In the process of healing, Davis Broach heals others also

He turned his back on his career as an investment professional and began his journey of self-discovery. Read all about his #PassionToPaycheck journey.

Sometimes, when life blindsides you, it changes your perspective and you’re all the better for it. Davis Broach was well up the corporate ladder when his personal life went into a tailspin. He had started his career as an investment professional for small and medium enterprise (SMEs), specialising in private equity targeting social enterprises and emerging markets. With an MBA in international finance and MS in development management along with a few sector-specific certifications, he was doing pretty well for himself.

But his total dedication to his career came at a price. He soon learnt that he was in for a divorce. With his personal life shattered, his outlook towards his professional life changed. His disillusionment led him to quit in early 2014. “In a sense, I was very lucky that everything sort of crashed around me at the same time, because it was easier to realise that I wasn't in my career for me. In fact, as I looked around, I couldn't really see anything that I was truly doing was for me and my happiness. After a few minor attempts in various directions, I decided that I needed to better understand myself before I could ever pursue happiness and so I spent some time in an ashram.”

Back to the roots

In his quest to find himself, Davis spent two years at the Shri Kali Ashram under Bhagavan Shri Shanmukha Natha, a guru of the Shaivite Agamas and Tantras, one of the oldest traditions still taught in India today. It was during this time that he casually started practising hatha yoga. Davis also trained in Yoga Therapy (Diploma) in the tradition of Swami Satyananda Saraswati and is certified in Ashtanga Ayurveda Therapy and Ayurvedic Panchakarma Treatments by the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center (Goa) and the Athreya School of Ayurveda (Kerala).

Davis didn’t stop there. Discovering new ways to heal oneself, he trained to be a Thai Yoga Massage/Bodywork therapist at the Inner Mountain School of the Healing Arts and is undergoing Medical Qi Gong studies in the Tian Ji Dao tradition. He realised he had at last found his groove.

Helping others help themselves

In 2015 he founded Mindful Pursuit, a holistic lifestyle and wellness practice that applies the traditional Indian and Chinese life sciences of Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and Siddha, and Qi Gong to integrate, explore and cherish the unique expression of one’s inner self. Mindful Pursuit offers a range of wellness options, among them yoga, massage, pranayama, and flowing meditation, to mindfully pursue one’s inner journey with serenity, confidence, balance and strength. He started off by signing his first corporate contract with the Lalit Group.

Still some inner struggles

In his path of self-discovery, Davis says his main challenge has been to have the courage to follow his own voice. “I still find it difficult not to measure or compare myself with others: I will never know everything, I can only know what I know and experience. While I have known that I cannot shoehorn myself into the ideal of what society imagines a yoga teacher to be, it has been a challenge to follow my heart.” Learning to love oneself and others for what they are and treating everyone equally is what he endeavours to achieve some day. Being a highly structured person, he finds a flexible work life difficult. But slowly he is learning that when you pursue something with passion rather than discipline, it leaves ambition behind.

Dealing with it

“The yoga I teach is grounded in tradition but has also been tested by science to encourage and incorporate a relaxation response into the subconscious mind as a method to encounter and address stress, rather than the fight-or-flight responses in which we are often conditioned to respond. In other words, it cultivates a deep space of inner relaxation and one's ability to generate this state in oneself. Very slow and meditative. Quite different from most people's experiences. Because these practices are not for everyone -- I refer many people to yoga teachers and massage practitioners that better match their interests -- I only provide classes and treatments by appointment (best after a consultation) and for groups.”

Reaching out

During one of his yoga class for the LGBTQ community’s trekking organisations, he realised their need for self-acceptance and self-integration. In future he would like to partner with organisations that are supportive of the LGBTQ community and help them understand and accept themselves and others.

Davis’s journey still continues and he’s taking others also with him to reach a better place.

Read other such inspiring #PassionToPaycheck stories brought to you by Signature Startup here.