The Just Being Team

Counselor & Facilitator

To me, each day of life is about building and rebuilding a bridge, to this place within myself that I call home. A place as cosy as a womb and as vast as eternity, embracing me and everyone, as we are, where we are. Building this bridge, finding my way home is not a one-time accomplishment. It is more like a daily prayer, a meditation - sacred, committed, unambitious yet trusting fully. Often it feels like hard toil, at other times it is as joyful as playing with a child and sometimes as restful as a baby sleeping. Whichever way it is, it isn’t a mundane experience . It takes all of me and sometimes, when the weather is very stormy, it also requires a compassionate other, willing to accompany me,holding hands, walking together. I have been blessed to experience this connection at various points in my life’s journey, sometimes with family or friends and at other times with the community at Just Being. I feel blessed to be able to extend this connection to others, in my role as a Mindfulness Based Counselor. I am based in Delhi I am currently pursuing the course on Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy at Just Being. I also work in the area of strengthening leadership in education and child development. My educational background includes a Master’s degree in social work and a doctoral degree in education. My wish is `May all have well-being. May all be home.

Counselor and Facilitator

I am a Rehabilitation Council of India (R.C.I.) registered clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Although I am primarily trained in cognitive behavioural traditions of psychotherapy, I have been developing my own mindfulness practice through training as well as by pursuing the academic research in this area. Being a student of clinical psychology, I strongly believe that the field of psychotherapy has much more to offer than just alleviating the mental health difficulties. As a therapist, I follow more of an eclectic approach in which I offer a compassionate and safe listening space to clients while we work together towards mutually decided goals. I received a Ph.D. degree from Savitribai Phule Pune university and my research primarily focused on the psychological applications of mindfulness, especially with the young population. I completed an M. Phil in medical and social psychology from Central Institute of Psychotherapy in 2013 and have been working in the area of mental health since then. I have completed a post- graduate diploma in Buddhist Psychology and psychotherapy from Pune University, along with the training in ‘Mindfulness Educator Essentials’ from Mindfulschools and Positive Neuroplasticity training by Dr. Rick Hanson. At present, I am receiving training by in Presence-oriented Psychotherapy that is jointly certified by Just Being and Tata Institute of Social Sciences. I have worked in several independent schools and hospitals and I also teach at the M.A. (clinical Psychology) course at Symbiosis college of Arts and commerce.

Counselor & Facilitator

As a counselor at Just Being, I draw from my conviction that being choicelessly aware of the unfolding of every moment with compassion brings about healing and transformation and unlocks great human potential. I hail from a small village near Pune. I have a decade of experience in the field of education as an environmental educator, counselor, coach, mentor, facilitator, curriculum designer, researcher and a teacher trainer. I have engaged with wide-ranging populations around the world, including children, teenagers and adults in varied settings - indigenous, rural and urban communities. My professional career includes working with Teach for India, Ed-Visions Schools, Global Citizen Year and the Krishnamurti Foundation, where I co-designed group learning, personal transformation and social-change opportunities with young people. I have volunteered with social organizations such as Initiatives of Change, Servas and Shikshantar. I hold a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard and a under graduate degree in Business Administration from Symbiosis University. I am also a certified counselor in Mindfulness-Based Counseling and Listening with Embodied Presence from Just Being. I am currently pursuing a PG Diploma course in Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy jointly certified by Just Being and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TSS) in Mumbai. In addition, I am a regular Vipassana practitioner and a certified Yoga instructor from Bangalore, Rishikesh and Cambridge, MA. I have also completed my M.Sc. in Psychotherapy from IBMS, Andhra Pradesh. I am passionate about experiential, holistic learning and exploring the creative potential of education for a fundamental, radical transformation in human consciousness. I recognize mindfulness based listening and inquiry oriented dialogue as an important component of this process. My dreams are that of a more beautiful, joyful, kinder and a greener world for all and I enjoy contributing towards its ongoing unfolding.

Counselor & Facilitator

Meeting life and all it brings, every day, with joy, kindness and a touch of humour, is an ongoing journey for me. On completion of a certificate course in Mindfulness Based Counselling : Listening with Embodied Presence at Just Being, I have mostly been engaged in one on one personal counseling sessions, working with a varied client base. I believe in the inherent wholeness of all beings and am passionate about learning ways to support myself and others in reconnecting with ourselves and a sense of wholeness. I am an art-based therapist and have trained under experts in the visual art therapy field in India and UK and am a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner. I am currently pursuing a PG Diploma in Mindfulness and Presence Oriented Psychotherapy jointly certified by Just Being and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. As a former Wildlife Biologist and Zookeeper, I attribute my work with animals with whom I shared no formal language and yet sensed a deep connection with, as both, a glimpse into a capacity for an innate intuitive awareness, and it also laid a strong foundation for my exploration in the field of mindfulness and somatic awareness. I am an avid reader and I love taking care of stray dogs, baking with my son, and love to play my part in the making of a kinder world.

Counselor & Facilitator

I primarily practice a mindfulness and presence-oriented process in my practice with clients, and work with adult audiences. I offer movement and visual art modalities in my sessions, but my current focus is largely within trauma-informed work and attachment work. I’m also a focusing practitioner, and offer one-on-one sessions to clients based on Eugene Gendlin’s focusing modality. My trainings include a Diploma in Counselling (Tata Institute of Social Science), Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy (Just Being), Somatic Experiencing (SETI, ongoing), Certificate in Visual Art in Therapy and Dance Movement Therapy Certificate (Artsphere), Focusing (ongoing), Transactional Analysis (ongoing).

Coordinator & Counselor

In the deepest corners of my heart is a longing for a world rooted in empathy, compassion and wisdom. For me, Just Being is an authentic space that mirrors exactly that. I sense that whoever walks in this place does not walk out untouched by kindness. I strongly resonate with Just Being’s work in the field of mindfulness. I work in the capacity of a coordinator here and ensure smooth and effective coordination between Just Being Center and people looking for services that the center provides, mostly with respect to Training Programs and Corporate, School and Social Projects. I was born and brought up in the cozy city of Bhopal (Central India) and hold a bachelor’s degree in commerce and have majored in Philosophy, with a gold medal, both from the University of Delhi. I have completed a one year PG Diploma in “Buddhist Psychology and Psychotherapy” from the University of Pune, and a course in “Mindfulness Based Counseling - Listening with Embodied Presence” from Just Being Center in affiliation with St. Mira’s College, Pune. I am pursuing a two year PG Diploma in "Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy" jointly offered by Just Being Center & Centre for Lifelong Learning- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Holding a keen interest in philosophy, psychology and spirituality, my passion lies in inner exploration and holistic healing modalities, with a deep liking especially for modalities rooted in mindfulness. I am currently a mindfulness based practitioner and offer listening spaces. I also look at art as a medium for catharsis and connection, and love to express myself through singing and perform at concerts occasionally.

Coordinator

As a student of the ‘Mindfulness Based Counseling: Listening with Embodied Presence’ course, I instantaneously got drawn into the kind and accepting energy, that the space and the team of ‘Just Being’, offers. The earthy aura of the classroom and my diverse classmates turned into a beloved community “who came together with Mindfulness, Compassion and Wisdom”. In this environment I am deeply connected with the aspect of ‘Wholeness’, that we all have a deep inherent capacity to know, love, connect and no life experience can take that capacity away from us. My love for social psychology and community fieldwork and my continual interest in the area of mental health, brought me in touch with the Just Being Center. As a Coordinator, my workspace environment allows me to naturally rope in my organisational skills and my love to work with people. I look into individual, group and corporate counselling services; coordination with regard to online mindfulness circles and workshops; and the daily internal management systems at Just Being. I have pursued a Masters in Sociology from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration from Indo German Training Centre. With an overall work experience of ten years, I worked as an accredited Sociologist in the area of Environmental Impact Assessment for a renowned consultancy organisation in Kolkata, for seven years. I love to look out from the Center’s balcony, where the beautiful green trees soothes my vision, where I hear the rustles of the Tibetan flags in the cool breeze and my eyes look up to the slow effortless flight of the eagles. In moments like these, I feel I listen to the words of the universe “when we take something from the ‘Whole’ that too is ‘Whole’”

Administration and Accounts

I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I have graduated in B.com (Honours) from the University of Pune and I currently assist with the accounts, library and administrative tasks of Just Being. I love working at the Center as I get a lot of support with learning new skills, be it related to working digitally or my own communication skills. I am grateful that after a gap of eight years from working life, I got to work in Just Being's space. I feel I have become a much more patient person ever since I have joined. Whenever I enter the space, I feel peaceful. I hope to continue working here and contribute in many more ways in the future.