The Journey of Yogacharya Krishna Prakash as a Life Coach

“Be open to learning, growing, and evolving to be a mature individual…”- advice from Krishna Prakash for the nation’s youth.

Business Upside [BU]: Why did you choose to be a Life Coach?

Krishna Prakash [KP]

Life Coaching is a natural progression for any Yoga teacher at some point, and Yoga will cease to be a profession but become a way of life. The practice of Yoga as a complete system rather than mere postures (Yogasana) will help one gain insights into one’s functioning of mind and body. Gradually one develops the ability to be a witness to one’s thoughts, words, and actions.

Being a witness helps one build on the strengths, iron out the flaws, and accept the reality in situations and people. Then one realizes that the change we wish to see in others has to first manifest in us. As the transformation due to this realization was evident in me, it felt right to take up the mantle of a life coach so that many could be enabled in their journey of self-discovery.

[BU]: What, according to you, is the formula for self-mastery?

[KP]: Understanding and practice of Dharma is the formula for self-mastery. One must apprentice with a Master / Coach connected to a living spiritual tradition for this to happen. It is similar to the apprenticeship one undertakes to become a Chartered Accountant or the concept of working under the direction of a guide to obtaining a Doctorate. This apprenticeship gives us insights and lessons to understand Dharma, without which self-mastery is a mirage.

[BU]: How do you teach a deep understanding of life in people?

[KP]:

1. The Indic wisdom states that we have jurisdiction only over our duties. So, whoever comes in touch for life coaching, I make them work out their duties. As our duty becomes someone else’s right, this activity helps people understand our lives’ interconnectedness.
2. Another hallmark of the Indic wisdom is the idea of impermanence. Through various exercises, this idea sprouts within, thereby leading them to maximize their presence in the now.

[BU]: What are the things people can accomplish through self-mastery?

[KP]: Quality of life improves. People then realize that they can experience happiness here and now. Peace of mind improves. Clarity dawns resulting in effectiveness and efficiency in handling meetings, projects, and life in general. The role of gratitude is also internalized now.

[BU]: Why should people get trained in Yoga Nidra?

[KP]: Traditional Yoga has eight limbs, and Yoga Nidra is a practice that helps one to withdraw. Withdrawal is the 5th limb of Yoga. Like how we withdraw money from ATMs so that we can deploy it where it is needed, by the practice of Yoga Nidra, one develops the ability to withdraw their mind from its vagaries and deploy where it is needed.

Initially, Yoga Nidra aids relaxation and then stress relief. After this stage, it helps one to realize their life’s goals, one at a time, by scientifically tapping the powers of one’s mind and various centers of one’s brain.

Yoga Nidra is a culmination of a few processes from Tantra and Vedanta. It can be tailor-made to age, background, culture, gender, stage in life, spiritual needs, etc.

[BU]: What were the biggest challenges you had when you first started in the profession, and how did you overcome them?

[KP]: To make people understand that

1. Asana is 1/8th aspect of Yoga and, at the same time, an indispensable aspect of the Yoga system.
2. Yoga teachers also have a family and need to be paid right.
3. Without awareness, Yoga is just a physical exercise despite one’s ability to bend and twist in all directions
4. Meditation is part of the Yoga system. It needs guidance in the initial stages and consistent practice throughout life.

Only through education, persistence and understanding are these challenges being faced and overcome even today.

[BU]: What has been the most satisfying moment in your journey of becoming a life coach?

[KP]: The launch of Indic Life Coaching in 2022 is the most satisfying moment, as now people have a framework to coach themselves and others without compromising on Dharma. Also, when the participants of this Indic Life Coach program return, they say their lives and relationships have improved.

[BU]: What would it be if you had one piece of advice for our nation’s youth?

[KP]: Always remember the dictum from Rig Veda (the oldest work known to mankind), ‘let noble thoughts come to us from all directions.’

Be open to learning, growing, and evolving to be a mature individual who asks what I can do for you rather than saying no one does anything for me.

[BU]: What is the next goal you wish to accomplish?

[KP]: To get accreditation from International Coaching Federation (ICF) so that our Indic Life Coaching program can be a stand-alone and part of the continuous education program.

In parallel, work towards creating awareness for the program as a journey of self-discovery so that happiness, peace, and prosperity can be experienced by the participants irrespective of whether they wish to coach others or not.

[BU]: How do you define success?

[KP]: The ability to live a whole life without compromising the culture and tradition that one belongs to. The mindset of gratitude as one’s success is not just a result of one’s efforts but primarily due to the innumerable, invisible, unnoticed, and forgotten efforts of a vast network of humans & other beings.

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