Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: The podcast for those who find themselves immersed in adversity and choose to write their story instead of having others write it for them. I'm Drew Duraney and I'm your host.
Today's guest is Vinnie Taneja.
Vinnie Taneja, Owner and Founder of Spiritual Guruness Being a former corporate leader, Vinny Taneja is no stranger to person centered work. Her 20 plus years as a human resource leader provided her a day to day life consisting of team management on a global level, leading executive coaching programs and directing talent acquisition and employee engagement. While her role afforded her family a financially stable lifestyle, it left her spiritual account feeling overdrawn and empty.
Having been blessed with spiritual gifts since she was a child, Vinnie has always been drawn to the high vibe aspects of life.
Yoga, meditation, energy, work and Ayurvedic practices became a regular part of her daily routines.
During the most challenging times of her corporate career, she found herself leaning into spiritual.
New friendships and creative opportunities kept finding her. The more she let go of the should dos and reached for the want to's. And so, as many crazy yet beautiful decisions are sometimes made, when Vinnie reached the pinnacle of her professional tenure is exactly when she made the life reaffirming decision to leave the corporate world behind entirely, fully believing that once she leapt, the net would appear.
And so it did. By combining her previous leadership experience with her intuitive heart driven passions, she created Chakra Wellness with the intention to provide holistic integrated services that would help strengthen the mind, body and spiritual health of her clients. Vinnie furthered her yoga education by participating in an advanced Yoga teacher training in Nepal Yoga Home certified under Yoga Alliance.
She is an e r y t 500 hours.
She attended New York Institute for Integrative Nutrition Work and is certified Holistic Coach Health Coach with a focus on plant based cuisines. She is a USUI, USUI or certified Raiki Master, Sound Bowl Healer, Kigong Instructor and a mindbody intuitive. Vinnie loves to inspire, nurture, encourage and passionately coach her clients. She feels blessed to work with individuals who are devoted to their personal growth and wellness and feels divine gratitude that her passions are her work. She is a wife, a mother, a healer and a friend and she looks forward to sharing her gifts with you.
Enjoy the show.
Hey Vinnie, it's good to see you.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: It's great to see you. Thank you.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: Oh it's my pleasure. So I have to thank. I always thank the person who introduced me to my guest. So once again Priscilla Lito, thank you for introducing me to Vinnie.
It's been a cool Journey. I know she's been doing a lot of stuff since the time I met her to now, and we're going to get into that. But, Priscilla Alito, thank you so much for introducing me to Vinnie.
So, folks, you guys always know in the beginning, I talk about how when we're young, we're taught by our family and friends and everybody around us that life's a straight line. It's linear. If we do A plus, B plus c, D is going to happen.
And for the most part, life is linear until it's not. Ultimately, an external circumstance gets in the way of. Of one of those letters and kind of derails our straight path in life to a more circuitous one.
When that happens, that means adversity has now reared its ugly head. And some of us see the adversity and some of us don't. The ones who don't, I call man or woman number one. They're the ones with blind spots. They don't see the adversity because they're living the life other people told them to live. And they don't even know when something changes. I don't have that person on the show. Then you have man or woman number two. They're the ones who do see the adversity, yet they say that the adversity is a barrier and it stops them from making changes. It is what it is. Life is doing it to them, and they choose not to make any changes. And on their deathbed, they've got a ton of regrets. I don't have them on the show. I have man or woman number three on the show. That's the individual who sees the adversity, calls the adversity an opportunity instead of a barrier. They say I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm going to take some massive action, become a stronger man or woman on the other side.
That's who I have on the show. And I have Vinnie Taneja tonight on the show, and she is definitely woman number three. Will you hear her story?
So, so, Vinny, if you could reach back as far as you need to for that defining moment in life, whether it's the tap on the shoulder, it was a whisper in the ear. Like what I needed was the two by four upside my head.
That kind of transformed you and, and, and, and. And how that transformation impacted you personally and professionally, we'd love to hear your story.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: Sure. Thank you so much. Yeah, so I think there was a couple things that happened to me when I was 16.
I actually had a voice in my room. And back then there was no TV or phone or, like, all I had was a radio in my room. I, like, heard a little bit of a. I swear it was the voice of God. And so I was like, okay. And then I always knew, like, as a child I wanted to help people. So there was, like, little clues along the way. Then my dad got sick and was diagnosed in 2006. That was a major defining moment for me where I felt like, this is a bit of a wake up call. Now he's being forced into retirement. And another defining moment, I would say, was when I reached the pinnacle of my career as a chief people officer and the job that I basically thought was my dream job. And I end up working for this company and it's not. And then I remembered at that point, I was like, okay.
Ever since I was a child, I had magical gifts, I would say. I remember my dad being diagnosed and forced into retirement, and now I'm in a job where I'm in the pinnacle of my career and I feel like my job is going to kill. So do I want to repeat the cycle or do I want to get out and really do what I was meant to do and follow my soul's purpose? So there were clues along the way to. And then I feel that I went. Jumped through so many hoops, went through a tedious interview process to get this executive job, and then basically knew it didn't align with me on many levels and my values.
And I walked out of my corporate job in New York City, and two months later, I was on plane to Nepal. So, yeah, a little bit of E Pray Love going on.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. All right, so there's so much to unpack here. So at age. Was it 16? You heard the voice of God?
[00:07:03] Speaker A: Yes, I did.
[00:07:04] Speaker B: And. And there were no blind spots. You heard it and.
[00:07:08] Speaker A: Oh, I heard it. Yeah.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: And at that point, what. What did you choose to do with that?
[00:07:12] Speaker A: I actually, I actually went vegetarian. So, like, in our growing up, I was like, mainly Hindu and like, in our belief system, like, we don't eat animals, but it's not just about eating. It's like actually energy, right. Like, you're. You're consuming energy, and I was eating everything and, you know, and I. I started to feel lighter and. And it was very odd at that time to, you know, to become vegetarian. It's like you were like a weirdo, you know, like now.
Yeah. But I actually started to feel lighter and more in tune and, like, more conscientious. And then.
So that was one of the things. And then when my dad was diagnosed, I went down a deep dive of a lot of research. And now you have to understand, back in 2006, there were no, like, Facebook groups and social media. All, like, you had to really research.
And so I. And then in 2010, and this is all while I'm raising a family and climbing the corporate ladder, I ended up going to nutrition school in the city, learning a lot about nutrition. So as I was climbing the corporate ladder, raising a family, and then also studying lots of different holistic methodologies. Like, I also got certified with Reiki in 2009. And I think subconsciously, I knew it was going to blow up my life.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: Yeah, well, it wasn't. At that point, you were doing two contrasting things. The very life and the holistic life are misaligned in many ways.
[00:08:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: You were going to turn at some point.
[00:08:43] Speaker A: Yes, yes. I didn't know that I would, like, reach the pinnacle and then be like, oh, let me just blow up my life now. But, you know, I really had to make a decision.
And I was really influenced by how seeing my dad go through what he did. He also used to work, work in New York City, and also seeing my mom deteriorate by being his caretaker. And it really inspired me to not. To break that cycle. To break that cycle, because I come from, you know, a long cycle of. Of, you know, the belief system of, like, work hard, work hard, work hard, work hard, work hard. And I know that we don't come to Earth just to work hard, pay bills, and die. Like, that's not the point.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: At least I hope not.
Geez.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: So, yeah, I really. And this is before corporate quitting was a thing. Right. So this is 2018 towards, like, the last quarter. And corporate quitting. That terminology came out post Covid. Right, right, right, right. And I've always been like, that trailblaz, trailblazer, that pioneer. Like, I was talking about GMOs, like, even before I went to New. I. Like, I remember in 2008, I was talking about GMOs, and everybody's like, what's a GMO? And I'm like, oh, my God. Like, you know, so I've always kind of been someone who likes, what is a gmo. Oh, so genetically modified organisms. Yeah. So, you know, like, you know, mansado and. And everybody kind of knows now, but, like, it's also 2026 versus 2008 when you're at a picnic and saying, hey, don't eat that corn. It's gmo. And they're like, what have you been talking about? You know what I mean?
[00:10:20] Speaker B: A lot of people think that corn is natural. Isn't. Corn is not. Is it. It's not. Right?
[00:10:25] Speaker A: It's. Well, the problem with corn is most. Majority of it is genetically modified, and you don't want to consume something like that. And so it's. It's actually more detrimental than it is, you know, a positive thing for you. So organic. Well, if you. I mean, it's. It's really hard to get pure organic corn, even if they. It's because of the cross contamination. But if No, I would highly recommend, like, everything in moderation. So summer, you want a corn on the cob. Fine. But, like, don't need it, like, five times a week.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: Absolutely.
So. So during. While you were going to school for the holistic stuff and being in the executive thing, you were married at the time, so you had. You had a very supportive husband.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: Yes. I mean, I think that.
I think that. Let's be honest, like, I don't think it was like, oh, my God, I'm so supportive. Like, you have to educate people, like, what are you doing? And, like, I have to make them understand, like, you know, my daughter and my husband and like. Well, I really. And they know me. Right. Like, they know that I'm like, this person who loves, like, healthy stuff. And I'm really. It's my passion and it has. I was the girl with, like, rice milk in her fridge in college. Like, I was going to the health store, you know, and it's not saying I didn't have fun and. And eat junkie food in college, but I just always had a passion. So I was drawn to being healthy and helping others be healthy. But I. I will say that I am very thankful to my husband. He has been very supportive on my journey, but that did not come without education. I don't want to be, you know, false about it. I think that to educate people and. And bring them along and open their eyes and. Right.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: He didn't blindly support you no matter what you do. You had to at least write good reason why, because of course I'd want to know. I'd want to have an idea. Like, he had a curiosity.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Why are you doing so. So if you were into the health and holistic stuff earlier and then what put you in the path of that whole accounting executive thing, were you. Did you believe you had to do that? Because dad was a hard worker.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: Yeah. So basically my parents gave me, like, three choices for my education. Like they're like, you can be an accountant, you can be an engineer or you can be a doctor. So my dad was already civil engineer. My brother was already on the path to being a doctor. He's seven years older than me. So I kind of like was like process of elimination I guess accounting I'll do but it's not something I was passionate about. Like I did not want major in accounting. That was not my idea like of oh my God, my dream job is to like go work in accounting. But I am, I was, you know, I was so dedicated to making my parents proud, you know because hard working immigrants.
My mom was a teacher in India, my dad was a civil engineer. They came here and did that and, and so I felt like compelled to make sure. And my brother's seven years older than me, so he was sort of a sibling and sort of a father figure. And I just feel every sacrifice like I didn't want to let anyone down. So again to talk about linear like go to college, make sure that you're in a proper thing like in a proper, not like a psychology. And nothing against psychology, I love psychology. But like I couldn't say that to my family. And then so you have a job offer before you graduate which I did with the number one accounting from Arthur Anderson, which is where I met Priscilla. Right. So and then I decided I really don't want to do this after a few years and then I, I made a career change into you know, recruiting and then climbed the corporate ladder within, in the HR field and 25 years of corporate experience, you know, more than 20 within the human resources. And, and I thought, right, I thought I was helping people the way I was supposed to within human resources. But it was like there's a cap because you're still in a corporate environment and it's not a level that I want which is spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically. Right. You know, and so yeah, so, so I was following the linear path as I was programmed to do both family and from society. And then I blew up my life and said okay, now I'm going to take accountability and somehow find my way into a place where I am happy and doing. And it was against the social norm. Like people are like, you're leaving without a job and you're like what are you going to do? And I'm like I'll figure it out.
[00:14:45] Speaker B: Well, so when you did leave corporate, how was dad at the time physically?
[00:14:50] Speaker A: No, he had passed.
He had passed.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: I'm sorry, I, I, so I have a I have a very challenging question then, and feel free not to answer if you don't want to.
[00:15:01] Speaker A: If.
[00:15:02] Speaker B: If dad hadn't gotten sick and would you have made the move to leave corporate and do what you're doing now?
[00:15:11] Speaker A: I think that's a hard question to answer because it's not the reality of the situation. But I will answer it this way. That it was very insp.
To me and still till this day is to me, that I make it a point to live my life as much as I can in the present and not wait for retirement or wait for this or wait for that. So. So I can't say definitive yes or no, but I can say to you, his journey and I chill. So it's like a confirmation inspired me and to make that choice.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: I saw.
[00:15:49] Speaker A: And I remember my mom saying to me, like, you know, Vin, you know, my real name is Vandana. My nickname's Vinnie. And my close folks call me then, like, all my close people. So she's like, then I think this job is going to kill you. And my mom is a very conservative person. She would never tell me to leave, like, without having something, but she knew, like, how much duress and stress I was under, and she, like, called me on. And so even for my mom to say that to me, like, I, you know, I.
I was like, wow, you know, it's not just about me providing for my family. It's about me actually being healthy and present for my family.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And without being healthy and present, it's hard to provide the best way you can. Right, Right. So you made that change.
You left. And what did you do when you left?
[00:16:39] Speaker A: So basically, I gave, you know, my notice and I left my.
My role. And I kind of was like, what am I going to do? And I was asking Universe for a sign. And so I'm going to go back to a moment. So back when I was 21 and working for the Anderson, I was always called to go to Nepal for some reason. And I found out later on through some Akashic Records. Akashic Records is when they go into your soul's journey. And this is a sidebar that I actually was one of my past lives. I lived in Nepal as a boy, so now it made that connection. When I was 21, I wanted to volunteer with an organization that actually delivered supplies to orphanages. But I couldn't go and do this because I was working, like, 60, 70 hours a week. And I'm like, for some reason, I'm called to Nepal, for some reason, I'M called to Nepal. And then I asked the universe for a sign. I'm like, I needed a sign of what I want to do and like, what to do. Right. And then I was on LinkedIn and I believe I was actually looking for some roles and, and still kind of like trying to find follow the linear way. Right. And this video I saw of this woman and she was talking about how she started an orphanage and was helping kids in Nepal. And I was like, all right, that's it. Like, there's no way, like 20 something years later, like, there's just no way. And I was like, again, chills and confirmation on that. So I was like, oh my God, the last thing I want to do, and one thing I always wanted to do was get my yoga certification, but I never had the time and dedication. Right, right. Do it like to immerse myself. And so I had all these other certifications of and all this other education and I said, I'm going to incorporate my wellness business and the last thing I'm going to do is get my yoga certification and I'm going to go to Nepal to do it. Because if I go to India, then I'll have family obligations and I can't be like, sit down and have chai and all that focusing on my education.
[00:18:29] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: So, and I did my due diligence, I did some research, I found a beautiful yoga shala and I immersed myself and I went and I got on a plane and then I came back and I incorporated Chakra Wellness. And now in January, it was seven years since my business has been in.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: Wow. Congratulations.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you. Like, it, it's, it's been a beautiful seven year journey so far and I'm just gonna keep going and for you, you know, keep helping others and just, you know, really trying to spread the light and the health and.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I'll tell you. And I thank you for sharing because there's a lot of context behind the switch from corporate to what you're doing now. Because from the time you were 16, probably even younger, you knew you were going to be where you are now, but didn't just know how it was going to transpire.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: That is correct. Yeah, that is correct.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: So. So this journey seems a little more linear for you than, than the actual,
[00:19:32] Speaker A: you know, if you want to know something, like when I was really small, like, I could like walk around my house and I'd be like, save the whales, save Mother Earth. And then I would see, like, and my film is like, what is up with this child? And I'm like, we need to help everybody. And then I would watch these like the Christian, I still remember the Christian Children's Fund and they would like show these orphans in like India. And then I remember going to India and seeing these kids on the street in New Delhi. And I'm like, I'm like, I have to do something to the vibrational frequency to help, to help people. Like I always was this person. And you're right, I was very young and I was always like feeling things and feeling the world and wanting to help the world and wanting to help people. Always, always love it.
[00:20:13] Speaker B: I love it. So let's get into chakra wellness and what you're, what you're doing now to help people and to help yourself. Because I know you've got to self care is very important. So you got to help yourself before you help others. So tell me a little about your business and how it, how it really doesn't feel like a business to you.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: It doesn't feel like a business to me because I'm doing what my soul's purpose is. And when you do what your soul's purpose is there, it doesn't feel like work. That's just as simple as it is. I know this is my calling. I know this is what I'm supposed to do. And I have a multitude of services I offer. Like just yesterday evening I had these two women come here for personalized sound healing. And so one of the services that I offer is chakra balancing, reiki and sound healing all in one.
And one woman, she turned 50 and the other woman is a couple years younger and she got it for her as a birthday gift. And I love when people give me as a birthday gift. And it was amazing. And they both were so stressed out.
One is a single mom, one is a mom of two teenage girls, you know, and they both have like demanding jobs. And they just came in and they're like, we're just looking for peace. We just want to, to feel good. We're just really stressed out. And by the end, like they, you could just tell, like they were so much calmer, which will now trickle into their family, right? Like into their children and into their loved ones. And they were like, it's so comforting to know you're here for us and to guide us and to help us feel better. And so I checked their energy centers, I balanced their energy centers. I did sound healing for them. I put some of the bowls on them, I guided them through breath work. I, I basically helped them just to really get out of that sympathetic fight orf flight high cortisol, you know, into the parasympathetic rest, digest, be calm, be present. And you know, and this is why I do what I do because the amount of text and the amount of feedback I get, you know, is, is nothing that you can really buy like that. People tell me how much I help them and there's so many things that I do for people. Like I have like 13 services under my wellness umbrella, but obviously yoga and under yoga it's not separate, is breath, work, meditation. That's part of the eight limbs of yoga. Right. And then I was trained in Nepal because I went to Nepal twice for my yoga training and also for sound healing certification. So all my bowls, like my beautiful gong and this are all from handmade in Nepal. So sound healing is a 2000 year old methodology and yoga is a 5000 year old methodology and obviously nutrition coaching. And I also, I blend my HR in to this meaning like I'm PHR certification, professional hr. I went to online to E. Cornell. So I have a certificate in strategic HR leadership. I have certification in coaching to grow, executive coaching to the grow model. So I've taken all of you know, my transferable skill sets and my relationship management, I've weaved it into my. So it's not just woo woo juju but.
[00:23:24] Speaker B: Right, right, yes.
[00:23:25] Speaker A: I'm an intuitive and I can do downloads and if someone comes to me for coaching, I can give you the messages but I can also give you the strategy, the execution and the game plan too.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: All right, so for the novice out there, you say you have 13 services and, and you gave like the, how old they are and everything. What's the oldest service? Oh, what's the oldest thing you, you provide that's been around for all these years?
[00:23:50] Speaker A: What's one yoga 5,000 plus years.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: So tell us, tell us what yoga is for the yoga. No idea.
[00:23:57] Speaker A: Comes from yoga, the Sanskrit word yoga to union. So you know, your individual consciousness to be connected to universal consciousness. It's not a religious thing. Right. I want to be really clear about that because people do get that a little confused in their mind and it's basically yog or yoga is not like hey, I'm just in downward dog. No, it's actually, you know, it's, it's not a physical thing first. It's a way of life. So under yoga there's eight limbs of yoga. And I won't say go into all of them, but the point is that it's a way of life. Of learning how to meditate, because that actually calms the central nervous system, using the breath to actually also, you know, expand your lung capacity, lower blood pressure, all these things. Obviously, it is physical movements as well. It's also under. Yoga is ahimsa, non violence. Right. And so there's so many beautiful things under the philosophy of yoga. And to really, you know, I could. I could study yoga forever and not know everything because it is so old.
[00:25:04] Speaker B: Is there stretching too?
[00:25:06] Speaker A: Yeah. So yoga is the postures. Yeah, Asanas are like the postures part of yoga.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: You got. It's mind, body, spirit, the whole thing, really.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, it is.
[00:25:19] Speaker B: All right, so we got yoga. What's chalk? The chakra. What do you call it?
[00:25:23] Speaker A: Okay, so chakra is like.
Chakras are like. If you could see behind me, there's like seven main chakras, and they're like your energy center. So it's really chakra in Sanskrit. And chakra is real, and it's your wheel of energy, actually. So we all emit energy. That's just science. And so. So why I say chakra wellness, because each chakra, each energy center actually is related to something. So, for example, and disclaimer, I'm not a doctor, but if someone has a thyroid issue, their throat chakra may be either underactive or overact, depending on what their thyroid issue is. So it can actually, you know, be shown in. In the way that your chakra might be blocked in that situation.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: Okay.
Reiki, is that related to chakra?
[00:26:12] Speaker A: No, Reiki is from a different so in. I'm in the USUI USUI method, trained in that of Reiki, and actually came over from Japan.
And I am a Reiki master. And so Reiki is channeling life force energy. And basically, I'm a conduit. So it comes in through me. And then I lay my hands on someone and I'm balancing. So let's say someone hypothetically, like, has hip pain. I may. My hands may automatically go there, and they may feel the heat generating as I'm channeling life force energy and doing that. And I actually have it in a lot of hospitals, too, to provide relief, pain relief, relaxation.
[00:26:52] Speaker B: How is the life force energy and Reiki different from the chakra?
[00:26:59] Speaker A: Yes. So our chakras are. We are emitting that energy, right? Yes. So, like, if I. If I was to take a pendulum and put it over your heart chakra, the circumference of it, you would be moving. You're emitting that energy out.
[00:27:13] Speaker B: Okay. Okay.
[00:27:14] Speaker A: Yes. So you're sending that signal out. Think about like a signal on your phone. Right? Like you're sending it out. Yeah, right. But the, the thing is like the channeling. So I am channeling. So think of like a tower, like a cell phone tower. So I'm channeling that and then here. So I'm trying to make it related to technology so it helps.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: That help. No, that helps. That helps.
[00:27:37] Speaker A: Everything is energy. And if, and if you think about energy, like think about your phone. Your phone connects to the WI fi, It connects to the cell phone tower. Like, we are energetic being.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Energetic being. Okay, all right, so I, So we got those three. What are, what's another service you provide?
[00:27:50] Speaker A: So, yeah, so yoga, breath, work, meditation, Reiki. I actually also do clearings for businesses and houses. Because what happens is your energy can get very stagnant. So if you, you know, I've said, studied feng shui or anything like that, you know, there's certain ways that you can actually position things in your house to call in abundance and peace and love that. But also what happens is. And that's separate than what I do. But literally, you know, their energy can get kind of caught up in corners and think about like, you ever, like walk in somewhere and you're like, this kind of feels weird, like, you know, and so. Yeah, yeah. So you want to open your windows, you want to like burn things like Palo Santo, you want to play high vibrational music. So I actually will rake each corner and I will play different mantras and that will clear the energy out. And it's so interesting because I've done this for houses and businesses and people have literally felt the energy shift. They have had wonderful things happen to them thereafter. Because think about it, you're just perpetuating in this kind of like lower vibrational frequency. We want to bring that to a higher level, especially your home. Like, that's where you are right.
[00:29:01] Speaker B: Right now. If you were doing a clearing at a home or an office, can you do it remotely or you have.
[00:29:08] Speaker A: Yes, I can also do it remotely and I can do, I can do anything that I do pretty much remotely because it's all about like kind of tuning in and clearing the energy. The person there would have to be physically doing some things, then I would. But I, even if I do it in person, I have the person involved because I want them to infuse their own energy.
[00:29:27] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: So I'm like, you're going to call this in while I'm clearing. You're going to call in like abundance and peace and love, whatever you're looking to call in, Right.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: Okay. Wow. So, so what is.
You already told me one good feel good story with those, with the two women who came. That was awesome.
What was the most challenging client where you were able to help them, but it was a little more challenging with your talents.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: Yeah. So I will say that I was working with a doctor who was trained and went to basically a very well known Ivy League medical center school. And so I worked with her for a couple of years, so she was referred to me. But it was trying to get her to understand, not like to kind of get out of the analysis paralysis. Because obviously, listen, she's very smart. Right. High iq, obviously. Right. And so kind of. But she wanted to come to me because she wanted to like increase her spiritual growth and, and, and things like get out of the left brain side and get out of the analytical side and get out of like all of that side. And so I did work with her for a couple of years and actually by the end she really embraced all of this. And if you actually see some actually Ivy League studies, Ivy League universities have done studies on yoga and breath work and meditation. And obviously these methodologies are around for 5,000 plus years still because they're working.
[00:30:55] Speaker B: Right, right, right.
[00:30:56] Speaker A: I think, I think that, that she was one of my most challenging but most rewarding clients because I really had to get her her linear way of thinking, her left brain way of thinking, like, this is the way it is, this is the way it is. And then, and then as I worked with her, she really did believe in the magic of things. And I do say magic, it's not that it's not backed up by science, it is, but there is a magical feeling of when you feel so good internally and when you meditate and when you breathe and when you move a certain way and when you just feel lighter and happier. And that is the magic of, you know, wellness and health and yoga.
[00:31:35] Speaker B: That's what I love about this because there is a combination of magic and, and science and, and it is real. I want to ask you a little about breath work because, you know, I came in from the healthcare field and yeah, you know, I also, I learned that in real life, in our lives, we don't breathe that well. Not, not the right way. Right. And I remember like when you, when you're in the hospital, before they discharge you, many people, they, you have to, they give you this little plastic thing called an incentive spirometer. It's the thing you blow into.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:32:05] Speaker B: And a little plastic bowl has to Go to the top. It just right about unloading from your lungs and then reloading. But it's that deep breath, deep breath out, deep breath in. And they, they do that so we don't get infections when you leave before you leave the hospital.
And, and in real life, how many times have we been so stressed that we realized that we weren't really breathing? We were doing those short breaths. And when you finally take a deep breath, you feel relaxed. There's science behind it. So tell us about breath work and what the mechanism is in the body that actually does help, especially during meditation and stuff like that.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: Yeah, so there's. So breath work actually came from pranayama. So pranayama is one of the limbs of yoga, and prana is your life force energy, and ayama is extension of your life force energy energy. So, you know, it obviously goes together, like the more you breathe, the more you bring oxygen. So the science is right. You're expanding your lung capacity, you're lowering your blood pressure, you're activating your parasympathetic nervous system. And I've seen that thing because I've seen obviously my family members be discharged and get that little handy dandy thing like do with the ball.
So the, the beauty of breath work is there's so many different kinds. So some of the ones that I like to do, like, and they make the Marines actually do this every day for five minutes to have them be calm, cool, and collected. Is the box breathing. So you inhale for four, you hold for four, you exhale for four, and you hold for four. And another way is inhaling for four, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. And that will also calm the whole central nervous system and really expand. Right. And what happens is. And I used to do this when I was under stress. I used to be a chest breather. So my, I would like to have shallow breaths from my chest. And my, my, my breath was not going down my chest, down into the ribcage and down into the belly. But one of the things I do teach people is how to actually work on that and expand all of that. And we need to be trained because if you ever see a baby breathe, a baby knows exactly how to breathe. The belly expand.
[00:34:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:13] Speaker A: And the belly contracts and it's beautiful. And then what happens is life happens. And now we become all these, like, chest breathers and we're perpetuating an. And we're not getting enough oxygen and we're not calming down, and we're stuck in the loop of, you know, fight Flight fawn or freeze or high cortisol or, you know, sympathetic. And so the beauty of it is, if you just look at a baby, you will be inspired to, like, breathe. And breath is free. It's like a free tool available for everyone.
[00:34:45] Speaker B: It doesn't take a lot of time either.
Time and cost.
The. So when. And what's the difference between when you breathe, you breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. What's the. Like sometimes. Is it always in through the nose, out through the mouth, or. Yeah, sometimes in nose, out nose. So, yeah.
[00:35:02] Speaker A: So if you're doing a Such an amazing question, if you're doing a hit class, if you're doing a class where you're like, your heart beats up and you're like, bam, bam, bam. In through the nose, out through the mouth, okay. Otherwise it should be in through the nose and out through the nose. And that keeps your parasympathetic nervous system going. You're in a commerce state.
[00:35:24] Speaker B: So during meditation, it's in through the nose, out through the nose.
[00:35:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: See, I've learned it differently. You go to some of these meditation things, and they do in through the nose, out through the mouth. Why do they do that?
[00:35:34] Speaker A: So those are two. So there's different types of pranayama. So Kapalbhati, which is a type of pranayama or breath work, is when you're like.
But you're trying to. You're trying to excel your energy, you're trying to get energy in. So. But the thing is, most people are already so ramped up that. That I teach more of the calming breath work. The way to do that is if you have someone who is low energy and they're looking to generate more chi or more prana or more life force, then we would do some of those really intense. But that's not something you want to do. And then try to go to bed because now, like, your body's like, hey, I'm up. And like, let's. Yeah. So there's not a right or wrong way, but there's the timing of it. And the reason that I do so much of the in through the nose, out through the nose and the calming one. And like I told you, the box breathing and the 4, 7, 8, or humming Brahmari pranayama is wonderful for calming also the central nervous system and really good for immunity is that we need more of that because we are in this hustle culture. And so I don't really try to teach that. If someone needed that because they're low energy and they came to me, and I say, okay, we'll do it in the afternoon, and we'll have a cutoff time. That will do it. But it's not something I'm going to recommend at night or first thing in the morning, like, when you're trying to, like, just wake up, you know?
[00:36:57] Speaker B: So there's a timing is box. Breathing in through the nose. Out through the nose.
[00:37:01] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:37:01] Speaker B: And it's four, four, four, four, four,.
[00:37:04] Speaker A: Four, four, four. And slow.
[00:37:07] Speaker B: In through the nose, hold for four. Out through the nose, hold for four dot yeah.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: And you want to make sure the belly expands on the inhale, and it stays out on the pause. And then navel towards the side spine as you exhale and stays in as you pause.
[00:37:22] Speaker B: Got it.
[00:37:23] Speaker A: And you can even put your hands there to see, like.
[00:37:26] Speaker B: Okay, I like that. All right, cool. Well, any. Anything else I'm missing?
[00:37:31] Speaker A: Anything else you're missing? Nothing. It just, like, I. I just love what I do. I really feel that it's important. One thing I will say, because I feel like it's a fad right now about sound healing, and I think it's really important to work with people who have done the proper studies, because that can mess up your energy centers. You know, it's not like, you know, sometimes people are just ordering bowls on Amazon and, like, dang, I'm a sound dealer. No offense to people who are interested, but I just would really advise people make sure that when you're working within the energy field, you know, when you're going to, people really ask them, like, what have you studied and. And where have you studied and what have you done and what's your experience and how long have you done? Like, for me, I'm always a student. As. As we had talked offline, I just went to Asia for 95 days, 60 of which I was alone. I was already qigong certified, but. And I went to Chiang Mai because I wanted to study with Grandmaster Montauk Chia and really expand my knowledge with qigong and really bring more of that to my clients, which is another old methodology, about 4,000 years old.
[00:38:35] Speaker B: Now. I had to. I wanted to ask about sound sound. What's it called?
[00:38:38] Speaker A: Sound healing.
[00:38:40] Speaker B: Sound healing. Tell them about sound healing and qigong, and then we'll wrap up because.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: Okay, so sound healing here. So I'm gonna do something for you. I want you to listen to this.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: Okay.
I don't think we could hear it through the.
[00:39:00] Speaker A: So can you hear that?
[00:39:02] Speaker B: I couldn't hear it through the zoom.
[00:39:03] Speaker A: You can't hear It. Okay, well, I will do it for you another time. But what sound healing does, it comes and it actually massages your molecules. So think about it. 2000 years ago they didn't have like pharmacies and Doctors, and even 5,000 years ago they didn't have pharmacies and doctors. So all of these methodologies are still present today because they do have an impact in health. And so what sound healing does is it really calms the body, but it also massages the molecules. And it's a way to balance the energy centers, which I was, you know, mentioning before. In each energy center is related to emotions and also physical physicalities and things like that. So each bowl I have is for each energy center. So let's say somebody has a root chakra bowl, root chakra block. I would use that bowl on them. So sound healing is a wonderful methodology that helps to bring the body back into equilibrium, helps the body to become balanced, massages the molecules and is phenomenal, like phenomenal. And I work a lot with seniors and they feel so good. Like I do sound healings for seniors because they're stressed out also. Yeah, they just feel so wonderful after each session.
So I work with all ages, from really young kids all the way to like 90 year olds. And qigong is like a way to cultivate.
So gong is the cultivate and chi is the prana, like your life force energy. And we're cultivating energy internally so by different breathing techniques, different movements, different types of breath work within that. So that, that is also a very gentle way to cultivate your life force energy inside your body. And there's also. They teach you different ways to take care of your five major organs. Each organ has a color, it has a sound, and to really massage those organs and to detox. I don't think we all wake up and say, hey, let me take care of my lungs today. But if you did, you know, my
[00:41:01] Speaker B: liver needs some love today.
[00:41:03] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So there's like something called like the inner circle. Smile and like on your lungs and you smile left to right.
[00:41:10] Speaker B: And so what are the five organs?
[00:41:11] Speaker A: It's, it's the, the, the five major would be like the liver, the spleen, the heart, the lungs, and the kidneys.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: Kidneys. Okay.
[00:41:22] Speaker A: Wow. Yeah, yeah.
[00:41:24] Speaker B: Okay, okay, yeah.
[00:41:25] Speaker A: And so there's different exercises to stretch them to different sounds for them and qigong and there's different movements for them.
So that's another thing. So, you know, I just think it's really important that you're aligned with the people. It's like even if you go to a therapist, like you want to be aligned with the therapist, right?
[00:41:43] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:41:43] Speaker A: So this is a sort of. This is a, this is a therapy. This is.
[00:41:47] Speaker B: It is, it is a therapy. So like how, like when someone comes in, how do you know they don't know what. They don't know. They don't know what they need. They know how they're feeling. How do you then, how do you decide what service is best for somebody based on what they say they're feeling?
[00:42:05] Speaker A: Yeah. So basically we have an intake meeting. So part of the consultation when they come to me is that we have an intake meeting and I sit down and I discuss with them like, hey, what's going on your life, what's happening? What are you hoping to gain out of today's session? How can I help you? And then we will do a very customized healing session. I usually do some sort of reiki sound, healing, chakra balancing. And then I'll give them, we'll do a debrief and then I'll give them homework because the work needs to continue.
Just pop in and pop out, like fix me if you got to be committed and consistency and commitment is the way to wellness and to a healthy mind, body and spirit.
[00:42:46] Speaker B: Exactly. And I was thinking about those two women. You help them de stress, but then they're going to go home back to the life that caused the stress. They've got to do something to keep it going.
[00:42:53] Speaker A: Right. And I did give them homework.
[00:42:56] Speaker B: Let me know if they did it. I want to know if they.
[00:42:59] Speaker A: I am the person who always gives homework.
[00:43:01] Speaker B: I love it. I love it. Well, the audience certainly has captured the essence of Vinnie and it's a taneja.
[00:43:06] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:43:07] Speaker B: And they're going to want to get in touch with you. So folks, Vinny's website is chakrawellness IO, so go to that. And also on Instagram, Vinnie Taneja. You can find her on Instagram. I got two final questions before we head out. All right, here's the first one. You've got the opportunity of sitting down with 7 to 10 year old Vinnie and you want to give her advice about life. What are you going to tell her?
[00:43:33] Speaker A: I'm going to tell her you're not crazy. I know you want to save the world. You may feel like the spiritual unicorn in school and in your family. You follow your heart and you will shine your brightness because God put a purpose in you. And you know what your soul's purpose is. And keep believing. And keep shining. And believe in the good in the world. There is more good in the world. And you are. You are meant to do what you're meant to do. And don't let anyone steal your magic. Clip your wings. Or dim your light. Light.
[00:44:01] Speaker B: Oh, I love that. Dim your magic. Clip your wings.
[00:44:05] Speaker A: Don't let anyone clip your wings.
[00:44:07] Speaker B: Clip your wings.
[00:44:08] Speaker A: Steal your magic.
[00:44:10] Speaker B: Your magic.
[00:44:11] Speaker A: Or dim your lights.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: Or dim your lights. I love that.
That's awesome advice. All right. All right. Now, you're young businesswoman, young executive. Vinnie, you're sitting down with her and you want to give her advice about business. What are you going to tell her?
[00:44:24] Speaker A: I know it's really scary. I know you feel like the rug's been pulled out from underneath you. I know you don't know what you're gonna do or how you're gonn.
But just remember, every day, do something small, medium or large for your business. Stay committed. Stay true to your values. Make sure that you keep manifesting because manifestation is real. Keep vibing high. And even when the lows are lows, remember, everything happens for a reason. Everything is a lesson. If you don't dwell on the negativity, if you take the lesson and you learn from it and you keep charging forward and. And you keep being true to yourself and to your values, you will continue to make a difference and grow. Don't doubt yourself.
[00:45:06] Speaker B: I love that. And I love when you said vibing high.
[00:45:09] Speaker A: Vibing high.
[00:45:13] Speaker B: All right. Well, Vinny, I want to thank you for coming on. Thank you for coming into my life.
Keep doing what you're doing. You're a wonderful human being. You're doing a lot of good for the world. So keep it up.
[00:45:23] Speaker A: Thank you so much. Namaste.
[00:45:25] Speaker B: Absolutely.
Namaste. Take care, everybody. Take care of yourselves.
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and give us a review. To help others find it, I'd like you to answer this question.
Are you living the life you want to live or are you living the life others want you to live? I'd like you to think about that for a second. Because. Because I strongly suggest you live the life you want to live. If you want to learn more about what I stand for and my services and how I'm able to help many men get out of their own way, please go to my website at www.prophetcompassion.com.
feel free to also email me at drewrophetcompassion.com I'd love to have a conversation with you.
Take care of yourself and choose to write your own story instead of letting others write it for you.
