Megha T. is a published Author, Mindfulness Coach, and Meditation + Yoga Expert. She helps South Asian women master stress and find balance in daily life through ancient secrets of Mindfulness and the Yogic path.

What does it mean to be a mindfulness coach?

For me, being a Mindfulness Coach means I help ambitious women of color live the balanced lifestyle they desire. 

Mindfulness is a core value for many women. But when we feel stressed or uncertain, it can be difficult to remember mindfulness. That’s where I come in. I hold a strong vision of what's possible for my clients - a balanced, mindful lifestyle - even as they come up against overwhelm and stress.

Why have you decided to dedicate your life/career to helping people with mindfulness?

I am devoted to helping people with mindfulness because mindfulness completely transformed my life. I was introduced to mindfulness from a young age. At my temple’s sunday school, I learned about mindfulness and meditation when I was nine years old. Also, my grandfather was the most mindful person I’ve ever met. His resilience, balance, self-care, presence and wisdom were unmatched and unlike anything I had encountered. He was my first teacher. I learned through observing him at home. 

As a young adult, I felt unfulfilled and burnt out from my legal and corporate careers. I turned fully to mindfulness. The self-awareness and expanded consciousness I developed saved me and transformed me into the person I always was - underneath all the gunk that my legal and corporate careers created. 

I know the power of mindfulness and absolutely love sharing that with South Asian women and all women of color.

Why do you feel it is important that you specifically help women of color with their mental health and personal growth?

I know through personal experience that in South Asian culture, there are a lot of expectations and ways of being that we take on. It’s common for South Asians to experience codependency, enmeshment, anxiety and low self-worth. 

Women of color and South Asian women have unique challenges. I know because I’ve experienced them and worked through them. It’s my calling and purpose to guide women of color through these unique challenges because I can personally relate to them and have the expertise of how to compassionately work through them. I hold a strong vision for my women of color clients because when they do mindfulness work, they open the doors to inner peace, a balanced lifestyle and true happiness in their lives! And that totally lights me up!

What do you wish that all women knew about mental health/self-care?

I wish that all women knew that self-care is not all about rose quartz face rollers and epsom salt baths. Don’t get me wrong, I love face rollers and baths - but real self-care starts with stripping away the beliefs and conditioning that are no longer serving you. This is not a glamorous process. I think that’s why it’s so easy to skip over. It can be messy, teary and dark. 

But the beautiful thing is that once you go through this process, you’ll clean out the cobwebs in your soul and the most authentic version of yourself will emerge. Isn’t that amazing?!

You’ll no longer try to run away from your stressful life by taking a salt bath - instead, you’ll take a salt bath because you know the most authentic version of yourself loves to take salt baths! It’s a subtle difference that is so life-changing. It will be a much more meaningful and nourishing experience when you engage in self-care practices. 

There is nothing more powerful than a woman who practices self-care because she understands and honors her true identity. Ugh, I love this stuff!

In your opinion, what is the best way to improve one’s mental well-being?

Start with gratitude. Gratitude is one of the first things I recommend because it’s so easy, accessible to do from anywhere and has the power to transform your life.

If you’re new to gratitude, start by making a list of 10 things you’re grateful for every Sunday. As you get more comfortable, move onto making a list of 10 things you’re grateful for every morning before you start your work day. 

You don’t need any fancy journals to do this, just paper and pen will do. This is also a great practice to do with your partner or the whole family! 

You’ll find that doing gratitude consistently will put you in a constant state of gratitude. This is such a powerful shift I’ve experienced myself. Even when I’m not making my list, I feel thankful throughout my day. If something doesn’t happen as expected, I find myself being grateful and making light of it. If something wonderful happens, I find myself being grateful and attracting even more wonderful things. Try it for yourself and see how your life changes!

What has the pandemic taught us the most about mental health/self-care?

The pandemic taught us that self-care and mindfulness have to be constant anchors in our lives. 

We are in a society that normalizes being busy, stressed and overwhelmed. When something unexpected and disruptive happens, such as a global pandemic, we don’t have the toolbox to handle it.

We must stop glorifying being busy and start prioritizing real self-care and mindfulness in daily life. 

Mindfulness is priceless because it’s a strong anchor or north star that can always keep us balanced, nourished and happy. What is more important than that?

What stresses you out the most?

Right now, what’s stressing me out is house stuff. We anticipate closing on our house anytime in the next 1-3 months and then we are doing a bunch of renovations. Because of Covid, it’s unclear what materials may be back ordered or unavailable entirely. The uncertainty around when we will actually be able to move in and thinking about moving all our stuff from storage into the new home is stressful. It’s a great opportunity to practice being mindful and take things one day at a time, even when there are a lot of moving parts (haha)!

How do you practice self-care?

I practice self-care by:

• Setting and enforcing clear boundaries with myself and others

• Connecting with Spirit and the divine regularly

• Speaking kindly to myself 

• Nourishing my body, mind and soul

• Moving my body regularly

• Making time in nature a priority

• Honoring my relationships and friendships 

• Expressing gratitude every day 

• ...and of course, doing all the epsom salt baths and face masks that I can!

What top 3 lessons have you learned the hard way and why?

1. Only I am responsible for my emotions, my results and overall, my life. This was a hard one to learn because I went through so much struggle in blaming my circumstances and the people closest to me for the challenges I faced. If something didn’t go “right” or “my way,” I was quick to blame someone or something. When I finally accepted responsibility for my life, I realized that no one is out to get me. I have the power to create my emotions and my reality in every moment! Of course, there are people who do bad things that can hurt; taking responsibility means we don’t condone their behavior but choose how to respond to it. 

2. There is more to life than hustle, grind and hard work. As the oldest child in a South Asian family from an immigrant background, I grew up believing that multiple academic degrees, a prestigious career and working hard for a long time were all necessary and praise-worthy accomplishments. I’ve had to do a lot of deconditioning and deep spiritual work to detach my worth from how hard I hustle. I know now that I am worthy and deserving because I exist. This is a tough but important lesson for second-generation immigrants to learn. 

3. Nothing is more essential than a good night’s sleep, a balanced diet and getting your body moving every day. There were periods in my life during law school and in my corporate career where I had trouble sleeping, didn’t give any attention to what I was putting in my body and rarely made time for physical activity. Without these three things, I was irritable, anxious and just not myself. Now that I’ve learned the value of sleep, nutrition and exercise, I make them a priority, not a luxury. And these three things literally give me life and bring out the best in me. My soul needs good sleep, nourishing foods and physical activity to thrive!

What 5 things do you love about yourself?

• I love my eye for beauty and functionality. I can make anything look gorgeous and operate functionally at the same time. 

• I love how I pour into my cup first because I know I can help and guide others only to the extent that I’ve nourished myself first.

• I love my calm, peaceful and serene nature. I love how infectious it is for others that enjoy my company. 

• I love how I savor the present moment above all else. 

• I love how I flow with the ups and downs of life, I love how I trust the unfolding of my life and I love how I surrender to divine timing.

What keeps you up at night?

Either 1) wondering how to take better care of our planet, what it will look like for our children and how to be more sustainable in my day-to-day life OR 2) all the ideas I have for my business.

What do you do when you can’t sleep at night?

Meditate or Pranayama (yogic breathing exercises).

Name one thing you’re really afraid to do and explain why.

Any high risk physical activity like sky-diving or bungee jumping because it feels like too much potential for something to go wrong.

What has had the greatest impact on your life, good or bad, and why?
Getting married because it opens my heart every day in unexpected, beautiful and messy ways.

Do you have any bad habits you wish you could break? What are they?

Less planning and more flowing.

What do you think is keeping you from complete happiness?

Absolutely nothing. :)

What’s your happy place?

Going swimming and sitting in a garden on a sunny day.

What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness, as I teach it, is the overarching lifestyle you create for yourself that is balanced, intentional and based on real self-care. 

Meditation, on the other hand, is a technique for relaxation, focus and inner peace. Meditation can also be used as a way to connect to your Spirit, divine source or God. It all depends on your needs and your intention for practicing.

Is there anything else you want to say on this topic?

Yes, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Rumi quotes, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Publish date: April 5, 2021