By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
“ …my parents were not happy about it because they had a dream to see me live life like any other child with good health conditions,” Mai revealed to The Alkamba Times about her condition at the beginning of her life, which led her to discover a rare talent.
At a very tender age, Mai Kujabi, now 24, was diagnosed with a disease that causes inflammation in the joints. However, through self-belief and determination, the young lady has transformed herself from being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease, in childhood to overcoming the severe joint pain through flexible exercise—yoga, a craft she now becomes the Gambia’s first instructor in.
Pain, self-love, strength, and talent were the driving forces of Mai’s transformation when the hope of her living the life she currently enjoys was a mere dream.
Mai discovered yoga as an exercise that could alleviate her pain and anxiety when she was suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis disease, a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints.
“ I was not happy with the pain I was experiencing at that young age, and my parents were not happy about it because they have a dream to see me live life like any other child with good health conditions,” Mai told The Alkamba Times.
When she discovered the disease, she inhaled a contagious belief and courage not to give up on herself. She pushed herself to multiple activities in her fight against the disease that could have caused a bitter life marred with severe joint pains.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes joint damage and pain and can influence other organ systems like the lungs, heart, and brain. Knowing her condition and her insatiable desire to live a normal life, Mai got herself involved in yoga exercises.
“During my days of pain, I struggled a lot to overcome my fear of letting the pain get out of my control, so I tapped into research to find out how, why, and what to do to overcome the discomfort of my joint pain. This rolled off my journey to yoga,” she revealed to TAT.
Impacts of Yoga On Her Fight Against Rheumatoid Arthritis
Yoga is an exercise that mainly consists of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation, lying down, or meditation.
This exercise is a key factor that aided Miss Kujabi in her battle against a disease that crippled the prospect of many young kids in the country.
“ Yoga gave me the courage to fight for what I wanted. I used my yoga skills to defeat and get over my pain. Whenever I exercise, by flexing my muscles and joints, the level of pain drops, and now I have defeated the era of joint pains,” Mai explained.
According to her, yoga has contributed a lot to her life, including building her self-esteem and discovering a hidden talent that she would not have discovered if not for what she was diagnosed with.
A Project to Help Those Suffering from Joint Pains
As a certified nurse and now an adept yoga instructor, Mai began advocacy, calling on those suffering from joint pains and similar conditions she suffered to embrace yoga as a way to fight the pains.
To make this work in an organized manner, she established and registered a club this year and became The Gambia’s first-ever owner of a yoga fitness club. She desires young people to use yoga to alleviate pain and an avenue to discover talent through physical and creative activity.
“My ultimate desire is to raise awareness about yoga and how it can improve our wellbeing. We want to advocate for good and healthy practices in the lives of people across the country”, she told TAT.
Currently, Mai and her team are working on helping football clubs in the country to do yoga with them because it is valuable to their exercises as athletes.
In addition to her talent and dedication to advancing yoga and raising awareness about it, Mai is a dedicated nurse, certified international chef, and skilled tailor.
Mai’s journey from being a child whose journey to live the life she enjoys was bleak to becoming the first Gambian yoga instructor and club owner outlines her indomitable determination to create a bright path in her darkest years growing up.
