Could you tell us more about yourself? How did you start practicing and teaching yoga and meditation?

I have been a manager in Public Relations and Communication since over 10 years. Despite great professional achievements, something was missing at the personal level. Being very sensitive, my health was easily getting affected in terms of stress-related psychosomatic diseases and my “soul” was missing some deeper sense and connection from my side.

Then I started with meditation and breathing techniques, with Sudarshan Kriya practice, which changed my energy level, deepened my mindfulness and so my skills. They brought to my actions a touch of lightness, enjoying and acting without coming from a space of feverishness, instead from a joyful expression of some hidden inner wealth and creativity.

Then it was natural for me to want to share that possibility with many, as we all deserve to live a more meaningful and joyful life. We deserve to know the tools to do so. Those tools reside inside.

What is the impact of increased mindfulness and how, according to you, can meditation help in times of crisis?

When we must face obstacles or a crisis, we need to be able to tap into our full potential. In those times, knowing how to connect to our own inner potential, our mental and energetic resources is the highest skill. Only then we can act effectively and skilfully to face any challenges.

A crisis brings changes, asks us to face the unknown, to be more agile and be able to stand firmly with strength coupled with softness, flexibility and empathy, with creativity and resilience.

Being able to do that all without getting stressed and drained, but instead keeping relaxed and getting energy from the challenge itself, is a beautiful skill that mindfulness brings to us!

It is like getting to live our inner superpowers!

Being able to keep relaxed and get energy from the challenge itself is a beautiful skill that mindfulness brings to us! It is like getting to live our inner superpowers!

How can meditation and mindfulness help us become more effective leaders?

If you are already operating at your full potential, then meditation and a mindful presence can add a touch of refinement: enhancing your energy levels, refining your intellect and clarity, your sensitiveness. Living more with the power of the moment can help leaders not only be more effective but also powerfully and easily express a wider rainbow of qualities, skills and joy in action. It can show them how much they can play while being effective, how much they can enjoy life, that much they can consider themselves successful.

Then, if you are not operating at your full potential, definitely meditation and breathing techniques will help you discover more about yourself, about effective time management related to your values and your unique way of expression, about how to be resilient and fuel your energy, get the best possibilities from each situation, each relationship, creating synergy between tasks and roles, accessing the inner space of creativity and purpose.

Living more with the power of the moment can help leaders not only be more effective but also powerfully and easily express a wider rainbow of qualities, skills and joy in action.

Is regular meditation compatible with a busy agenda and full-time working life?

Meditation seems to take away your time. Instead, it doubles your time, as a mindful, joyful and focused mind is a great friend when we need to be multi/tasking and time is a challenge. 20 minutes meditation twice a day is what the mind deserves, same as we deserve having a daily shower, proper food and enough sleep for the body.

When the mind gets recharged, then it becomes a better asset for us as individual and as professional, allowing us to be more time effective, easily tapping into creativity and problem solving, dealing more skilfully with relationship and our own emotions, which knowingly or unknowingly often take away a lot of our time!

Leaders are the ones who need those soft skills the most and who are naturally able to find them in themselves.

20 minutes meditation twice a day is what the mind deserves, same as we deserve having a daily shower, proper food and enough sleep for the body.

How do you personally un-wind and re-center after a hectic day?

After a hectic day, there are chances our body has got tired, and tensed, our mind and energy drained and we need some “emotional compensation” dedicating to some playful activities recharging our system.

I like to close my day with some cardio exercises and few asana (yoga stretches helping the body to get back to the natural expansion and tone while fuelling new energy). Then adding some energising pranayama (breathing techniques) and 20 minutes meditation.

It brings back contentment, softness, inner space and helps me to be new again to fully live my evening time doing whatever I love to do.

Could you recommend some exercises or tools to start the practice and keep us on track after the coronavirus crisis?

We will do some together during the live session.

We like to conclude our interviews with a question from the Proust questionnaire: which living person do you most admire?

One who is able to experience contentment while keeping acting with passion.