Living with a pacemaker: N Soman's journey of resilience and wellness

For fourteen years, N Soman of Sanju Sadanam, Manakkala Thuvayur North has been living with a pacemaker. Soman's heart beats—and yoga along with that heartbeat.

Soman's (74) health deteriorated due to severe diabetes during his professional career. In 1969, he started working as a mail nurse in the Indian Army and later became a lab technician in the army. His health did not allow him to continue working with diabetes. He was discharged from the Army with favours in rank.

The subsequent life was about overcoming crises through self-confidence. In 1987, he got a job in the Saudi Health Department. In 2009, he returned home and started his own lab, which he ran for 2 years. In the meantime, when diabetes put his heart at risk, a pacemaker was implanted. Later, he started practicing yoga for the health of his body and mind with his wife Shobhana as his trainer.

Now, he also engages in small-scale cultivation at home. His son Sanju is a youth leader at the United Nations, and his daughter-in-law Sonu U is an Assistant Professor in the UK.