YOGI OF THE MONTH: Kavipriya Arundavaraja
WHERE YOU GREW UP: A lot of places – I was born in Sri Lanka and grew up for the most part in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney). But I also lived in the Maldives, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO NYC? I first moved here in 2005 – but I moved back to Sydney for a couple of years in between.
OCCUPATION: At the moment nothing besides becoming a yogini. I have a few ideas on what I want to do in the future.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING YOGA? I was practicing regularly for a couple of years before moving to NYC. Then I stopped and
started again about 4 years ago but it was very non-committal.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COMING TO SONIC?
I started coming to Sonic exactly 1 year ago – this studio completely transformed my practice and my relationship to yoga. I’ve gone from approaching it as a primarily physical practice to it becoming a part of my life – its sustaining my life now.
MOST UNFORGETTABLE YOGA MEMORY?
Definitely signing up for my 300 hour TT. I was at a crossroad in my life and there were a lot of personal factors directing me away from it. But I decided to take a leap of faith and my gut instinct told me this was an opportunity that would change my life in the direction I wanted it to go – and I felt if I didn’t go for it then I would probably never go in this direction at all. So despite all my setbacks I waited until the last hour on the last day and signed up for the 300 hr TT – full of fear and doubt but I took the step nonetheless!
LIFE LESSON LEARNED FROM YOGA? I grew up with a lot of instability my whole life so i’ve always struggled with a tendency to live life in a reactionary/ defensive mode. Yoga is teaching me that even if I don’t have control over my external circumstances my power lies in how I choose to perceive the situation and how I react to it. It’s teaching me the patience to see a situation with clarity – so instead of feeling like I’m always at the mercy of my circumstances I feel like I’m in control. Finding peace and bliss within the chaos.
FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Tricky – probably the only musician where i’ve memorized words to entire songs ( i have a terrible terrible memory).
FAVORITE MOVIE: Star Wars – episode 1. I’m not really a movie person but my brother took me to watch it and its always been my favorite since.
FAVORITE BOOK: The Outsider by Albert Camus – I’ve only read one book since leaving high school so I don’t read books anymore but back then this book really resonated with the way I see life and society.
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: Follow your own truth – I believe in being loyal to yourself first to your own truth before you can start extending it to others. My truth naturally changes as I grow and evolve as a person – but it doesn’t change with the circumstances – either to fit in or for acceptance or for ease. Both my parents taught me the importance of being sincere and genuine over being liked – my father’s the kind of person that would stand his ground and stand by what he believed in even if he was the only person standing in a room full of people. And I have seen him take a lot of losses in his life for not “blending in” but its never made him change his ways. Its the quality I admire the most in my father and its the quality I admire most in people so naturally I strive for it. Everything in life comes at a price – you cant have passion without principle. To me success in life isn’t
fame or fortune or popularity or being liked – its the ability to move through life without
compromising your own truth – living with integrity and sincerity.
FAVORITE SEASON: Summer of course !
FAVORITE ARTIST: I am obsessed with Rumi
FAVORITE NEW YORK MEMORY: Probably my very first night in New York – it was my first time alone without my family and I didn’t know anyone in the city (or country) so I had no-one to call when I got here. It was all very surreal – I couldn’t believe I was actually in New York. So once I checked in I wanted to see Times Square – one of the only things I knew about the city. So I asked the guy at the counter for directions and after he repeated it about 6 times I still had no idea what he said – he had a really thick NY accent. Finally, after asking about 50 different people I found my way there. But then I wasn’t sure exactly what Times Square was so I was walking around looking for an actual building or place called Times Square. It was all so new – I was so excited and nervous being on
my own.
FAVORITE PLACE IN MANHATTAN:
Union Square steps – that’s the place I always go to sit and people watch or just think. Any time I get lonely especially without my family here I always go there and it makes me feel better.
