In late 2015, Deepa went for a casual swim and felt her arms seize up. What began as a single point of pain quickly spiraled into a debilitating condition that would soon reshape her life.
At 28, Deepa found herself navigating overwhelming fatigue and pain that spread from her arms to her neck and eventually her entire upper body. What started as a diagnosis of tendinitis soon became a confusing widespread condition. Doctor after doctor kept prescribing physiotherapy and rest, but nothing helped. Within two months, she was forced to take a sabbatical from work, holding onto hope that the break would offer healing. It didn’t.
The struggle to find a solution
After months of dead ends she went to see a neurosurgeon. After a series of MRIs, blood tests and nerve conduction tests, the doctor found nothing in the reports, and gave the diagnosis: fibromyalgia – a chronic condition with no known cure, only ‘management’. Deepa was handed some medications and gentle exercises, and then she was discharged.
Deepa felt disheartened. Nothing she tried brought meaningful relief. Ayurvedic treatments, acupuncture, trigger point massage, physiotherapy, allopathic medication or even rest. The emotional toll began to mirror the physical. A vibrant young woman who had once worked full-time in charity and serving others, now struggled to get out of bed and needed others to support her.
A Glimmer of Hope
Six months into the condition her yoga teacher and founder of Yogic Wisdom, Kym, introduced her to Dr. N.C., a Yoga Therapist based in Chennai, and student of Desikachar. With little left to lose, Deepa agreed to meet him.
He gave her a personalized Yoga Therapy practice. Within just two days, something astonishing happened: the pain eased. The relief was small, but it was a tiny window in what had been 6 months of continuous pain. This motivated her to practice. Many days all she could do was lay on her mat in Shavasana. But she got on the mat almost every day.
She was given two practices. The morning practice was designed to generate energy, open up the Prana and release physical tension. The evening practice focused on calming the mind and quieting the nervous system. This was the idea that pain isn’t just a physical experience but deeply tied to emotional and mental states, and was reflected in the quality of the breath.
The Long Road to recovery
Even though she struggled with consistency, especially in the evenings, her body began to shift. Slowly, she reclaimed small parts of her life. Preparing her own meals. Shopping for groceries. Taking short car rides. And eventually, flights and long-distance travel.
It took years, but she re-entered the workforce in small steps, casual small projects at first, then part-time, and finally, almost a decade later, full-time again. Today, she channels her experience into her own Yoga Therapy work through Yogic Wisdom.
A Whole-Person Approach
One of the most profound discoveries Deepa made through Yoga Therapy was understanding that Fibromyalgia wasn’t just a physical condition. While it manifested in the body, it had its origins in the mind and deeper psyche.
Before the pain started, she had been under immense stress. Overworking, overgiving, and never feeling permission to rest. In Yoga’s framework, this relates to the Manomaya kosha, the mental-emotional sheath. As she began to work with relaxing the mind, her Prana (life force energy) started to flow more freely, bringing energy back into her system and reducing pain.
From Doing to Being
Deepa’s healing also touched a deeper layer: her identity and self-worth. Working with the Vijnanamaya kosha, the deeper psyche or personality sheath, she began to question old beliefs. Most notably, the idea that her value came from productivity and helping others.
Her work in nonprofit and community sectors had shaped her identity around service. When she fell ill and could no longer “contribute,” she felt hopeless. This internal collapse was perhaps the hardest part of her journey.
But Yoga Therapy invited a new truth: that her worth was intrinsic, not dependent on what she could do, but who she was. Her healing deepened as she made peace with receiving, with resting, and with being. This wasn’t easy. She had to learn to start making peace with many deeper parts of herself to get there.
A Final Reflection
Deepa still lives with fibromyalgia, with occasional flares, affected by her diet, rest, activity, stress and seasonal impacts. However she is able to live the life she wants.
If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or find yourself living with chronic fatigue, burnout, or stress-related illness, know that your story doesn’t end here. Yoga Therapy offers gentle, grounded tools to support you to manage symptoms, and slowly rebuild trust with your body, mind, and spirit. Reach out to us for support here.
