A Yoga teacher, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and above all a proud Fijian residing in Malaysia. At 43, Navintee Nath is a spectacular inspiration for many fellow Fijians, especially housewives who are yet to find their purpose in life via the art of self-realisation.
Navintee is a soulful connection with whom I had constantly interacted via Instagram as she was an avid follower of my blog: A Connection.
Last year July, post pandemic, I ventured into a soul invigorating journey to South East Asia and Navintee and I met up in Kuala Lumpur and we toured places of mutual interest.
In her words, Navintee describes: “A Connection as a medium which teleports the reader into an imaginary space as you visualise the content and feel part of the journey being narrated. It kept me connected to Fiji and provided me a sense of comfort and hope during the pandemic.”
In this edition of the Lifestyle column, my aim is to offer insights from my own and Navintee Nath’s respective journeys on the art of self-realisation. After departing from Fiji precisely eight years ago, Navintee and her Malaysian husband moved to New Zealand to pursue career opportunities.
After a three-year stint in New Zealand, the couple decided to locate to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018. Navintee was a proud mother of a beautiful daughter who was just five years old when they moved. Being involved in the corporate space to being a housewife was a complete switch over of roles, but also a new phase in life which she was adjusting to and at the same time questioning her purpose in life as well.
At this stage in her life, Navintee started going to the gym as she was keen to stay physically fit. She then signed up for a yoga session and came out defeated from the initial session as she could not adjust to the asana (yoga positions). This was one of her initial sense of self-realisation that if it challenged her, she had to push beyond her boundaries and that’s the push she needed in life.
Navintee planned her daily life around dropping her daughter to kindergarten and then heading to gym and yoga classes. She would then indulge in a hearty breakfast, validate her feelings by asking basic questions as to how she was feeling and pen a self-reflection journal.
The four hours were her “me time”. This was her life changing phase and it was based on the cornerstone of commitment, sheer dedication and self-discipline.
In 2019, Navintee undertook a certificate in Yoga Teacher training for 200 hours which motivated her further. Now that her daughter is 10 years old, Navintee plans to pursue her 500 hours of Yoga teacher training.
When the pandemic struck, Navintee explored options to stay engaged and practise mindfulness. She signed up for 30 hours of online advanced asana training which was delivered by a trainer from Thailand. She also continued to upskill herself via a six-month online physical asana training from a teacher in India.
Post-pandemic, Navintee reverted to more in-person yoga sessions with her students who practice in a space around their condo on every Wednesdays.
Her eldest student is a 73-year-old Malaysian male who inspires her that yoga is beyond time and age. It is the art of self-realisation which invokes your inner consciousness and spirituality from within.
According to Navintee, the term “yog” may not be commonly used, but it is the transliteration of the Sanskrit word “yoga “which refers to a set of practices aimed at promoting physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
To stay in yog with oneself, you need constantly practise self-awareness, mindfulness, self-care and self-love.
Yoga is way beyond just the practice of asana on the mat. There are eight limbs of yoga which used is a powerful tool to live in state of harmony and balance with your physical, mental and physical self while leading a purposeful life.
You are not done with just an hour of yoga session for the day, yoga happens when you are in yog with yourself and responding mindfully what may come through out your day that is not harming to yourself and everyone around you.
When you are in state of self-care and selflove with oneself, naturally you are tend to reflect the positive energy and vibes to whatever or whoever you may come in contact with, be it a person or a situation. I have sought inspiration from the ongoing constant conversations I have had with Navintee in making changes to my life via selfrealisation.
Whilst I might not be practising yoga or asana on the mat, I am in yog with myself. I have learnt the art to declutter spaces leading to invoking positive energy and mind.
The art of redecorating the physical environment around me with minimalistic art surrounded by nature has been soul rejuvenating. If you would like to venture on a journey to master the art of self-realisation to be in Yog with yourself, feel free to connect with Navintee who offers one-hour dedicated virtual sessions via Zoom.
Navintee has assisted many fellow Fijians virtually via online therapy, self-healing and discovery sessions. Kickstart the conversation via emailing Navintee on navinty_n@yahoo.com
AVANEESH RAMAN is the content curator of blog The A Connection – https://theaconnection.blogspot.com/
The views expressed in this article are his and may not necessarily be shared by this newspaper. For more, log on to www.fijitimes.com
