Hello friends!
You may get to live in a great city, stay at a swanky mansion, or drive a luxury car. But the truth is, preceding these, you live, stay, and travel in your BODY, just the one you’ve got.
Dare I say, there is one other thing you live in, prior to your body: your MIND!
So, you get yourself a healthy body and a balanced mind; there is no better place to be in.
My name is Mani, and I help people live healthier & happier!
Your time buys money and your money can get your time back…
I have a love for pizza, and I struggle with resisting sweets. I know, I don’t exactly seem like a poster child for healthy living, but hear me out. While I’ve made significant efforts to improve my self-control and dietary habits, I still enjoy indulging in a night of chilled beer with fries and burgers while watching a game on TV.
I am not one to abstain from these completely, and the idea of it just didn’t feel right. I took comfort in a word that came to mean so much in my life and drove all the changes I have now – MODERATION
Moderation is key in everything. It’s highly likely you’d catch me scrolling through the Zara app on my phone during a lazy afternoon, often indulging in a few lavish styles. However, indulgences like this never got out of hand because I would always set money aside to invest first. Looking back, I never imagined that these early investments would almost finance a new career today.
Money bought me my time back! I quit my corporate career of 13 years, seemingly overnight.
An end can make way for ‘New’
When I did, I did not flinch or second-guess, even though I was letting go of a career that steadily brought home money month after month. It was immensely difficult to halt a career that’s thriving, one I’ve built over a decade, climbing up the ranks and which can further enrich me by at least a couple of million dollars in another decade.
When I left I was finally heading my department; no more working under someone, taking the shield they offer or putting up with their insecurities. I was on my own, I was answerable – the buck stopped with me. But I had no complaints.
It was rewarding both psychologically and financially. However, leaving just as I reached the peak prompted many well-wishers and friends to raise an eyebrow and offer suggestions, all with good intentions of course.
Just the thought of starting over at this age, learning everything anew, was daunting in itself. But, today, I am in the space of health. I train, I teach, I help, I learn and I study and I interact and I push and I fail and I smile – I have found my path; I’m Home!
Passion – you don’t have to search for it; let it bloom!
As a kid, at one point, I was teased for being bulky and huge. They compared me to a popular character from a movie who would typically be a henchman. Thankfully, I don’t think I was negatively affected. However, the seed of wanting to be in shape and fit was slowly taking root in my mind.
This little throwback is crucial because, like most kids, the system did slowly and surely nudge me onto a path of established success – that of an undergraduate, postgraduate, and eventually, the corporate world. Nevertheless, I felt a growing fervor for health, deeply ingrained in my being.
I remember once attending Kung Fu classes with a friend. At the end of one intense class, the senior teacher, the master, walked in. From his appearance, we could see that he had endured years of hard training – the worn-out finger tips, the blunt and bruised knuckles, the contrasting drooping cheeks against his otherwise muscular body, and his casual yet composed gait.
He introduced himself to us as we were new faces there, declaring that he had been trained at the Shaolin Temple itself. I still remember the look on my friend’s face, and I suppose my expression mirrored his – not awe, not astonishment, but bewilderment. We both knew what the other was thinking – are we worth it? A Shaolin Temple trained master? A Sadashiv nagar trained master would be too much for newbies like us. I am sure you can tell that we didn’t last long.
A little while later, I joined kickboxing classes and did well until I quit when I was used as a punching bag for a kid student. It wasn’t an ego issue, it was a pain issue.
I feel that passion is not always conspicuous; it’s not absolute and it’s not perfect. It’s a sum total of the things you do every now and then, the things you constantly gravitate toward. Sometimes, you feel you are in the ‘zone,’ while other times, you may feel terrible and frustrated. But regardless, returning to it is always easy.
For me, health is like that. The more I fail, the more I am drawn toward it, and the more I engage in it, the more I realize it’s a continuous journey – a journey I want to be on.
Being a bit rational allows you to chase what your heart wants!
One important thing I told myself was that this passion of mine is going to be complementary to my day time job and not come in the way. In fact, I wanted my day time job to run my life and my passion to fuel my soul. Being passionate about something doesn’t mean you are dispassionate towards all other things, especially the work that brings money to you.
I started my job at 6 lakhs pa; I worked smart and hard to make it grow by more than 10x. In all of this, I did not let my work hurt my passion or the other way around.
I didn’t just invest my money but I also invested in myself and kept upgrading my skill set. I got better with my personal health and became a yoga teacher when I still had my day job. I learnt nutrition, western science on fitness and workouts. Took classes and attended some workshops as side hustles when I still worked 9 to 5 or, more like 9 to 8. I was already playing in the field of health before I quit the other, that the transition looked so seamless and courageous of me.
A little faith does create magic!
Today, I teach Yoga, am a trained Animal Flow instructor, and a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. For me, the answer to my clients’ health needs and desires is not just one solution, but whatever it takes to help them reach there!
When I was doing my Teacher’s program of yoga, I was told to have an open mind. I listened, read and learned with an open mind and trust me, some things work better when you have a little faith. At the age of 37, a college kid thought of me as his peer and curiously asked if I was going to do yoga teaching after college. I admit, it felt great. The vanity of this is not lost on me, but I am elated because it was a validation of all the experiments I have been doing with myself. It works!
My special thanks to my wife, my son, my friends & family, who have been big pillars of strength to me.
