is the pre-requisite to qualify to practise Yoga,” she shared with babushahi.com in an informal chat.
Life has come a full circle for this young multi-faceted personality since her destined brush with life-changing pain in her back. A model, film actor, TV presenter, anchor and former beauty queen, Nikita has now prioritised Yoga and would not let go any opportunity to propagate it. Showbiz is okay but real purpose of life she has learnt is to aid positive forces in the Creation.
Saying what she means, Nikita visited the government cattle pond being run in association with Dhyan Foundation at village Burj Powat in Machhiwara Block of Ludhiana district. “Charity and Sewa leads one on to the path of selflessness. A process of thoughts’ purification follows doing selfless, positive acts called Karma which is central to philosophy of Yoga. Yogi Ji teaches that it is the Dharma of everyone of us to help, feed and protect any human being, animal, bird or even plants within one’s sight. It helps lift one’s level of consciousness,” she says while feeding stray cows sheltered there.
Nikita does not do any makeup except in the situations of professional requirements. An exceptional case it seems! Asked about the secret of her glowing face, she said, “Makeup is required to hide what one thinks is not good in appearance. I do not have any dark circles to hide, so what is the need of makeup. A balanced growth in physical and spiritual spheres is the natural outcome of regular practice of Sanatan Kriya done under the guidance of the Guru.”
Once a fitness freak, she now laughingly recounts the futility of long hours spent in workouts at gym. The attractive persona of Nikita Anand, devoid of any artificial cosmetic coatings, has come about only after she became a Yoga practitioner. “I owe this transformation to Yogi Ashwini ji,” she sums up.
Raju William is Associate Editor, babushahi.com
Contact: +91-98551-01121, Email: raju.william@gmail.com