FROM YOGA TO SALVATION
How I Discovered the Truth That Set Me Free
For many years, I was on a deep search for healing, peace, and purpose. I didn’t grow up with faith or religion, but something in me always knew that God was real. Even as a young girl, I remember writing in my journal, “I want to know God. I want to know the truth. I want to know why I’m here.”
That longing never left me.
Years later, after the pain of a divorce and the heartbreak of a broken family, I was desperate for healing. I needed support, clarity, and hope. I walked into a yoga studio in San Francisco, and it felt like I had found a place where transformation and healing were possible. The atmosphere was peaceful, and the teachings seemed spiritual. Over time, I became a certified yoga teacher, began leading classes, and eventually opened my own healing studio to help others move through trauma and emotional pain — just like I had.
I truly believed I was on the right path. For 14 years, I taught people how to breathe, move, and center themselves — to find peace, calm, and connection. But even with all those tools, something was still missing.
Then came the pandemic. Like many others, I felt shaken. The world was full of fear and uncertainty. I wanted something different for my daughter and me, so we packed our bags and moved from California to a tiny beach town in Costa Rica called Ojochal.
One quiet morning, after dropping my daughter off at school, I came home and sat outside to eat breakfast near the little stream that ran behind our house. It was just a normal day… until it wasn’t.
I walked into my bedroom to start the day and suddenly, without warning, I encountered the presence of God. I didn’t see Him with my eyes, but I knew — without a doubt — that I was standing in the presence of something far greater, far more powerful, and far more real than anything I had ever known.
It was Jesus.
I dropped to my knees. Tears poured from my eyes — not from sadness, but from pure love, peace, and something I had never felt before: truth. I didn’t grow up in church, and I wasn’t looking for religion. In fact, the very first thing I said was, “Lord, I don’t want religion.”
And what I heard back was this: “That’s okay. I’m not religion. I just want a relationship with you.”
That moment changed everything.
Since that day — March 17, 2022 — my life has never been the same. Slowly, the things I once believed unraveled. My old worldview, spiritual practices, and identity began to fall away, not through pressure or fear, but through a deep, undeniable revelation of truth. Jesus wasn’t just a historical figure or spiritual teacher. He was, and is, the Son of God. He sets souls free! — and He was calling me to follow Him.
I discovered what Scripture says in John 8:32:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Yoga wasn’t just something I did — it was who I believed I was. I even took on a new name, given to me by the spiritual community: Dev Avtar. I had fully embraced that way of life.
But when I encountered the real and living presence of Jesus, everything changed. Not because I was forced to believe something, but because truth revealed itself in such a loving and powerful way that I could not ignore it.
I now walk with Him daily. I’m learning, growing, and continuing to heal from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit. The things that used to bind me no longer have power over me. And the love I once tried to find in so many other places and people — I’ve found in Him.
If you're curious, I invite you to ask Him yourself. Just speak to Him. He hears you. You don’t have to perform or be perfect. You only need to be honest.
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Start with this:
"Jesus, if You are real, please show me. I'm open."
That’s how my story began — and it changed everything.
And it could change everything for you, too.
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What if the peace you’ve been longing for isn’t found in a practice or philosophy, but in a person — one who died to give you life abundantly, who knows everything about your past and still wants you?
