Nirmala Srivastava founded Sahaja Yoga in 1970. During meditation, seekers experience self-realization. Sahaja is a Sanskrit term consisting of ‘Saha’ is ‘with’ and ‘ja’ is ‘born’. In the Buddhist dictionary, it is ‘innate, denoting the natural presence of enlightenment or purity’.

Dr. Girish Gupta, a management consultant, and practitioner of Sahaja Yoga Meditation talks about its advantages.

Girish, it is a pleasure to have you here. Please tell my global audience a little about you?

I am a management consultant, advising companies on the best ways to manage and operate their business, which includes business strategy, operational techniques, marketing, branding, and skills like time management. I help companies become efficient, increase synergies and increase their footprint by attracting new business.

What did you do for your Ph.D. thesis?

I did my Ph.D. in Marketing Management.  The thesis was – Study on the Industrial Product Marketing Strategy of selected companies in India.

Explain your yoga style and how it is linked to your faith.

I practice Sahaja Yoga Meditation. It is Self-Realization or Actualization. Sahaja Yoga is given by our Divine Mother, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi who is the founder of Sahaja Yoga. It is practiced in more than 180 countries across the world. For more details, one can visit www.sahajayoga.org. As far as faith, you can see various miracles in your day-to-day life. You also have peace from within.

Is there any special God you worship?

After practicing Sahaja Yoga, you get the knowledge that all Gods are one and equal. They all lead you to take only one path. The path is the truth that one can feel in his/her nervous system.

How do you embrace good and shun evil?

As we practice Sahaja Yoga and get better, we get established in it. At that point, one automatically comes to know through vibration what is evil and good. You act accordingly.

Do you follow any specific diet?

No, I do not follow any specific diet. However, I surely try to follow a disciplined routine. I take Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.  I make sure there is no interval of more than 4 or 5 hours after each meal. For me, a meal can also be having fruit.

What are the advantages of doing yoga?

People perceive yoga as only physical activity, but actually, yoga means one’s Reunion with all-pervading power which is God’s love flowing everywhere. This reunion can be achieved by self-realization meditation only. I also recommend physical exercise like walking, jogging, cycling, going to the gym, and swimming.

Tell me about Indore and some good restaurants and your favorite dishes.

Indore is located in the western part of Madhya Pradesh. It is a developing B-class city in India. Indore was awarded as best city for cleanliness two years in a row.

Indore is famous for food-loving people with a variety of tastes, different food outlets, and restaurants for their sumptuous meals.  Indore has a food market (Also known as khau gali) that operates from 8 PM to 12 PM. You get a variety of food from Chinese, South Indian, pasta, Jalebi, Kachori, Samosa, etc.

I do not have any specific favorite dish. However, I like Kadhi (made from curd), and butter paneer masala and am fond of sweets. Shreemaya, Sayaji, and TGB are some good restaurants in Indore.

Give me some tips on being a good husband and I will follow up with your wife to see if you are doing these things.

I would strongly recommend trusting each other blindly. Keep quiet when the other person is angry (don’t argue at that point in time). Once when things are normal and cooled down explain your point of view. Love each other without any expectations.

How do you balance faith, food, finance, family, and your career?

Don’t take your office worries home and vice versa. After practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation, you get a work-life balance easily.

The post Sahaja Yoga Meditation appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Entrepreneurship is about creating value. It is about taking risks and bootstrapping. It is the framework for designing, launching, and running a new business. The creator of this business is called an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur has to make business decisions and deal with government policies, market demand, and economic crises. The entrepreneur has to focus on her core competence and create a competitive advantage to increase the footprint.

The entrepreneur acts on an idea and manages and oversees the launch and growth of her business. The entrepreneur has to develop a business plan, go alone or hire staff, work within her financial and material resources, look at her own skill sets, be a dynamic leader, see her attitude to risk, and take responsibility for failure or success.

Four Columns loves entrepreneurs who take risks, think outside the box, meet the needs of the market, are agile, and go above and beyond to surpass the expectations of the customer.

Jesselina started Pad2Go, Muskan Khanna owns a boutique tea store, Ashley is starting a beauty business, Paula Ariya owns a beauty salon, Mallory Aldred owns a food consulting business, and Anu Bidani is starting STEM, one of the fastest tech educational firms in North America. These women are game-changers on the cutting edge in their field, empowering women and making a difference in society.

From my perspective, too many entrepreneurs get so focused that they sacrifice many other important areas of their lives. Michelle runs The Balanced CEO, which is a place for entrepreneurs to become their best selves while growing their business. Michelle empowers you to create a strong mind, body, and soul connection so you can develop a positive mindset and focus on productivity while building consistent habits and routines, reduce stress, balance your well-being, and build a successful business with purpose.

Michelle talks about life, gratitude, self-reflection, and having balance in our lives.

Michelle, I am looking forward to interviewing you as we have so much in common. Tell me a little about you?

Thank you so much for interviewing me, Jerry! I was born and raised on a very small island known as St.Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. My mom is from Trinidad and my dad was from New York. Since 2014, I have been living in the states first in Virginia and now I am living in Maryland. I went to college to become a Pastry Chef and worked in that field for a while but later quit and started working in insurance and soon realized that I wanted nothing more but to become my own boss.

I am a big believer in having balance in your life. Walk me through how you came up with The Balanced CEO?

After being self-employed for a few years now I noticed that as much as I was passionate about building a successful business and doing it all, I quickly became overwhelmed and burnt out causing a toll on my health.

I was so focused on growing my business that I wasn’t paying attention to taking care of myself, my well-being, and other areas of my life.  

Once I started taking care of myself first I have become happier and healthier and able to function better, become more creative, and able to get through my to-do list a lot easier causing my business to grow faster.

Being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding jobs out there and to succeed starts with YOU. The more that we show love and care for our mind, body, and soul the more we can achieve because it will come from a place of balance. 

We aren’t here to just work but also to find the right balance to enjoy other things in life.

I know from personal experience that it is hard creating a balance between life and business but it is possible!

So, I created The Balanced CEO to provide inspiration, resources, tools, and tips to help entrepreneurs, bloggers, and content creators manage their mind, take care of themselves, become less overwhelmed, more productive, and become the best version of themselves all while building your dream business.

We all have so much potential within us and we can create the life we deserve but it all starts with ourselves.

At The Balanced CEO, it is all about implementing balance in the lives of us entrepreneurs who try to do it all.

Before I got married I did not know how to spell gratitude. I practice it daily. Your best practice is to practice gratitude daily. Talk to me about why and the after-effects?

I believe that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. No matter how hard your life is at the moment there is always a little something that you should be thankful for whether it is you have a warm place to live in, clothes on your back, food to eat, or waking up to see another day. People often focus on what they don’t have vs. what they do have. I believe that when times are tough and you shift your mindset to focus on what you do have you will become happy and fulfilled. It’s all about being mindful and appreciating life and everything it has to offer.

Balancing your mind, body, and soul is not easy. How did you achieve this at such an early stage in your life? For me, it has taken a lot of introspection?

This is something I am actually still working on and I do believe that we are always working on balancing our mind, body, and soul as the journeys in our life change.

I take it one day at a time now by creating habits and routines that help balance out my day. 

For my morning routine, I spend a few hours taking care of myself, mind, body, and soul first before jumping into work. I never used to do this and it has changed my life completely. I journal, read, workout, and make myself a healthy breakfast. My morning routine has helped me to become motivated and has given me the energy to start my workday with a positive attitude.

In the evening time, I “clock out” of work and I practice yoga then spend time with my husband. 

I have learned to appreciate the time I have in the day and not take it for granted but instead use my time wisely and create a work-life balance.

I have been a giver all my life without boundaries. However, it hurt me. Talk to me about loving ourselves, cutting negative relationships, and letting go of toxicity in our lives?

It is so important to love ourselves first, many people think it is selfish but it is 100% not selfish. To be full of bliss and balanced, we need to be happy with ourselves. In order, to help others and take care of others we have to take care of ourselves first. Learning to say no, cutting off negative relationships, or removing ourselves from any kind of negative environment will seem hard at first. You will feel guilty and your emotions will get the best of you. But, once you see how positively it impacts your mind and your life, it will get easier. At the end of the day, we have to live with ourselves no one else. So, choose to live it the way you want. Negative relationships bring you down and cause you to be negative as well putting a damper on your mind and your goals. You should always surround yourself with positive people. Why go through life being negative and living miserably?

I have met so many entrepreneurs who are successful financially but have messed up personal lives. Help me understand how does balance look like in their lives?

Money is important because we need it to survive and lots of us just want to be financially free. But, what is more, important is the people in our lives, our relationships, and our self-care. The money will always come and go but our family and friends, unfortunately, don’t live forever and we should never take that for granted. These entrepreneurs probably spent 24/7 working and even when they were with their families, work probably came first. There is always a way to have a work-life balance. You just have to figure out what works for you and your life.

Self-reflection is an amazing habit as long as it is done to see how you can help other people by becoming better… please explain?

Self-reflection is such a great way to slow down, practice self-care, and live in the present moment. Sometimes we get so caught up in our day-to-day and it’s like we are on autopilot. It causes us to become frustrated like we aren’t seeing any progress on our goals. But, if we take the time to reflect by journaling, looking at past pictures, or just meditating it will help us to reflect on our mistakes, see how far we come and if our daily tasks are aligned with our goals. Practicing self-reflection consistently will help us gain more clarity and peace in our lives.

In your opinion do we have a healthy relationship with social media? Does the dopamine effect of likes, shares, pins, and comments make it artificial, and is it healthy?

I believe that a lot of us don’t have healthy relationships with social media. Especially as entrepreneurs we are obsessing over our metrics (likes, share, engagement, etc).  And we tend to compare ourselves to others causing us to be less productive and strive for perfection. When perfection actually does not exist. We shouldn’t compare ourselves because all our journeys are different. We are all unique and can share our messages differently. We need to rewire our brains to learn to use social media as a tool to connect not compare.

Can anyone become an entrepreneur? Should they do a self-analysis and see if they have the skill sets?

I believe anyone can become what they want to be if they put their mind to it. But, entrepreneurship might not be for everyone. The long hours, the risk, and the mindset is hard. I know some people who never want to be an entrepreneur because they like structure and the stability of having a paycheck. So, yes a self-analysis is definitely a good idea. But, if you are determined to become an entrepreneur and realize you don’t have any skills, just learn. As entrepreneurs, we are constantly learning new skills as we wear many hats in the business. So, if you set your mind to something you can do it.

You are a woman after my own heart. You like food and carbs. Talk to me about your city where you live and the food scene?

I currently live in Maryland and I am near the DMV area (DC, Maryland, Virginia). There are so much different foods and cultures here and I love it. Being from the Caribbean it’s nice to have a lot of different foods that remind me of home. Also, I love the fact that I can find lots of healthy restaurants.

The post The Balanced CEO appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Kat grew up in the lush, green hills of rural Switzerland, surrounded by her parents, her cat, and thirty chickens. From an early age, nature played a central role in her life, shaping her love for movement and well-being. After university, she pursued her passion for dance, moving first to Geneva and then to New York. While the ballet world offered beauty and discipline, it proved to be an intense and all-consuming path.

Seeking a more balanced lifestyle, Kat discovered Pilates—a practice that combines strength, flexibility, and mindfulness—and decided to train as an instructor. She saw it as a way to cultivate both physical and mental well-being while leaving space for life outside the studio: time with friends, family, and nature.

Three years later, Kat has built a thriving career in London, running her own Pilates and German-teaching business and sharing her insights on her blog, A Chat With Kat. In this interview, she opens up about life in London, her Swiss roots, and her fitness journey, exploring what Pilates really is, how it differs from yoga, and why it’s become such a central part of her life.

Kat, introduce yourself in three sentences?

Hi there, I’m Kat, and I like to learn – my favorite topics are fitness, finance, and nature. I grew up in Switzerland but live in London now, teaching German, English, and Pilates to the locals. As a child, I wanted to be either a soccer star or a ballerina, and the latter almost came true. 

Talk to me about Pilates and how it can help us?

Pilates is a form of exercise that seeks to create balance in the body. It’s focused on improving both strength and flexibility and works from the core outwards. While a lot of the exercises focus on the stomach muscles and improving stability, a Pilates class is a whole-body workout that can be adapted to different people’s needs. In my practice, I’ve seen clients from 8-87 with varied conditions such as hypermobility, shoulder impingements, and hip replacements. People usually come to Pilates with a problem, but they stay at it because it’s a great form of whole-body exercise. 

Is there anything common between Pilates and yoga?

Yes, they do have similarities. But while yoga is quite open and there are many different methods, Pilates is structured with set exercises. Each exercise has modifications to make it easier or harder, so everyone can benefit from it. Pilates is designed to strengthen and lengthen your body and has two main functions:

• If you’re injured, it helps you to get better. 
• If you’re well, it helps you to do your regular activities better and more easily.

In contrast, yoga is often more focused on the spiritual aspect of wellbeing and on stretching.

My daughter is 16 and has been dancing ballet, contemporary, and acro since the age of 5. How can working out, stretching and Pilates help her be in optimum condition?

Once they reach a certain level, all dancers take Pilates classes for two reasons. Firstly, many are very flexible and need a system to strengthen their muscles in those extreme positions. Secondly, performances often focus on the stronger side of the body. Pilates class is very balanced, so the weak side can ‘catch up’. In this sense, it is an injury prevention program for dancers and other athletes. 

If your daughter is hypermobile – her muscles and joints are very loose – then the type of strengthening we do in Pilates is crucial. Young dancers often focus on the shapes they can create: how high can their legs go? How far can their backbend? But if these movements are unsupported, they can cause injuries later on. Pilates helps to keep the range of motion safe. 

Talk to me about Swiss culture and how to navigate it?

Here’s a story that illustrates it: 

My mom was talking to a local friend. “Oh, it’s absolutely terrible. My daughter has moved away. Far, far away,” the friend complained. 

“Where did she go?” my mom asked.

“Geneva!” The lady gesticulated wildly, eyes wide. “It takes an hour by train!” 

My mom laughed. “My daughter lives in London!”

Everyone who’s been to Switzerland knows that it is a beautiful country. It’s green, clean, and wealthy. But it’s also very small and the culture reflects this. Most citizens live in the same area their whole life and can barely imagine moving to a different city, let alone the country. Life in Switzerland is comfortable and regulated, why would anyone leave?

So, why did you leave?

Ever since attending the International School, I’ve been fascinated by the different cultures and mentalities of my peers and teachers. I craved adventure. That’s why I decided to first move to New York, then to London. I might return to Switzerland eventually, but for now, I am enjoying my adopted home. 

Talk to me about going to a private school in Switzerland?

It was a colorful whirlwind of different people and experiences. Some children were driven to school by a chauffeur every day, others lived in an ambassador’s mansion and still, others had a private tutor who followed them to every class and took notes for them. It was a different world to my rural upbringing. While I found some friends for life there, the teachers were even more impactful. They came from all over the world and brought many stories from their faraway homes to class. It opened up a new world to me. I’ll always be grateful to my parents for allowing me to attend such a high-quality school. 

Help me understand London, the food scene, and some amazing restaurants?

One of the best things about London is the diversity. My friends here come from Bulgaria, South Africa, Jamaica, Ireland, and Canada. I love spending time with people from different backgrounds and discovering their culture and heritage. 

Some cultural highlights here in London are the independent cinema Peckhamplex, where you can see great movies and eat retro candy at very reasonable prices, Mildred’s, an amazing vegetarian restaurant, and Borough Market, which has a great range of independent food stalls right in the heart of London.

What is your London neighborhood like and what can you do there? 

I live in southeast London, which is traditionally a less desirable neighborhood. Although it’s rough around the edges, I have found so much to love here. My Top 3 are: 

• Great free libraries that you can join and interact with. They also run events and social clubs. 
• The Waterlink Way runs from the center of London all the way to the beach about 40 miles away. Walking along it surrounded by trees, shrubs, and the river, you can easily forget you’re in the third largest European city. 
• Voluntary Services Lewisham runs a program where you can be paired up with a lonely person for Check-in and Chat sessions. I’ve developed the most wonderful friendship with an elderly Irishwoman as a result of this.

Talk to me about the Financial Independence movement and why you joined it?

Imagine you never had to work again. What would you do with your life and time?

That’s the basis FI. People pursuing it try to save up and invest enough so that we never have to work for money again. I got interested in the movement because of my self-employed status. At the beginning of my career, I was worried about consistently earning enough to survive. However, as my client base started to increase, questions of ‘What if I can’t earn enough this month?’ soon turned into ‘What would happen if this was never a concern again? How much happier would I be?’

I started saving my excess income instead of spending it. First, I saved up an emergency fund, then I began to invest in the long-term. I’m hoping to reach my FI number in 9 years’ time.

And what happens then? What will you do?

I’m really passionate about my work, so I’ll likely continue teaching three days a week. I’ll also have time to work on passion projects, visit my family more often, and go on more hiking and camping adventures. 

Is philanthropy on your radar?

Yes, absolutely, this is another one of my reasons to pursue FI. I’ve taken The Life You Can Save pledge to donate at least 1% of my income to effective charities every year. My favorites are the Against Malaria Foundation and the Fistula Foundation. On top of that, I chose to support a local nature charity, the RSPB. Since I’m on such a strong path financially, I will be in a position to give more and more as I grow older. 

Give me some financial tips and how to thrive being self-employed?

The basics are easy to understand: spend less than you earn and invest the difference into something profitable. I suggest low-cost index funds, but you can also be successful with property or starting your own business. 

If you’re self-employed, it’s important to have a buffer. Mine is a 6-month cash emergency fund, plus the fact that I only spend about 40% of what I usually make. With the current coronavirus pandemic, I’ve lost almost half of my work, but because of my financial planning, I still have plenty of money to survive and keep up with my donations. 

What does women’s empowerment mean to you?

Last year, I was surprised to hear some of my older female clients say: “Is the gender pay gap even still a thing?” To me, women’s empowerment means that one day, I will honestly be able to answer that question with “No!”. Let’s keep working to make this wishful thinking into reality.

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