“It was in my search of purpose that I realised wellbeing of another human being is of great importance to me.”
Cherished for her smile and positivity, Nuthan Manohar is familiar to us as the Yoga Teacher behind the Me Met Me Yoga Center. Her centre had been adjudged the best centre in Ernakulam for many years, had won international recognition and was the birth point of the social movement for disaster management Anbodu Kochi.
Since 2017 she has been focusing on her workshops and research and has carved out a formidable niche in Europe. Nuthan is an MBA and her corporate tenure included being the Regional Manager for the Asia Pacific for global brands like Oreos, Kraft Cheese etc. At 28, she managed 11 countries and then decided to answer her calling for health and wellbeing. Armed with her background in research and behaviour she combined it with various courses in Yoga including a Masters Degree to create over 90 modules to improve specific conditions such as stress, depression, winter depression, autoimmune and immunity-related issues, bipolar disorder, menstrual and menopausal discomfort etc.
A true polymath, she is also a perfumer, but with a strict focus on therapeutic Ayurveda based perfumery.
“It was in my search of purpose that I realised wellbeing of another human being is of great importance to me. The first step was to treat myself well, Yoga greatly helped in that. Yoga also heightened my sense of smell and I started blending pure essential oils to change my state of mind and body. I have spoken at length about it in my TEDx Talk on Perfumes. Once my project got selected at the prestigious Indian Institute of Bangalore, I worked towards personalising the essential oil blends for each individual. I offer it along with my workshops revolving around stress, insomnia, focus, heartbreak etc. Hopefully, in the near future, I can start my line of personalised perfumery as well.”
With her team of researchers, mentors and many well-wishers who have benefited from her knowledge; she is all set to start teaching at some of the finest universities and corporates in Europe. What is striking about her is not her commitment to research, but her deep sense of empathy for others.
Once the lockdown was announced and people worldwide slipped into a spiral of anxiety, Me Met Me evolved to empower those who needed it the most- students. This is done online and the Me Met Me team has expanded to meet the demands.
While social distancing and isolation are meant to protect you, it deeply affects children’s mental health and growth due to the lack of activity, fun and learning. When educators and Student Police in Kochi convened, it was found that children were under stress and anxiety, subject to boredom, feeling demotivated and uninspired. Based on extensive research, online sessions to alter behaviour and mood were proposed.
Nuthan was tasked with researching, designing and training children.
“Having worked in behaviour for over 15 years and wellness since 2010, I immediately started researching the mental health areas that needed intervention. It was found that students were lacking motivation, felt stressed, discouraged and helpless. Hero’s Mind was designed to help these students with five engaging 40 minute online sessions to reclaim joy, motivation and purpose.
Discussions are on to make the sessions available for all children in our state. The content is at par with similar personal mastery sessions at Harvard & Yale.”
“What started as a 30 student online session is now helping 1400 children find inspiration and energy through stories and simple techniques that turn them from ordinary into a hero. We are proposing to make these valuable sessions open to all children in the district. It was noted that many students took permission to attend the same session over and over again as it really lit them up and sparked joy,” said T R Rajesh, Game Changer Initiator, ACP (District Crimes Record Bureau) Ernakulam.
So this lockdown, Nuthan has stayed true to her purpose by offering online employee wellness solutions and youth personal mastery sessions to help find joy, peace and purpose.
“Secret of happiness is purpose. When all of your being is lead towards higher purpose happiness becomes a habit. I have had my fair share of failures, mistakes and disappointments. At worst they were short term setbacks. But nothing compares to the passion for wellbeing that keeps me up at night.”
