Meet Sapna Bafna

Sapna, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I was working in corporate America doing a job that fit many bills. My family and friends were proud of where I was in my career. I thought I was too. But I struggled to feel good even when everything on paper was fantastic.

My company’s internal website had a section that featured ” The most interesting person to work with”. One employee was selected per month. I was selected for this interview. While recording this interview with the organizer something dawned on me. I kept taking passionately about the meditations/yoga courses I did, my holistic and spiritual upbringings in a small town in India, the ancient scripture that I had been learning etc. During and after the interview I felt HAPPY. This happiness was different. It was real, it had a deep sense of peace and purpose attached to it. I realized that even when my job scored perfect at so many levels, it did not feed my soul.

I made a decision to stop fooling myself and to give all the time and energy I had to foster my true passion. Not too long after I found myself quitting my job without having a plan for what would do next. It’s been over 5 years since then and I have been on this journey of learning, healing and discovering myself like never before. It is truly making me happy.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Sapna and I am an Engineer turned holistic health practitioner. Through my journey, I learned and experienced that our mind governs the chemistry, biology and physics of our body in a pretty significant manner. What plays in the equations of our mind are the stories, beliefs and hurts that we have held through the passing years. These stories have helped us grow and mold our lives into what we are today. A lot of them have served their purpose and have hit their expiration date .These stale stories interfere with our health and well-being. Detoxing the mind can go a long way in restoring our current and future health.

I now use my experience and training to help my clients through my venture, ‘ManahShakti’.

At ManahShakti I believe in providing effective, all natural, simple and safe solutions which are also self-help techniques. Empowering clients is close to my heart and I equip them with several skills so they can take care of themselves through life.

Through various mind-body therapies that utilize nothing but a persons mind, body and breath, I help individuals bring harmony and healing to their physical and emotional issues. Through our work together, I help them find their inner strength and inner peace, which helps them realize their potential. The awareness, clarity, and resolution that the clients get come from their own subconscious, and hence the healing is permanent.

Each session is 90 minutes long and we work on actively releasing old stories. It starts with compassionate inquiry using a somatic-based approach that gently uncovers and releases layers of childhood trauma, constriction and suppressed emotion embedded in the body, that are at the root of physical and mental illness and chronic conditions.

We start with a specific intention – what is it that you would like to get out of our time together (for example: “I would like to explore my discomfort around… / my feeling of anger/fear/… about / my pain in my stomach.. / my recent altercation with my dad.. etc.”). We find the root of the current situation embedded in childhood memories. Sometimes the emotional charge surfaces in the form of a sensation and not a story. Regardless of the form, when the unfolding is observed with neutrality and curiosity, its impact drops.

Every session is a process of active offloading of past baggage as well as a huge revelation of the brighter side of clients life. Based on the work done in the session, a customized growth work is provided which is designed to enhance the new learnings. The techniques provided in the growth work when practiced daily for a few weeks greatly enhances the healing process. With practice they become second nature and support my clients in handling several small and medium issues on their own at home.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. I don’t give up easily. No matter if I fail or get criticized or don’t receive enough validation from others, I pick myself up and start afresh. I am not sure where I learned this skill, but I have somehow have managed to retain the enthusiasm that I had when I started this journey. Every day feels like a new beginning.

2. I am constantly learning. I am enrolled in 3 to 4 courses at any given point in time. I have unending hunger to learn more and know more. I hear my husband say “ Another course!!! ???” every time I enroll into a new program. But he has learned to get over it by now :). He knows I won’t stop.

3. I reinforce to myself that what the other person did or didn’t do was based on their conscious understanding of the world and subconscious programming spanning generations and lifetimes. I am no one to judge. I will act based on my consciousness and I respect others actions.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

My ultimate goal is Self realization!! It’s a tall order. But I know that the work from this lifetime will decide my next life. In terms of spiritual progress I will pickup in the next life where I left off in this life. So I will focus on accelerating my spiritual journey. I will spend a lot of time with my family and friends. I will make that trip to Bhutan and the Himalayas for sure.