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I have just returned to Malaysia after living inan ashram situated in the Himalayan foothills of Rishikesh in India. I had entered myself into something akin to a bootcamp for yoga. It was really intense. Initially, I was afraid if I would survive the 14-hour a day regimen with classes ranging from meditation, to anatomy, to breathing techniques for stress relief, not to mention three hours of Hatha and Ashtanga yoga per day.

My body found it tough in the beginning but I decided to face my challenges head on. Once you make a decision to stick with something, your body gets the message and thankfully, it adjusted rapidly to the pace. I could literally feel myself getting stronger by the day and I was stretching muscles I never knew I had. It was a great feeling to be releasing tension as I grew more flexible with every class.

My immersion in so much study and yoga practice combined with self-observation through my meditations resulted in me learning so much more about myself. I’ve always believed if you can deal with yourself, you can deal with anyone. Our mind is usually our best ally or worst enemy.

One of the most memorable things I did when I was in Rishikesh was to put the power of my own determination and a particular breathing exercise to the test when I decided to dive into the freezing waters of ‘Mother Ganga’ or the sacred Ganges river.

From ancient times, this has been considered the holiest of rivers and it is believed that bathing in the Ganges will cleanse your soul of all its sins and impurities. I’m not greatly superstitious but I loved the idea of getting rid of any emotional baggage I might be carrying because just being in India made me feel like a new person. It was a new year too, and a new chapter was unfolding in my life. I was feeling adventurous and I wanted thisact to mark the letting go of my past to welcome a brand new present.

However, the problem was the temperature of the water. I had seen some students put their feet into the river and they started shaking their heads. They said there was no way they were going in any further. January was the coldest month of the year in Rishikesh and it was about 7 degrees but the water was much colder. It was icy cold.

The holy swamis in Rishikesh were not in the least bit concerned about these conditions. In fact, ourashtanga teacher said he would be doing 108 dips in the Ganges where you would have to dunk your head underwater. Apparently, 108 isan auspicious number and he was going to be doing this on a sacred day in the Indian calendar.  We asked how he was going to cope with the cold and he said, “It’s all in your breathing. If you do the same breathing we do in this class, you won’t feel the cold.” He sounded so sure about this that I was absolutely fascinated and I wanted to do it. I convinced a few of my friends who were feeling brave,to do it with me and we showed up on the banks of the river on that sacred day. Our yoga teacher was duly impressed that we were going to do attempt what yogis have been doing for thousands of years.

Entering the river in winter was a profound experience I’m never going to forget. It was so cold, it was a shock to the senses but I immediately started doing the ujjayi breathing technique we had learnt with such complete focus that a warmth started to spread in my upper chest. This breathing exercise draws oxygen into the body so I felt energized. In fact, it’s also used by Olympians to increase their respiratory efficiency. Incredibly, just like what my teacher said, I was not cold at all. I managed to do all 108 dips in the river and it was one of the most rejuvenating, soulfully refreshing and memorable things I’ve ever done in my life.

I found yoga a fantastic platform for self-exploration and a great metaphor for life, because the battle that we always fight is with the self. Whatever struggles you experience on a yoga mat is like the struggles you experience in real-life. Just when you think you’re about to give up on holding a pose any longer, you might find yourself breathing into the pain, and even bypassing it, which brings a sense of empowerment from seeing something through. This brought out the athlete in me, to stay focused on the finish line.Despite yoga appearing like an all body workout, I realized it was really more about inner strength and finding that mental connection within yourself.

Jojo Struys is a TV host and Wellness Speaker and she will be teaching breathing techniques to combat stress and become more mentally positive in her upcoming destress workshops. To be put on the mailing list of Jojo’s future workshops, please email her at jojostruys.com@gmail.com