SOMA Breath
A certified “legal drug dealer” at just 24-years-old, Niraj was eager to bring good health to his local community as a pharmacist. Instead he was a firsthand witness to patients going home with shopping bags full of drugs, but never getting better. In fact, he saw regular patients were often prescribed even more medication to counteract the negative side effects of the initial medication! These people were staying sick, and some were actually developing even more sickness and disease. Something didn’t seem right. The stress and overwhelm of his corporate and unfulfilling lifestyle eventually caught up with him. Diagnosed ulcerative colitis, Niraj was housebound with this debilitating illness for almost a year. He was told by doctors that his condition was incurable and that he would have to take medication for the rest of his life. Just like his pharmacy patients, Niraj suffered the awful side effects of medication, leaving him feeling completely hopeless. It was here that Niraj was presented with the choice that would mark the turning point in his life: act as a guinea pig for a new and untested drug, or undergo a colectomy (surgical removal of the colon). Niraj chose neither, and took the option unknown to conventional medicine and even to himself. Niraj embarked upon a journey of profound healing. He learnt from people who had great success in curing themselves or others from chronic illness. He studied and learned to implement natural treatments including Ayurvedic practices and dietary advice from Paleo and SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) branches. He studied spiritual healing methods like meditation and Yoga. He also studied mind power techniques like self hypnosis and NLP. Niraj even discovered the powerful techniques of sound and music therapy as tools for reducing stress and promoting physical and emotional healing thanks to my lifelong love for music. Niraj broke free from the burdens of his illness without medication. Experiencing this illness provoked an even greater empathy for the pharmacy patients of his past. Niraj’s struggle with severe illness forced him to completely reinvent his life and rethink how he wanted to help other people do the same. Of course Niraj no longer practices as a pharmacist: his entire perception of disease and how to cure it changed through his experience. Niraj believes that the stress associated with modern living is the root cause of disease and poor health, and that treatment and prevention begins with self-belief.
