Radka On The Path Of Yoga
Radka On The Path Of Yoga
The Gift
It was December in 2019 - Christmas time. I was browsing around Facebook and out of a sudden I saw an interesting advert. It was around the topic of 'How our emotions control/are connected to our breath'. It was a full day workshop divided into two parts. I instinctively knew I wanted to go. I was constantly looking for a SOLUTION. My child had constant tantrums - uncontrolled outbursts of crying, anger, throwing himself on the floor, sleepless nights, sickness, wetting the bed....absolute swirl of emotions, energy and stress. I told my husband that this workshop is on the 1st of February 2020 and I want it to be my Christmas present. And that he has to look after the kids for a whole day alone so that I can go. And so it was!
The Challenge
It was the day - 1st of February 2020. I had to drive for 32 minutes on a very busy road (back then in my head) that has a lot of round abounds (that I hated and was receiving panic attacks and shortage of breath on each), as well more than two road lines next to each other and so many traffic lights. And even though I was driving for 3 years (after 12 years break), I was driving only on a very well known road that I was passing from - to each day. So I made a plan to leave the car in Skipton and to catch the train to Saltaire/Shipley. I parked the car, ran to the train station only to find out that someone took their life jumping under the train. My emotions flooded for the person, his decision, and for the fact that if I choose to catch a bus I will miss the morning practice, so I have to choose to drive. My blood literally boiled from the stress of that thought, I started sweating, my breathing went into the throat and upper chest and my pulse got hyper. I looked at the clock, saw the suicided person in my imagination and told myself:
'You can do better! You can choose 'Solution'. You are the one in charge and you can drive your *ss up to the place. You have the car, petrol and telephone with google maps. Drive slowly and you will get there eventually. If you have to be late, let it be at least safe. Better late, then never!'
I ran back to the car, buckled my seatbelt, took a deep inhale and a slow exhale and made my journey there. It came that James was late due to that same accident. So I arrived on time and even slightly earlier than him.
Meeting With Self
The first two hours session started. Everyone in the room was either a teacher that came to learn new techniques from James (as he was travelling yogi and was residing and delivering yoga teacher trainings mainly in India, Thailand and Peru through his company On The Path Of Yoga) or a very experienced student. And me at that point of time...
I had a few DVD yoga hours under my belt and as well a few local yoga classes during the second pregnancy but I even did not know what a Down Dog is, what about a Chaturanga....
Imagine a room where everyone is on a flow and James is one of these teachers that walks around the room and talks in postures and aligned points as he is aware that his audience has a basic/pretty advanced knowledge. And me in the middle of that flow of movements struggling to catch up, being a Sweaty Betty, not sure what posture we are doing and trying to peek up and copy others. At the end of the morning session he asked if anyone want to be his Guinea pig for a headstand. As I was on the 'brave roll' today I lifted my hand without realizing I am the only one in the room opting for this adventure. I experienced my very first headstand with the help of James.
I survived the morning session. We went for lunch. This was the first time I was trying vegan food. It felt refreshing and light. I was pretty full with a small amount of food. The group of around 30 people was mixed between males and females from different age group. It sparked different engaging conversations for travel around the world, yoga, different food, kids and menopause. Then we headed for the second part.
This was even more strenuous. Some people came only for part one, others only for part two and very few were for the whole day like me. James took us on a journey of vinyasa flow with Ujjayi breathing for a good 60 min. I realize that the morning session was a piece of cake compared to what I was facing now. 'What else can I experience today?' I thought. The asana practice finished with working in threes doing bridge poses and other fun team asanas. And then came the special part. The meditation.
Everyone looked like we just showered with clothes. It was so intense. I survived that as well. I felt so light, refreshed, worked out and energized. If I only knew what's coming...
We sat down for meditation. We were about to sing on the sound 'HA' or 'A' on an exhale. All of us had to go with their own outbreath and sing until the breath is completely empty and then do a short inhale and exhale on a HA again. This created a wave in the room with different pitches, frequencies and tonalities. We had to do that for 15 minutes without stopping. There was moments when the wave was going down, slightly quiet and then up pretty loud. I found myself unsure and unconfident, even shy to start with the sound and then I just allowed the wave to lift me up and down and followed my inner rhythm that matched with the outer high vibrational one that my ears could hear. It was phenomenal moment of tuning your own body, mind and spirit and vibration - finding your center and singing from there. After the 15 minutes singing we had to go in silence in Shavasana.
And for the grand finale James delivered a very special meditation. Once he asked us to sit back we had to imagine that there is a person in front of us who we trust and love. In my imagination this was my father with his big smile and happy face. Then James invited us to imagine a chain that we opposed to our heart at a time in our life and this person had to brake it and take it away from us. I remember that the chain got broken but I resisted it to be taken from me. Even though I gave it at the end. Then James continued to lead us on a inner journey of emotional release. This is where the magic unfolded for me. I went on a journey back in time to the age of 5 years old when I had to become a key holder, responsible for my own safety, helping home and be the grown up sister. Everything inside of me rotated out of a sudden - the whole consciousness shifted and somehow I saw myself on the side seeing all my life, each action, decision and the current life situation. I saw how this 5 years old girl is in control today. How she is stealing everyone's responsibility and over caring for them - the kids, the husband, the friends. How she carry all of that on her back and how heavy it is. How she is stealing from the growth of her kids and taking the role of her husband and trying to find the ground beneath herself but struggles and feels overwhelmed and wrestles and helpless. Radka who was observing and sitting on the side realized that responsibility is great, care as well but not when it is unlimited. Everything has to have boundaries so growth and peace can appear in the entire family dynamics. And only Radka can put her own boundaries through allowing this to happen. She has to withdraw, give and create space for others to take their responsibilities. To build themselves and their boundaries. Radka realized that the tantrums her child was going into were not due to the diagnosis Autism and they were due to the disturbed energies and the emotions that were evolving from these energies. Radka's heart started crying. Tears were falling from her eyes that were coming from the heart. It felt like a muddy heavy river for a start. And as James kept talking and leading us on the journey Radka became a rock. A strong rock. A grounded and heavy. Centered and the water that was coming from the center of that rock out of a sudden become lighter and clear, and it felt that the rock had a spring in the center and it cleared all of the muck and the heaviness. It was like a fresh spring water that seems to come from a center of a rock , but actually comes deep from the ground and go through the rock to spring from it.
The Decision
At that moment of stillness, alignment and flowing with pure inner spring, Radka somehow had a glimpse in the future and saw clearly her path. There and then she decided that from that day on she will follow the path of yoga, does not matter what. She will embark on that journey of self discovery. Straight after the session Radka went to speak with James and asked him how she can become yoga teacher taught by him. He explained her that she needs to practice for at least an year and then go on one of his 200 h YTT. Radka took James cards and left asking the Universe the year to be shortened and she to be taught by James sooner. Radka joined her local Ebru Evrim Studio at that time but it was not the same. Two months later The Great Pandemic hit the Globe and Radka's wish became true. James started teaching newbies like Radka online. She took his pranayama course for a start that deepen her experiences and then they started with Hatha basic yoga with a lot of stretches, yoga chakras and others. She was going to qualify under him for the 200 h YTT, but the new Radka promised herself back then to change. So she had to change the habits for her and her family and to establish a new set. As the program that James offered as time did not fit Radka's new strategy she found by pure accident Kashish yoga through an Instagram post. James and Radka paths split but only for a fraction of time. She is forever grateful that he came that day and that she did not give up because of the train accident.
Reflection
Dear Reader, I know that the text is a bit chaotic and written as from a non native English speaker. It is so and this is my real tone. This is my space and I am going to express myself as I am. I sincerely hope that you are going to take the best of the story that you can at the time of reading. I invite you to reflect deeper now through the following questions:
How do you deal with challenges? Do you face them? Do you jump over them? Or you turn back into safety? Can you recall a challenging situation you have overcome in your life? How did you felt after that? What are you facing at the moment as a challenge that is preventing you from growth?
Have you ever met a part of you that was serving you for years and at the same time it was bringing you heaviness? Have you ever explored your inner world? What technique have you used? What was the experience? Would you like to deepen that inner journey? When, Yes, I will be happy to be considered as your journey guide. :-)) Send me an email when you are ready.
Have you ever observed the process of making decisions? What they are based upon - an inner calling, a habit or an external circumstances/pressure? How is that impacting your life on the long term?
Did you saw the being in the pictures in the mountains? The pictures are not edited in any way. They were taken on the 1st of January 2022 in Bulgaria over Hvoyna village, Smoliansko. Do you believe in higher powers and protectors? Do you believe in the invisible side? In the Universe and its support?
This blog post was written on the 8th of November, 2025. This is the day of the Archangel Michael in Bulgaria.
Gratitude
I want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to all the yoga teachers and places that crossed my path and helped me evolve as a being. The links below are not affiliated in any way with my business or me, neither I do earn a commission. It is purely mention so the flow of Yoga can move forward to the generations to come. Explore the schools and the places and find the one that is the best match for you.
Heather Yoga studio for hosting events and teachers from around the world and spreading the yoga love. This is where I met James French. - https://www.heatheryoga.co.uk/
James's yoga school - 'Path Of Yoga' - https://www.pathofyoga.com/
Kashish Yoga school - my main spring - https://kashishyoga.com/
Yogamu (their meditation TT courses are exceptional. It is mediation with incorporation of NLP and coaching.) - https://yogamu.org/
Nitin Chotwani is the founder of Bhakti Yogshala. I met him as part of Kashish school for first time and he was collaborator for Yogamu for some time as well. This is one of my favourite teachers when it comes to yoga asana clinic and the way the flow is structured. - https://bhaktiyogshala.com/
Tratak Yoga school offers regular short online courses and in person retreats and YTT. I enjoyed their Ayurveda course - https://tratakyoga.com/
Midalam Achuthan and Darshini Prajapati were another two Kashishian great teachers of mine. Achu inspired me to go deeper into meditation and Darshini sparked my love for steady and slow yoga flow. Their school is - https://littleworldofyoga.com/
Meet Guru Jagjeet Signh Ji. When I think of yoga philosophy in depth presented in its simplest form and easiness to be understood from a child, Jaggi Ji comes to mind. He and his brother Vishnu Ji (Shiva Satori Yoga) were my Tantra teachers as part of Kashish school. Here is Jaggi Ji school - https://rishiniketan.com/
Yogi Siddharth Banerjee was another Kashishian teacher. I connect him in my mind with Ayurveda. This is one of the most creative and high vibe teachers. He is integrating Astrology and Ayurveda into yoga. When you think of him, think of Astro Yoga. Here is his school - https://www.yogisiddharthbanerjee.com/
My private one on one personal yoga teacher Rohit Bajaj. Great in Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Hatha - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010748507760
Mudra Ji, a teacher that inspires me, supports me and is one of the greatest dedicated yoga teachers here on Earth. When I think of her I think of the entire Universe complete and explained in the simplest and most profound manner to the smallest detail with great precision. It is a mere example of perfectionisms through being. Mudra is yoga philosophy teacher, A&P teacher (I have never met anyone else in the world until now who knows, understands and explains/teaches the body and its mechanics in the simplest and profound way as her.), breathwork teacher and mantra chanting teacher. She and Jaggi Ji have the ability to explain the Yoga Sutras in a very easy and profound way. Mudra has love for Pilates as well as she is very keen on the human well-being and postural alignment. I am her student for the last two years and I have been on a deep dive for the Chakras looked through Shaivism, Mechanics of Breathwork and how the human anatomy and spirituality intertwine. Mudra does not have a website. She works with small groups of students online. Most of her students if not all are Yoga and Pilates teachers. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook - https://www.instagram.com/mudra02/
There are many more teachers who crossed my path and from whose spring I drank knowledge and skills since I started my yoga journey in 2011 after the birth of my first child. My very first ever yoga teacher was Kris McIntyre. An Australian Yogi lover. I still have her DVD, book and train on her Unity mat. You can find more about Kris here - https://www.krismcintyre.com/
Other teacher I met as part of https://www.onecommune.com/ membership after graduating as YTT in 2020 were Schuyler Grant & Scott Schwenk. I dig into the breathwork world with https://alchemyofbreath.com/
The youngest most advanced teacher of the Kashishian family and real inspiration, Parth - https://www.instagram.com/perfect_yogi/
Pawan Kumar Maheshwari, one of the Kashishian family Tantra teachers. You can find him on -https://www.facebook.com/TantricsoulPawan and https://www.instagram.com/pawankumar.maheshwari/
Muppy Yoga - amazing in research and simplifying asanas. Josh from Canada - Yin yoga and business building. Menakshi Ji - the best aerial yoga teacher. Satya Ji, a great meditation and philosophy teacher. The Kundalini teacher (I forgot his name. He is usually on Instagram but I cannot find him today.) - I cannot find the links for these amazing teachers and their offerings. I really wanted to add them to the list.
During my second pregnancy in 2012 - 2013 I used to go to in person yoga to the Utopia, based in Broughton Hall Estate, near Skipton. I think the teacher was called Corrine (I am not very good with remembering names and directions). I do not know if she still practice in Broughton but today Broughton Hall is an sanctuary for well-being and holds regular events with local and international yoga teacher, doctors, holistic therapists and shamans. You can find more about them on https://www.avalonwellbeing.com/ and https://broughtonsanctuary.co.uk/
Radka's meditation journey starts thanks to John Asaraf (more about him in a later blog article) brain retraining audio in 2010 - 2011. It followed with reading a book in 2011 called 'The Meditation Pack' by Eddie and Debbie Shapiro. Radka interest and practice in meditation deepen during the Pandemic in 2021 when she joined https://www.soulhub.com/ where she engaged in daily meditations. She met there the Zen Master Richard Lhaight - https://richardlhaight.com/ with whom she practiced 15 min each day TEM (total embodiment method) live via Zoom.
Ebru Evrim runs a local Yoga and Pilates business that started in the Yorkshire Dales, passed through Skipton and is now settled in Harrogate. Here is her website - https://www.ebruevrim.com/
And last but not least, the ex Ebru Evrim studio in Skipton that became my local base, called Polyworks studio run by Ebru's ex husband Jonathan. Feel welcome to visit us and taste the love of yoga - https://www.polyworks.fit/
There are a few others that I have not mentioned. The list is extensive. I am taking a moment here and now to express my gratitude to all of these teachers including myself for following their inner call, learning, exploring and passing the knowledge forward. I am grateful to the one who came before us and walked the Yoga Path. I am grateful for all of the one who are about to embark on the yoga journey. Thank you!
