Sringeri Week: Blessings From My Guru

As you guys know, my husband and I have been trying to have a baby for the last couple of years and we’ve discovered some medical issues that are making it challenging. To update you on that situation, I have been diagnosed with two things: 1) PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which leads to irregular cycles and 2) under active thyroid.

I started medication for the thyroid in October. It turns out that my sudden weight gain over the last few years was due to my thyroid stopping working correctly. It meant that no matter how much I dieted or exercised, my body would continue to gain weight (where it got the material to put into fat when I was barely eating I have no idea! Just goes to show how important hormones within the body are for these things!) I got to 173 pounds (my normal being 125) before I found out there was a medical reason why I was gaining weight and couldn’t lose it.

The PCOS symptoms can get under control if you maintain a healthy weight. I have two friends with PCOS who conceived their children naturally. Both knew they had PCOS from when they were teenagers so they were already managing it.

That means for me that now that I’m on medication for the thyroid I can exercise and diet to lose the weight I gained and when I get back to a normal weight the symptoms of PCOS should ease and hopefully that will allow me to conceive.

So my focus right now is on losing the weight. I’m down 12 pounds so far, though it still isn’t easy and I’m fighting for every one of those pounds!

What does all this have to do with my trip to Sringeri?

When going to see your guru for darshan it is quite normal to ask for help and for blessings. One day when we were discussing things with one of our Sringeri guides I asked if he could help me request a blessing to have a baby. He said yes that he would ask the guru on my behalf the next morning at darshan.

I felt so elated. It was like my time is finally here. I started feeling more and more excited all evening and into the next morning. My dad and I got into line and stood in front of His Holiness. Our guide explained my story and the guru raised his hand and said, “I bless you.”

I was overwhelmed with gratitude. This was exactly the final piece I needed. Now I just have to be open and ready for that blessing to do its work whatever that might look like.