First met Master Mani when I invited him to conduct a charity event in SJKT Pulau Carey, back in April 2011. It was early in the morning and together with his group of volunteers, they braced it through with us to travel deep inside the estates to teach the kids yoga.

That was the first time I’ve ever met a yoga Master personally, and through yoga has never attracted me; I was awestruck looking at how Master managed to calm the kids for the first minute, cheer the kids in the second minute and ‘bend’ them in the third minute.

I didn’t meet him again until exactly a year later. I personally wanted to learn yoga, after struggling for a couple of months at home without a ‘guru’. I contacted the ever graceful Saandhi and showed interest to enroll in International Yoga Instructor Course. I could not afford the full fees because I was saving up money to go on a volunteering mission, but instead of waving me away, they embraced me with open arms.

I learned the way to integrate asanas with breathing, Pranayama, cleansing techniques, meditation, mudras, and most importantly, I discovered myself. When I came in I just wanted to learn asanas the right way, now I’ve naturally changed my characteristics and have developed deep affection towards Master and the way he teaches. It also helped me look at yoga, not as a physical exercise, but much deeper than that.

I’m a fun loving guy and grew up in a crime infested notorious area, where we do unwanted things to get the attention of the masses. Master knew perfectly how to handle people like me in a class and taught me the value of life, which for me was above the asanas we learned. It puzzles me though how could someone like him that people give so much attention to remain rooted to the ground with so much humility and humbleness.

In short, IYIC taught me the perfect techniques to teach, learn and embrace Yoga. This invaluable lessons and experience can never be explained through words, and I thank my destiny that it has allowed me to meet the people in MAYI Yoga Academy and Master Mani.