My Story
Life’s mysteries and beautiful miracles have always beckoned me throughout my life and I have joyously heeded their calls. My first meditation experience was when I was around 8 years old, it felt like I was coming home. As early as fourteen years, I felt drawn to understand people and the world around me at a deeper, and meaningful level. Thus, Psychology became my calling long before I studied it formally and lived it deeply. Today, its various manifestations have become inextricably interwoven into my very core, in the way of being.
The Wonder Years
Nature has been my most wonderful teacher and I have always been her delightful child. During my early school years, I often lost myself in the natural world around me, in the swish of the trees and the symphony of the birds. Those experiences paved the path for my current deep interest in Mindfulness, which celebrates the “Joy of Being”.
At St. Xavier’s, my mentors made psychology come alive using an experiential teaching style which deeply resonated with me. Many of those lessons remain deeply embedded in my psyche and heart and formed the bedrock for my own integrative approaches today.
The Path To Helping And Healing
I always knew that I wanted to be of service to people and a higher calling, a resolution which strengthened during my time at St. Xavier’s. To be effective, I knew I’d have to work on myself first. This wise decision, one of my most educative experiences, opened the School of Life in a way I had never experienced before. I recognized that trials, tribulations, and adversity paved the way for my greatest emotional growth. What initially appeared to be my greatest difficulties were, I realized in retrospect, my greatest gifts. The process helped me cultivate an enormous amount of empathy for the struggles many of us face. My self-reliance and inner resilience grew enormously during this period.
The self-reflection journey on which I embarked on progressively and organically guided me to pursue post-graduate studies at Sampurna Montfort College where I received my M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology and discovered the power as well as the potential of psycho-spiritual growth. I was drawn to the harmonious and meaningful intersection of their three-tier approach – skills-based, personal growth and theoretical knowledge, reflected powerfully in their motto: Liberation with Enlightenment. There, I began learning about meditation, energy healing, holistic approaches, and transpersonal psychology, all of which opened up infinite possibilities in the area of psycho-spiritual growth. I left Montfort feeling infinitely grateful to my teachers and gurus as I emerged from there not only with a degree, but also feeling spiritual, emotionally, intellectually and physically nourished. I vowed to keep learning, practising on myself and sharing what I had learned with many others.
Meditation, shown through recent scientific research has a whole host of benefits; it has been the greatest teacher of all. I believe that teachers or gurus introduce us to certain practices, but ultimately the practices, which help us unlock our inner depths and unique gifts, are the true teachers because they make us realize that instead of trying to become someone, we can focus on embracing who we are. Instead of chasing happiness and success through exterior circumstances, we can focus on the inner depths of our minds and hearts and truly feel a strong sense of well-being exactly as we are, right where we are. First, we have to listen to who we are with loving attention and then accept ourselves unconditionally. Through that process, divisions end and a wholeness emerge. Suffering ends and healing takes place. Self-doubt effaces and authenticity emerges. Self-love and self-compassion remain important cornerstones in much of my work.
I welcome you with all my heart
As part of the vow I took in graduate school, which has captured beautifully through Hafiz’s poetic heart song, I hope to pass along the light I was fortunate enough to receive from my teachers to all of you, my dear friends, so that you may discover the pure gold that lies in the depths of your beings just as I have in mine. I welcome you with all of my heart. In turn, may your hearts ignite further and touch the hearts of others.
Training and Work Experience
Mindfulness
People come in for help only when things went wrong, this steered me to wonder what are the conditions and methods we could learn to help us be happy, peaceful and resilient even in the rough times of life? I found the answers in mindfulness. My keen interest in work in the preventive space led me to share mindfulness in any way that I could. I realized that I first had to cultivate my own practice which took me to several silent retreats and meetings with realized teachers. I am grateful for all the guidance and support I have received.
A take away from these was to teach from the presence, the heart, and my own practice. I then began by sharing mindfulness through written content and conducting workshops for Mindful Spring. The teaching and sharing journey has been very organic, I go when I am needed, invited or requested to share. The sessions are always experiential where I let the practices do the teachings. This has taken me to living rooms, communities, beaches, colleges, schools, mental health organizations, yoga studios and corporate houses (Link to Captured moments page).
In the past, I have imparted some specialized programs for couples and teenagers. I really enjoyed teaching a program across three months at Mithibai College, the scientific results showed a significant decrease in both trait and state anxiety in the students. A quality of calm has descended upon Akshansha School in Khar West, Mumbai ever since a friend and I have been introducing mindfulness to the teachers and children. When asked what is mindfulness the children began to share things we never taught them. One said, ‘this is the way to bring peace in the world’, another said it helped them cope with nervousness and during elocution. This work indeed has great promise in this day and age.
Formal Training's
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Mindfulness Training by Edusoil
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Level 1 and Level 2 Mindfulness Meditation by Sadia Saeed at Inner Space Therapy
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8 Week Mindfulness Meditation Course by Sadia Saeed at Mindful Spring
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Currently in a 3 year, 3 months and a 3-day course called Rigpa (sky like awareness) with Nithya Shanti.
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Meditation Techniques by Awakening run by Sheela Bajaj in Bangalore. 2005
Retreats
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Attended several silent Mindfulness retreats under the guidance of Venerable Sudhamacara’s
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Attended silent retreats at Bodhi Zendo under the guidance of Zen Master Fr. Ama Samy
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Attended Vipassana course under the guidance of S.N Goenka’s teachers
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Attended programs and a retreat under the guidance of Nithya Shanti
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Attended self-retreats at Jetsunma Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery
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Attended teachings with Dalai Lama, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, and several other wonderful teachers.
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Attended the 3-day Mindfulness Conference in Pune organized by Just Being
Couples and Family Therapy
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Love is indeed one of the greatest gifts of life, yet for some, it can mean a lot of heartache, pain, and turmoil. It does not have to be that way, there is a way to feel loved and happy in relationships. This strong belief led me to specialize in Couples and Family Therapy.
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I began my career in psychology working in the Family Counselling Center in Sampurna Montfort, Bangalore. Over the last few years, I have been consulting at Snehalaya run by the Roman Catholic Church. Besides, individual therapy we help couples who are on the verge of a breakup and help them restore their marriage. I also provide help to families who are ridden with conflict and don’t know a way out.
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People often ask me why I chose to do this form of therapy which is known to be the most challenging. My answer to that lies in this beautiful quote by George Bernard, ‘A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
Training :
Individual Counselling
One on one counselling has been the cornerstone of my work, providing services for those in need of guidance and therapy. In a time of crises, it can be very useful. I also believe that counselling can help one grow even if there is no problem. I draw from various therapeutic approaches as I recognize that healing takes place holistically. My integrative approach is mainly influenced by mindfulness-based methods, awareness-based meditative techniques, Integral Somatic Psychotherapy, and Positive Psychology.
Some of the key individual areas I work with are trying to find meaning and purpose, recovering from a relationship break-up, low self-worth, anxiety, and depression, work-related difficulties, relationship difficulties, wellness, and lifestyle-related concerns, learning meditation, healing from trauma, high tension, and stress, life transitions, desire to grow.
Training
Teaching
I began my career as a Professor at Sampurna Montfort College. I taught, trained, and supervised Masters’ students. My biggest take away from my years at Montfort as the faculty was that human beings have a great potential to help themselves heal. We go through highs and lows searching for answers and the truth. We just need a little help to journey to our own centre. Over the last three years, I occasionally teach at St. Pius Seminary College, training the Jesuit Priests in Psychology, Mindfulness and Counselling Skills. It brings me immense joy to teach those who are beacons of hope and light in the world.
Corporate Work
After working in the academic field, I was yearning to be with people in different settings. This led me to work at The Fuller Life which believed in the motto ‘One Life. Do More.’ We brought fun, games, and recreation to the corporate spaces of several giants like Accenture, Intel, Deutsche Bank, etc. Fun and games can be a great way to relax, rejuvenate. Also, I discovered that teaching through fun, games, and humour sometimes penetrates more deeply and gets the message across more effectively.
Throughout my life, I have worked with groups be it group therapy, group travel, group games or workshops. As a Counselling Psychologist, I have conducted several workshops from Stress Management, Communication, Self-Care, Building Teams, Mental Health, Mindfulness, and Conflict Resolution.
I have also worked with Human Dynamic a global provider for Integrated People Management Solution to build a joyful, healthy, & productive workforce. I am still affiliated with them and provide workshops and mindfulness training. Some of the organizations we have done work for are Dow Chemicals, Nomura, Morgan & Stanley, Macquarie, Mercedes, Credit Suisse, Allergan, Society General, and several others.
Travel Experience
Happy to explore the joy of travel and the fun side of human nature I spent six years in travel for business working with Cox and Kings, taking groups of people on holiday to mainly Europe. I also lead groups to other destinations like South Africa, South East Asia, Turkey. It is often joked upon that I know the in and out of Paris better than Mumbai.
Here, I discovered that travel is a beautiful therapy if not used merely as an escape. Being in nature, interacting with different cultures and getting out of the little worlds we create can broaden perspectives of life and can be very inspiring.
I always wished to marry my love for travel with psychology and spirituality and voila Simply Breathe was born. I am one of the co-creators of Simply Breathe. Here, I offer nature experiences that have really shaped who I am. We take groups on holidays to practice yoga, scuba dive, snorkel and enjoy meditation. All in all, each person, each organization these days are wishing to pause, smell the roses and awaken to the beauty of life.