For Swapna Godshay, yoga has never been just a practice on the mat. It has been an inseparable part of her life, shaping her journey from childhood into adulthood and beyond. Today, as a dedicated yoga trainer and healer, she blends ancient wisdom with intuitive guidance to help her students achieve transformation of body, mind, and spirit.
Early Connection with Yoga
Swapna recalls her earliest memories of yoga as a six-year-old, imitating her mother’s asanas. During her school years, yoga was her favourite period, and as a teenager, she even joined summer Surya Namaskar classes. Although her practice was inconsistent, yoga never truly left her. Over time, she realised her thoughts and actions reflected yogic principles even when she was unaware of it.
The COVID-19 pandemic became a turning point. While the world struggled with isolation, Swapna turned inward, finding solace and clarity in yoga. This period of selfreflection awakened a calling in her — to spread the knowledge of mental and spiritual well-being she had cultivated. She soon enrolled at The Yoga Institute in Chorao, Goa, for a Yoga Teacher Training program, a decision she describes as the best of her life.
Transformation Through Yoga
For Swapna, yoga is more than a discipline. It engages the body, mind, and soul, teaching balance and awareness. Through this practice, she discovered the importance of including only what aligns with her soul’s purpose and letting go of what does not.
Her journey has also been enriched by her natural inclination toward meditation. Since childhood, she instinctively practiced meditation without guidance and often experienced astral travel, out-of-body experiences, precognitive dreams, and a connection with higher consciousness. She also embraced energy-based practices like Reiki and Akashic Records reading. Formal training in yoga refined her instincts, strengthening her practice with structured breathing and meditation techniques that expanded her horizons even further.
Specialising in Hatha Yoga
Swapna has specialised in Hatha Yoga, a foundational practice ideal for beginners and adaptable for all levels. With its slow pace, long-held postures, and focus on alignment, Hatha yoga emphasises strength, balance, and mindful breathing. As an instinctive trainer, she adapts her sessions in real time to match the needs of her students, using Hatha yoga’s flexibility to design classes that evolve moment by moment.
Awareness of Contraindications
While yoga brings immense benefits, Swapna stresses the importance of tailoring it to individual needs. She carefully considers students’ health conditions — whether it is high blood pressure, arthritis, or recovery from surgery — and modifies asanas to ensure safety and inclusivity in every class.
Teaching as Purpose and Joy
Teaching yoga, for Swapna, extends far beyond physical instruction. She sees it as guiding students toward transformation at their core, aligning them with life’s deeper purpose. The reward lies in witnessing their growth, whether helping beginners overcome fear or encouraging advanced practitioners to unlearn rigid habits.
Challenges, she notes, often stem from students rather than teaching itself. Some arrive with preconceptions or fears, but she patiently allows them time and space to evolve. Whether balancing beginners and intermediates in the same class or helping individuals break mental barriers, her approach remains compassionate and flexible.
Yoga as a Way of Living
For Swapna, yoga is not confined to the mat. It is a lifestyle rooted in discipline and awareness, just as ancient India once lived by yogic principles. She believes transformation begins with recognising the difference between fleeting desires and genuine needs. Inspired by Patanjali’s concept of Pratyahara, she practices conscious withdrawal from sensory distractions to focus inward, making mindful choices in food, thoughts, and relationships.
Teaching Philosophy: Vulnerability and Patience
At the heart of her teaching is vulnerability. Swapna believes being vulnerable connects individuals to their true selves, free from ego. She emphasises that lasting transformation is gradual, built through consistent, small steps rather than sudden drastic changes. For her, patience and discipline are the foundation of true progress.
Deep Connection with the Body
Years of practice have deepened Swapna’s intuitive connection with her body. She listens to its needs as if it were a separate voice guiding her. While she allows herself occasional indulgences, she quickly returns to balance, much like a rubber band that always retracts.
Her approach to food reflects this philosophy. She avoids rigid diets and instead treats food as medicine. Turmeric tea for a sore throat, ghee for joint health, and mindful intervals between meals reflect her trust in Ayurveda’s timeless wisdom. Remarkably, she has lived without medication for decades, relying on her body’s natural healing abilities.
Guiding Students with Practical Advice
Swapna often advises students who struggle with waking early to prepare the night before, align their subconscious with intention, and arrive with a fresh mind and body. She stresses that flexibility of the mind is more vital than flexibility of the body, urging students to stay present in the moment.
Personal Transformation and Dedication
Her own transformation required shifting from being a night owl during her Fine Art studies to rising early for yoga. Over time, consistency reshaped her lifestyle until it became effortless, a natural way of living. She reminds students to embrace setbacks as part of growth to fail, rise, and realign with their goals.
Personal and Group Training
Swapna finds personal training especially rewarding, as it allows her to address a client’s entire being from food habits to energy healing, childhood traumas, and even past lives through Akashic readings. For group classes, she thrives on collective energy, catering to diverse groups including seniors, children, prenatal participants, and professionals. Her adaptability ensures every student benefits fully, guided by the yogic principle of Ahimsa to cause no harm, even to oneself.
Yoga Beyond Results
Swapna emphasizes that yoga is not a weight loss program or a quick fix for anxiety. It is a holistic way of living, with results like toned bodies, glowing skin, and improved mental health being the natural byproducts. Unlike shortcuts that harm the body, yoga heals at the root, rejuvenating the body clock, enhancing prana flow, and raising subtle energy fields.
A Vision for the Future
Her vision extends beyond individual classes. She aspires to build communities of likeminded individuals, raising collective consciousness through yoga and soulful practices, ultimately contributing to humanity’s growth and planetary healing.
Roots and Aspirations
While Swapna dreams of teaching in places like Bali, Vietnam, Greece, Costa Rica, and South India, she feels deeply rooted in Goa. She describes her connection to the land as an unbreakable bond, like an umbilical cord, always drawing her back home.
A Favourite Pose with a Life Lesson
Her favourite pose, Chakrasana (the wheel pose), especially from a standing position, has been with her since childhood. For Swapna, mastering the fear of falling backward in this asana reflects a larger life lesson — the importance of faith, flexibility, and trust in the process.
Closing Thoughts
For Swapna Godshay, yoga is not just a practice but a calling, a lifestyle, and a mission to awaken others. Through discipline, vulnerability, and deep awareness, she embodies the essence of yoga while guiding her students toward transformation that lasts a lifetime.
For appointments or inquiries, reach out to @beingwithswapna
