INTRODUCTION AND INSPIRATION
Q. Can you share a brief background about yourself and what inspired you to start Merahki Holistic Wellness?
I was born and brought up in South Mumbai in a large Marwari joint family. It taught me a lot in terms of culture and how to get along with people of all age groups. One awesome thing has been that my father always wanted daughters and he raised my sister and me as sons. This has helped me a lot in my entrepreneurial journey to be so much more self-dependent.
My school JB Petit has had a huge impact on me. Our principal Ms Darasha used to make us do various forms of meditation, she used to speak about renaissance, etc and that helped me to always think globally. My Jai Hind College and Sancheti physiotherapy years also greatly shaped my personality.
The biggest transformation was when I had the Grace of experiencing my Guru Mahatria (diviner of the path of Infinitheism) in 2002 where I understood the power of my being is more important than only doing, the magic of Silence and the infinite potential of the human spirit.
One of the main reasons to start Merahki Holistic Wellness (MWH) is a very personal one. My mother has conquered 2 advanced stage cancers-breast and brain tumor and lived for 10 years longer than predicted by medical science through the power of Faith in Mahatria , natural home remedies, meditation, and certain holistic therapies. This created a strong desire in me to make a difference to thousands across the globe to live a healthier life through a holistic approach to life.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
Q. How would you describe the holistic wellness approach at Merahki in a few key points?
The very vision of Merahki is “Empowering Humanity towards a holistic life through body-mind soul integration” At Merahki we believe that most often our physical pain is related to our mind and emotions. For example, if a person has upper shoulder pain usually it comes because they are feeling burdened by too many responsibilities they are carrying, if someone has a very stiff body it could be because they have rigid and inflexible thoughts, if someone has leg pain constantly it could be because they are not able to pursue their dreams and go places in life that they want to.
As Mahatria says that a human being has 5 personalities, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Hence if through consistently sitting in the seat of silence we can tap into our spiritual powers then all the other personalities like the body, mind, intellect, and emotions will be taken care of. So instead of only treating our patient for the current pain they have, we add therapies that can also help them in their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
SERVICES AND IMPACT
Q. What specific services or programs does Merahki offer, and how have you seen them positively impact individuals?
- Physiotherapy for Musculoskeletal issues
- Neuro Rehabilitation
- Paediatric rehabilitation
- Post-operative physiotherapy
- Women’s health
- Fitness for children
- Counselling/ Access bar therapy/Bach flower remedies/pranic healing
- Nutrition consultation
- Therapeutic yoga
- Sports rehabilitation
- Mindfulness and Meditation
Q. Can you share a standout success story from someone who benefited significantly from Merahki’s holistic programs?
One of our 78-year young patient had a severe bout of rheumatoid arthritis. He used to come to us in a wheelchair. We initially used to give him basic treatment like Ultrasound to reduce the inflammation, sujok therapy, and gentle stretches. Then he started feeling better and started using a stick for walking. We gradually added more holistic therapies like vedic nutrition, mobilization, craniosacral therapy, cupping, dry needling, and graded exercises. We are happy that now he is able to walk without a stick, he drives, he recently went to London and Singapore. The best part was that last week he told us that now he would like to develop his biceps and if possible grow his hair back on his scalp. It has been very fulfilling for us to experience his journey from struggling to take a few steps to walking with so much more confidence and wanting to again live his life to his fullest at the age of 78.
Like this, we have many success stories which make us feel it is all worth it.
PHILOSOPHY AND PERSONALIZATION
Q. What core principles guide your holistic philosophy, and how do you customize your programs for individual needs?
These are the main values of Merahki
- We will surpass the expectations
- We will respect and empathize with others’ feelings
- We will treat everyone equally
- We will serve with love and devotion
- We will focus on addressing the cause
- We will aim for holistic solutions
- We will protect the privacy
- Fun and creativity are an integral part of what we do
- We consistently help ourselves and others to learn and grow
- Meditation and introspection are an integral part of what we do
- We will lead by example
CHALLENGES AND REWARDS
Q. Have you encountered any challenges in promoting holistic wellness, and how have you navigated them?
I feel one of the biggest challenges is that many are yet not practicing the concept of prevention being better than cure. Many people seek wellness when they are unwell and in pain. But once the pain is better they again stop taking care of their health.
We have been constantly educating people through corporate sessions, talks at various schools and colleges, through our social media pages about being consistent with their wellness journey so that the chances of aches and pains and diseases are minimized and they can enjoy a much better quality of life.
Q. On a personal level, what aspect of your work at Merahki do you find most rewarding?
Honestly, till two years back the most rewarding part for me was to interact with my patients, and actually help them towards healing, and when I used to see them feeling so much better I used to have this inner fulfillment.
Over the last four years, I have been moving towards building Merahki as an organization/as a brand so have started building a team. Currently, the most rewarding thing for me would be to see any of my team members happy personally and professionally and when I receive messages from my patients about how any of my team members have helped them it gives me immense happiness as a mother would feel when their child is praised.
FUTURE VISION
Q. Where do you see the future of holistic wellness heading, and how does Merahki plan to contribute to that vision?
Research shows that holistic wellness is no longer a luxury but becoming a necessity. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, people are becoming so much more health conscious. So many are now eating immune-booster foods, exercising, doing yoga for respiratory health, and seeking mindfulness and meditation to enhance their mental and emotional well-being.
I can see Merahki is becoming a one-stop solution for many of our clients as within this one umbrella they are able to receive guidance on all 4 pillars of wellness-nutrition, exercise, ways to sleep better/be more restful, and meditation.
For so many of our patients, Merahki is just not a noun, but an experience, an emotion. Some of my patients have told us that when they write their gratitude journal me and my team comes first on their list.
ADVICE FOR WELLNESS SEEKERS
Q. What advice do you have for individuals looking to incorporate holistic practices into their daily lives?
One very important life lesson I have learned from my Guru Mahatria -we are ‘Human Beings’ and not ‘Human doing’. Yet most of us are simply moving from doing one activity to the other. If we can consistently work towards strengthening our being then our doing will effortlessly become better. Life will become so much more fulfilling.
Also, I wish for more people to understand that our body is the only vehicle we have to achieve any of our dreams. I see so many still especially in the corporate and finance world work almost for 14 hours plus-no time for health, no time for family, no time for self-growth or to seek silence. Then what is the purpose of them earning so much fame or wealth if it is coming at the cost of their peace, family, and health.
I feel if even 1.5 hours are devoted towards taking care of our body, mind, and soul in various ways we can start experiencing such a magical life.
When we say love you to our family it should come with a great sense of taking responsibility for our wellness first as when we are not well the people who suffer the most are our loved ones.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- In 2016-awarded as the top 50 inspiring entrepreneurs by a popular UK-based company called WeAreTheCity.
- In 2016-awarded as ‘India’s top 5 unsung heroes’ by a corporate company called FEI to recognize her contribution to the field of healing through scientific and artistic ways.
- In 2016-along with her family were awarded ‘The Power of We’ award by the prestigious spiritual mentor Mahatria Ra , diviner of the global path of Infinitheism.
- 2017, 2018, 2019 -was invited as the youngest speaker for a World Spiritual Confluence to inspire wellness and spirituality in corporate environments.
- 2019-She has co-authored a book called ‘One Woman, Two Advanced Cancers, Conquered’ along with her sister Megha Bajaj which has been helping cancer families across the globe and also helping many people towards the prevention of diseases.
- 2023- Dr Nidhi Bajaj Gupta has received the WOW Wellness and Spiritual Awards 2023.
- 2023-Was selected as “the top 10 most promising wellness coaches in India by the Silicon India magazine”
- 2023-Was invited onboard as a Health Guru on the Rediff Guru platform.
- In 2024-Dr Nidhi recently won the Global Naari Samman award 3.0 Women Achievers organised by WEICI India
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Q. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about Merahki Holistic Wellness or your personal journey?
Recently my husband and I have adopted two beautiful children and yes I am striving to balance my professional as well as personal life. It is not easy but yet very fulfilling. Again would like to re-iterate over here that only because I take care of my health I am able to 44 run around with my children as well as manage Merahki well. In fact, when my kids see me roll out my yoga mat every morning they have started doing exercises too. Let us become a blazing inspiration for wellness for our gen next. I feel that is one of the best gifts we can give them.
EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE
I attribute my success to my Guru Mahatria , diviner of the path of Infinitheism. I have heartfelt gratitude for my parents, sister Megha, husband Parikshit, in-laws , my school/college and physiotherapy teachers, family, friends, my company mentor (Mr. Arun: founder@inPace solutions), and patients, Also, I have heartfelt immense gratitude for my core Merahki team (Dr. Payal, Dr. Kajal, Dr. Tanya, Dr. Supriya, Mrs. Shikha, Ms. Pooja, Ria, Sneha, Vaibhav, and our helper staff). They are excellent at their work and very compassionate too. I feel blessed to have them. They are like family to me.
Let us together make a difference one life at a time…
