What is the biggest lesson you can learn from breathwork and meditation? How can a tragic event alter the course of your life? Can consistent meditation practice build resilience in a person? MEET KUSHAL CHOKSI Kushal Choksi is an author, entrepreneur, and a chocolatier. He practices and teaches breathwork and meditation. And once upon a time, he was a Wall Street trader. Kushal started his career as a quantitative analyst with Goldman Sachs. He left his position as Vice President of Asset Management there to join Athilon, an investment fund. Having helped ramp up a $45 billion portfolio, he then moved to India to join BlackRock's Fixed Income business, where he managed billions of dollars in funds. After returning to New York, he submitted to his passion for entrepreneurship and started his own tech startup. He and his wife now run Elements Truffles, a New York-based artisanal chocolate company built on values of Ayurveda, sustainability, giving back, and ethical trade. Kushal is a trainer of personal development, meditation, wellness, and leadership programs for the Art of Living Foundation. He has taught secrets of breathwork and meditation to thousands across the US, Europe, and Asia. Visit Kushal's website and read his book, On a Wing and On a Prayer. Connect with him on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. IN THIS PODCAST: Kushal's lessons from breathwork The impact of life-altering events Meditation for resilience Kushal's lessons from breathwork I've been practicing and meditating for 15 years. One of the biggest lessons I learned was this is the game of losing. The more you lose, the more you win. (Kushal Choksi) You lose: - Stress - Depression - Limiting concepts - Limiting conditioning of your mind that keeps you stuck in reactive patterns Everything that we do comes from a pattern in our mind that was formed due to previous experiences that we have had. These patterns can be changed by awareness, pausing, and acting intentionally. Both mediation and breathwork provide you with the ability to be aware and to pause, and these combined enable you to act and make changes with intention. Losing these patterns and impressions through breathwork makes us feel so at ease and at home. This is the game of losing, losing all of these things, to become a better version of yourself. (Kushal Choksi) The impact of life-altering events Tragedies can make people more receptive to new spiritual paths because impactful events in life make people pause and take a moment to ask bigger questions, instead of being caught up in the bustle of life. An event like this can create that sense of, "what just happened to me, and what am I doing?" (Kushal Choksi) The most recent global event has been the pandemic. It caused almost every person to ask the same questions and to look at their life, how they are living, and question whether it aligns with them or not. Are you putting in the effort that you want to in your job, your relationships, and your passions? Or are you distracted by the bustle of everyday life? Meditation for resilience A daily practice of meditation and breathwork can build resilience in a person. So much so, that when life gives them challenges, they are not swayed too much, because they have a sense of stability within themselves. Meditation and breathwork provide people with detachment and calmness which helps them relate more calmly to their emotions; they cannot be swayed by them instantly. You become so natural, you become so resilient and strong that you can move through challenges without getting tossed around. That inner sense of confidence and strength lets you cut through these obstacles. (Kushal Choksi) Connect With Me Instagram @holisticcounselingpodcast Facebook Join the private Facebook group Sign up for my free email course: www.holisticcounselingpodcast.com Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Resources Mentioned And Useful Links: BOOK | Kushal Choksi – On a Wing and a Prayer: Spirituality for the Reluctant, the Curious and the Seeker Visit Kushal's website. Connect with him on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The Therapeutic Power of Drumming with Greg Whitt: Bonus Episode Visit www.holisticcounselingpodcast.com for a free email course for Becoming a Holistic Counselor Practice of the Practice Podcast Network