“After I give an elaborate description of what I do, people are still confused on what I exactly do? ” says Varsha Yadav who is a positive psychology coach, tarot reader, numerologist and a Reiki healer. In her chat with Storiyaan the self-made woman tells us about the toilsome experiences that went behind shifting careers. Having done a masters in PR discovering this journey of spirituality against all odds, wasn’t a cake walk for her. Now that she has been through the mess and things have aligned in her favour she wants to help those who are going through this mental turmoil. She talks to Storiyaan about her journey and guides us through the actual notion of spirituality.
Interview
Questions and answers
When you first decided upon a career change and to steer yourself towards, spirituality, what did your friends and relatives opine about it?
My family thought it was just a phase and as time would pass by, I would eventually “get back to my senses” so they let me pursue it as a hobby. My friends thought it was my way of running away from the emotional trauma. Honestly, I don’t even blame them, our country thinks of spirituality as God and religion, they’re unaware about what it truly means. That is exactly where I step in as a person who spreads awareness about spirituality and mindfulness.
Navigating the negative aspects in your clients' outlook towards life requires you to delve deep into their psyche. How does it affect your persona?
Delving into someone’s psyche and helping them carve a path is both an empowering as well as a draining process. Healing requires you to navigate through a chain of energies, it’s primarily an exchange of energies so on days that I deal with people who are just not willing to make a change towards the better, I get dull by the end of it. Having said that, I do realise that it is a part of my job and have trained myself to get through those dull moments.
Instilling a sustainable positive attitude in a person must take time and effort. Could you walk us through the process a bit?
As a life coach, it is my responsibility to make my clients feel that they’re in a secure space and that they can be their utmost real self with me. I conduct a few exercises to build a relationship with my client, make them feel that the session they’re having with me is a judgement free session, followed by practicing various healing practices.
Having had experienced depression yourself in life, do you believe it makes you more sensitive towards the issues faced by your clients and how does that impact your work?
Having suffered through depression has definitely made me stronger in dealing with situations. So, now that I deal with my clients, I’m more empathetic and sensitive towards understanding their situations better.
You have done your Masters in PR and your current career is much different than your field of study. At what stage did you first realise you’re calling for spirituality?
I have always been interested in Tarot but had never thought of taking it up as my career but when I was at a low phase in my life and I had no idea where I was heading, a tarot reading guided me. It is then when I realised about its impact and how it could drive you towards being a better version of yourself.
Tell us about the time when you were first exposed to the art of reading Tarot Cards and how long did it take for you to master it?
I got my first tarot done by a friend who then also ended up teaching me tarot at an advanced level. It took me over two years of training and practice to master it!
As a Reiki healer, what are some of the initial challenges you had to face while dealing with sceptical clients?
The issue is that people are not ready to accept their own demons, they try to run away from them instead of confronting them. Because of this people sometimes do not respond as quickly to the healing as they don’t let their problems come to the surface level.
Spiritual guidance in our country has been mostly a male-dominated arena. How has the journey been for you as a female spiritual guide?
I personally have not seen any prejudice against women in this field. Infact, I have noticed that people are more comfortable in expressing their problems and showcasing their vulnerabilities in front of women.
Quick 5
a. Your inspiration: My own journey has been my inspiration
b. One greatest regret: Not beginning my spiritual journey sooner
c. Best decision taken in life: Taking an initiative of going to tarot classes in spite of my insecurities and fears at that time!
d. Reiki or numerology: Reiki
e. Your work for you is: Pride!