Vikas Malkani is perhaps the only meditation guru in the world who teaches mindfulness with a flipchart and colorful markers. Maybe that’s why he’s often referred to as a ‘Wisdom Coach’. His sessions are loaded with witty wisdom stories, anecdotes and laughter, enough to make any stressed mind feeling lightheaded, calm and happy (The hug at the end helps too!) Yoga Journal Singapore editor, Kavita Chandran, who enjoyed one of his sessions, spoke to Vikas about his spiritual journey.
By Kavita Chandran
Photo Credits: Soul Centre
KC: Why do you think meditation is the #1 requirement in today’s world?
VM: Today’s lifestyle puts increased pressure on everyone, from children to parents to corporate professionals. It is a world that is connected 24/7, where work and personal boundaries get merged, and all of us need an effective way to deal with stress before it overwhelms us. Meditation is the perfect solution for this.
Meditation is not just for people who want to simply cope with stress, or the challenges of daily life; it’s also for the professional athlete, the leading entrepreneur, the cutting edge scientist and the A list Hollywood performer. It’s for people who wish to achieve better results and stretch their boundaries of excellence.
From an even larger perspective, most human conflict, violence and wars happen because we are unable to see long term perspectives or consequences. This is one of the reasons we continue to push our planet out of alignment and into disharmony. Through meditation, one creates inner peace and harmony, and this reflects in our outer actions and behaviors, thus bringing peace into the external world and alignment to the planet.
KC: What happens when one meditates?
VM: When you meditate in a systematic manner, you benefit emotionally, mentally and also physically. Restless thoughts go away, brain activity is more focused, emotions stabilize, actions and reactions are positive and calm, and the physical body becomes deeply relaxed. The mind becomes intuitive, and this encourages natural self-healing because stress hormones are reduced and one feels an overall sense of inner peace, positivity and well-being.
Meditation is easy to learn and can be practiced almost anywhere including in one’s office or while commuting to any place. There are many different kinds of meditation techniques and it’s not hard to find one that suits a particular situation.
KC: How often do you meditate, and why?
VM: I started meditating when I was a teenager, and for two reasons. One, my quest to know more about the power of the mind led me to read a lot about meditation. Two, because I wanted a tool that would ensure inner peace, and give me control over my own happiness.
The more I read, the more I meditated. I would try and meditate for 30 minutes a day. Slowly, I increased the intensity of my practice. Today, meditation and mindfulness have become a mindset and a lifestyle for me. I meditate every morning and night for 5-10 minutes, and also do mini-meditations few times in between—a technique I teach all my clients and students.
I teach ‘Meditation Made Simple’ for beginners where they learn non-religious and simple meditation techniques. The session is full of fun and valuable insights and stories about wisdom that work to transform people’s lives and thought processes.
Meditation helps manage stress and unleash my inner creativity. It also helps me to keep a balanced perspective on situations around me, and not get flooded with emotions. A stable mind allows me to respond to life rather than react to events, people’s moods and other external factors.
KC: Tell us about your spiritual journey? Was there a turning point that led you to understand your deeper purpose in life?
VM: My father was a self-made successful man, and I was inspired by his drive and determination while growing up. As a pre-teen in New Delhi, I learnt from him and understood the importance of having a vision, of thinking big, and being an inspiration to others. I had a comfortable life, yet an inner longing for something meaningful gnawed at my soul perpetually. I didn’t quite know what it was, but I began asking deep questions, such as, ‘What is the purpose of life?’, ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Who am I really?’, ‘If everyone seeks happiness, how come so many don’t find it?’; and so much more.
I began to read voraciously about the wisdom of ancient times and the lives of enlightened teachers. I did my college in the U.S.—one of the best periods of my life— where my mind grew by leaps and bounds. But my inner quest for wisdom remained, and I read at least two self-help books a week centered around spirituality. One such book that resonated deeply was ‘Living with the Himalayan Masters’ by Swami Rama. I decided to track down this enlightened master, and when I finally met him in India a few years later, I knew I had found my guru.
Swami Rama showed me the finer secrets of meditation, and also coached me about practical aspects of life. Finding a spiritual mentor who could give me the deepest wisdom of life was a blessing indeed. He was the teacher who introduced me to the path of Raja Yoga (the royal path) one that rests on spiritual wisdom and meditation. He taught me how our thoughts, decisions and actions shape our destiny. It slowly dawned on me that we have the power to make our life what we want it to be, and that our best life happens when we use it to contribute to others in the best way we can. In the following years, I was fortunate enough to meet and learn from other gurus, such as Swami Hariprasad (of Haridham), Pappaji (of Gunatit Jyot) and Swami Mukundjivandass (of Yogi Divine Society).
I soon felt I was receiving immense knowledge and insights that unfolded mysteries of the universe, and I could clearly see what was real and what was not. In those experiences of enlightenment, everything became crystal clear to me, as though I was literally holding the keys to inner peace, happiness and life’s purpose.
KC: What made you want to spread this message to others?
VM: When my own inner awakening happened, it became clear what my purpose in life was: I decided to spend the rest of my life simplifying ancient mystical wisdom and sharing it with people everywhere. I wanted to give everyone on the planet the power to be happy and fulfilled. So, I left my corporate life, and focused on simplifying complex wisdom—I sifted wheat from the chaff and created concepts and models that could be understood by people in the modern world of technology and innovation. I started writing and teaching it to whoever was willing to listen.
That was the beginning of SoulCentre, a non-religious centre in India for personal development where people from all walks of life, all countries and all cultures are welcome to come and learn how to maximize their own potential, and thereby their own lives. I moved SoulCentre to Singapore in 2003, together with Sally Forrest, who later also became my wife. We also started teaching a program I had created called SoulKids that empowers children mindfully and empowers them to create their own happiness and readies them for a successful future. I also created corporate training programs such as ‘Lead with Soul’, to introduce the corporate world to the practical and tangible benefits of working with wisdom.
KC: What does yoga mean to you?
VM: Yoga is a complete path to self-realization and self-mastery, so simplified by Patanjali through his 8-fold Ashtanga teachings. The physical aspects of yoga are designed to get the student ready to explore and delve into the deeper emotional and mental aspects of the human experience, and that’s where meditation comes in. Most of the eight-fold process involves taming the mind. Asanas and meditation go together, like two legs on the same body.
You are never too busy to spare some “me time”. If you can take out five minutes a day to meditate, you will start noticing tangible results. My advice to everyone is this, ‘Don’t wait, meditate!’
KC: People call you a “wisdom coach” and not a meditation teacher. How are your teachings different?
VM: I coach people to live a life of happiness, success and authenticity using wisdom that I received and decoded during my own spiritual journey and experiences of awakening. I want people to experience mind and life mastery. I use many unique concepts and methods that I have created to experience the easiest and most efficient way to make the most of one’s life. I have been called many things over the past 20 years of teaching people around the world, from Mr. Happy to The Ultimate Yoda to Wisdom Coach to Mr. Soul to Jedi Master etc. The world needs to give you a title, and the one that seems to have stuck the most is ‘wisdom coach’, but titles don’t really matter in the end.
KC: What kind of challenges did you face along the way?
VM: I started Soul Centre with nothing but a very clear intention to make the best use of my life, and to share my learnings. That was it. I didn’t have a team, or a well laid out plan, or even sufficient finances. There were many challenges along the way, but the truth is that when one is fully committed to a purpose— when one is “All In”, there is never really any other option to consider. Life helps those who help themselves, and this was certainly true in my case.
Today, we have built two award-winning brands, and we attract clients and students from around the world. We have received testimonials by the thousands to prove that what we teach really works, and our training programs are taught by certified teachers around the world.
The truth is, I would do this work even if everything else changes, even if no recognition came my way. I share the wisdom that empowers people to become the authors of their own life-story. I do it to make the best use of my short life on this planet, not for the approval of the world.
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood Online.
