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Pooja Garg is a holistic health coach and a Registered Yoga Teacher who has been guiding people to live a happy and healthy life. She is focused on Mat Pilates Training and also has a wide knowledge of many other Asanas and Pranayamas.
A nutritionist by profession, she has been helping a lot of people make the right food choices over the years. On her Instagram page, Pooja Garg posts a lot of empowering content to give people the right information, to live healthily.
In her conversation with Icy Tales, Pooja Garg spoke about her yoga journey, her opinion on the current nutrition trends, and the impact that yoga has brought in her life.
Q) You are a registered yoga teacher. When did you decide that you want to get into this field?
Pooja Garg: I was an automobile engineer back then. In 2017, I completed my engineering and I did one year of a corporate job which was in the automobile sector only. But then it did not give me that satisfaction and happiness, which I was searching for. I shifted a few careers and I got into digital marketing, public speaking, event management and I also did the preparations for civil services for three years.
But then when the lockdown came, my health deteriorated. My emotional, mental, and physical health was at the lowest ever in my life. My relationships were with my family and friends were effected and I became a total introvert.
Then one day, someone causally told me that yoga will help me improve my well-being, and I just started doing it. It was very casual initially when I just used to go to yoga classes weekly.
In July 2021, something came into my mind that I can actually go deep into yoga and pursue it. So I did my international certification and set all my goals really well. I felt really happy in this journey because I am not just healing myself but I am healing others as well. At the end of the day, I have that peace and satisfaction that I was able to make some people happy and peaceful.
Q) What then is the importance of yoga and meditation in today’s world?
Pooja Garg: I would say that yoga and meditation are the need of the hour. Nowadays, people get stressed out over small things which is a very bad sign. Although it is all there in us, yoga and meditation helps us to focus on the present and live in the moment.
I would say that it’s not required to do very complex yoga postures every day. Just 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, which includes some basic breathing exercises, will help you feel calm and relaxed. I know that all might say that, stress is very common and can’t get eradicated with yoga, but trust me yoga will definitely help your growth process.
Amidst all this stress, we forget to smile. That beautiful smile on everyone’s face is missing. But I am very sure that yoga and meditation will give that spark to life and also adds calmness and relaxation, which is the need of the hour.
Q) You are also a nutritionist. What is it like being one?
Pooja Garg: I have consulted a lot of people across the world including countries like the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and of course, India. I have also consulted all, vegetarians, non-vegetarians, and vegans. There are a lot of misconceptions in everyone’s mind related to food and I would say that they have a very toxic relationship with food.
We need to eat food like medicine because food has the power to heal us. I give my client a good diet plan and I keep regular checks on them. Correcting the behavior and the relationship of the person with food is very essential because whenever we are stressed, depressed, or angry, the first thing which will give us instant gratification and instant pleasure, is food.
Being a nutritionist, I feel really blessed because I’m able to help people reconnect their relationships with food. Of course, it is a very big responsibility, because if I do even one single mistake, the other person might get a disease or face issues and complications in later life. So it’s very good that I am accountable for someone’s life.
Everyone’s body is different. The food which suits me might not suit you and vice versa. So it’s a big responsibility where I have to figure out the body type and see what kind of food a body is welcoming. Not only eating honestly, but our vision is also to heal a body and check on them right from the roots.
Nowadays, there is a lot of misinformation on Instagram and Facebook which is very misleading. Many of my clients saw a video and asked if drinking lemon honey water will make us stress-free and cure our diseases. So nutritionists give the right information by following a holistic approach.
Q) How do you think the current lifestyle changes have influenced physical and mental health?
Pooja Garg: Sleeping late and then waking up late in a very stressful way is a massive lifestyle change. Bad eating habits, staying up late, frequently smoking, drinking, not being aware of emotions, and not being aware of what they are taking into their mouth are some more lifestyle changes.
The transition that I have seen from old people to the current is that they used to go to bed on time and wake up early. They used to show gratitude and they had so much faith in everything around them but all this is missing in today’s generation as they are more into packaged foods and they get very indulgent with food.
Nowadays, constant mobile screen-watching and binge-watching are overly hyped up. These small things have taken a serious toll on the mental and physical health of today’s generation. There are a lot of alarming figures coming into the picture, like how diabetes, PCOS, and Thyroid are increasing. These transitions are really alarming and people should take them off now.
Q) What impact has yoga brought into your life?
Pooja Garg: This is actually a very touching question because yoga has completely changed my life. Earlier, I was a very angry kid where I used to throw many tantrums and so many mood swings, and overall I was very impatient. But now I’m calmer and more composed. I do get angry sometimes, but it’s very easy to get back to normal. I have become more conscious about my thoughts, and my feelings and I am more aware of what I’m doing and where I should invest my energies.
I am being in the present moment and making the most out of it even if it is not a good time. Even I am very frustrated and exhausted, I always do some breathwork or listen to meditative music. I am able to detach myself from a bad situation, and I enjoy myself every time. I realized that whatever happens in our lives comes to us because it is here to teach us something. The times when I’m a bit struggling, I feel very ready to manage and face it, all because of the impact that yoga has left on me.
Pooja Garg aims to practice yoga and advocate it for the upcoming generation. She believes that yoga is the key that will pave the way to a long and happy life.
Check out the whole conversation with Pooja Garg on our YouTube Channel.
Last Updated on by Icy Tales Team