✓ Lab results reviewed by Dr Gayathri Rajaraman, MD (Pathology), Reg. No. 148276, on 25 October 2026.
This is one person's experience, shared with their consent. Every body is different. It is not medical advice, so please keep working with your doctor, and never change or stop medication without them.
Abhishek's story at a glance
- Who: Abhishek Gupta, 42, sales manager from Bangalore, Karnataka
- Condition: pre-diabetes and high blood pressure, with an HbA1c of 6.1, BP of 150/100, excess weight and lethargy
- Program: Satvic Movement's 3-day juice fast workshop (March 2020), after finding the YouTube channel
- What he changed: 16-hour fasting, morning kriya and Surya Namaskars, sunbathing, ash gourd juice, fruit breakfasts, one grain meal, plus enemas and wet packs
- What he noticed: in his words, he lost 16 kg, and within 4 months his HbA1c read 5.5 and his BP 127/80; he later completed 108 Surya Namaskars
On 31st December 2019, I made a new year’s resolution to pay more attention to my body and shed a few kilos. By May 2020, I had lost 16 kgs and my sugar and blood pressure readings had improved, much more than I had dreamed of. Little did I know my new year’s resolution would ignite an inner revolution to help many others fulfil their new year’s health resolutions. Because what I had found was a new way of life.
“I was intimidated thinking about doing 12 Surya Namaskars at one point. 6 months later, I completed 108 Surya Namaskars on International Yoga Day. The more Satvic your lifestyle gets, the faster the word ‘limitation’ disappears from your vocabulary.”
Broken promises and new resolutions
It didn’t happen overnight. I had a demoralizing end to 2019 as I sat down to examine my blood reports with my wife Sonal. We joked about how breathless we would get anticipating an above average score in our college exams, and here we are hoping to fit into the ‘average’ range. But with an Hba1C reading of 6.1 and BP reading of 150/100, I was now officially a pre-diabetic and hypertension patient. Until it happens to you, you think these diseases only catch up to old and unhealthy people. I was only 42 when I found out and it felt like my body was asking me: “Why did you let me down? Why did you break your promise to protect me?” I had no answer, but I made a vow to my body: “I’m not going to wait for these diseases to get more destructive to protect you". Fortunately apart from excess weight and lethargy, I hadn’t experienced any severe symptoms of pre-diabetes and hypertension when I was diagnosed. So I felt I had some room to look at how my daily habits could support my health. My wife connected me to Swarna - a kind friend and adviser who inspired me to switch to intermittent fasting and make some dietary changes. Initially, I ignored it even though she was very persistent. She eventually connected me to Satvic Movement’s YouTube channel. I got a chance to binge watch a series of videos and understand our body’s power to heal naturally.
It was a relief to know how easy the solution was to implement. And it was a bigger relief to know that the changes I needed to make were simple ones I could do at home. I just had to let my body work the way Mother Nature designed it. I just had to do away with the bad habits that were holding her back from unleashing her full healing power.
How I got my own way
It has been 4 months since I started following the Satvic Lifestyle and the changes have meant a lot to me. After the first few days of understanding the difference between psychological hunger and biological hunger, transitioning to this plan became a lot easier. I signed up for the final juice fast held in March 2020. One of the blessings of the pandemic is that me and my wife now had a lot more time on our hands to commit to this knowledge. So after the 3-day juice fast, where I lost over 2 kgs, I was convinced I could do a lot more than fulfil my new year’s resolution. (The Satvic team's note: juice fasting, enemas and wet packs are not for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children under 14 or anyone severely underweight.) At first I looked at the whole 5-step plan and wondered if I'd be able to fit them all into my schedule. So I felt a little intimidated, but I decided to take it one step at a time and see how my body responds. I started my day physically, mentally, and spiritually grounding through my morning kriya and 21 Surya Namaskars. My tribute to Surya Deva continued with a little bit of sunbathing. It made me feel so refreshed and energized that I felt like I had breakfast and bath at the same time. Then I would have a glass of ash gourd juice at 8 am, followed by a light seasonal fruit breakfast. Initially, my tummy rumbled in protest a little during the gap between my morning juice and fruit breakfast. But I got used to the renewed energy levels that they gave me within a few days. By 12- 12:30 pm, my wife would prepare a variety of soup and salad options inspired from the Satvic Food Book. And she would surprise me with a colourful combo of different Satvic roti and sabzis for my final grain meal at 3-3:30 pm every day. Well, she also surprised me with some delicious brownies or cupcakes occasionally since she's a gifted home baker. But she always gave them a Satvic touch by using jaggery, dates, and natural ingredients. And since the Satvic lifestyle was about conscious moderation over absolute denial, we never felt like we were bound or deprived in our healing journey. I learnt that you can make your favourite foods healthier without compromising on taste. And my new test reports couldn't agree more. Within 2 months, I had lost 10 kilos of weight. And within 4 months, my readings were in a much healthier range. My HbA1c went down from 6.1 to 5.5 and my blood pressure from 150/100 to 127/80.
Abhishek ji starting his day with yoga after following the Satvic lifestyle (October 2020)
Breaking your limitation to become an invitation
When people ask me how I went from leaning on the wall panting after 12 Surya Namaskars to completing 108 Surya Namaskars on International Yoga Day, I smile and look at it as an opportunity – an opportunity to share the power of this beautiful lifestyle and connect them to the right teachers.
Abhishek & Sonal (Abhishek's wife) with Subah & Harsh at Satvic Community meet (January 2021)
I realized that only by breaking your own limitation can your life become an invitation to transform someone else. I’m always so overjoyed when I see how effortlessly the magic catches on when I focus on becoming a living example instead of pressurizing people to follow the lifestyle. I look forward to deepening the roots of our Satvic community in Bangalore because I realized how valuable nurturing a supportive environment was to nurture healthy habits. My wife’s support really helped me on my journey, but not everyone is privileged to find it around them and go off-track.Now I’m based in Bangalore, but I was born in Vrindavan (Krishna’s childhood home). So I guess a subconscious longing of turning my community into Vrindavan by serving them was always in my heart. My diagnosis was a wake-up call that led me to my true calling.
Par hum duniya ko Vrindavan nahin banaa sakte jab tak humaara shareer Kurukshetra hai.
(We can’t turn the world into God’s abode until our own body is a battlefield)
Every journey is different. If you are on medication or have a medical condition, make any changes together with your doctor. If this story speaks to you, our workshops are a good place to start learning the Satvic lifestyle.
