My Journey and NEIKI

Understand Who I Am, How I Got Here and What I Do

A double rainbow appeared today. It felt like dreams can come true. Hope walked in on tip-toes and after 4 years of pondering on this idea, some unseasonal rain and some sunshine – when I got down to writing this story.

I love fitness. It’s an honest day’s work. You can’t fake it. Your hard work is visible. The results are tangible. It requires discipline.You can’t be deemed the best because you are your boss’s favourite. It shows that you respect yourself and take care of yourself.

The wise say that ‘being in control is an illusion’, still it’s when I’m working out, is when the illusion is most vivid.

Since I can remember, I have set aside time to move everyday. Whether is was park time after junior school or team practise during university or weight training now and for the last decade plus. My laughter is the loudest and my energy at its peak when I am breaking a sweat. My workouts are one of my favourite parts of the day - they are top of list with playing with my kids, reading and dressing up.

Working out makes my bad days better and is definitely a part of my productive ones.

I don’t remember a time when my dad was in bed in the morning when I woke up. He was always out for his walk. We used to make fun of him because he used to carry an umbrella and walk when it was raining. Who could gauge the impact this would have. Yup, I got it from my dad.

When I was a kid, after school I would gobble up my food and run to the park (which made my mum mad) where I was busy playing for hours. Many afternoon tantrums and arguments are etched in my memory. I was picked first to form a team by my playmates. I remember being faster and stronger than the boys I played with. I grew up playing and loving basketball. Sports was something I understood without trying. I brought me joy and recognition.

I continued playing basketball through college, alas, till it was time to seriously think about how to make a living and have a career. I wanted to be part of a progressive and positive work environment. This was my first long-term break-up from my daily routine. Instead of waking up at 6 am for my morning cardio followed by skills practice I started revising for competitive exams into the night.

Over the next few years, I got a masters in business administration and worked with various multinational companies. These were small steps. I don’t think I understood the significance of the experiences was I gathering or how it will serve me in the later years of my life.

I got a married in 2011 to someone I met at my workplace. I though I was with the person, with whom I will spend my life. It didn’t work out. The breaking up of my family was traumatic like it must be for every one who is pulled apart.

I became a mother at a very convoluted juncture of my life. I was separated (not divorced), living alone and dating someone and we were wondering if our life goals ran in parallel to each other to have a peaceful life together, despite the love we felt for each other. Plus he did not want any kids having one from his past marriage.

I decided to have my baby, under any circumstances before I even before I told a single soul. Most people around me did not react well - parents, boyfriend, and my boss. After all we live where we live. In New Delhi, where it was not usual to come across an unmarried pregnant women flourishing in her pregnancy. And flourishing I was with a complete sense of calm.

A lot of thing made this possible. First and foremost, I was financially independent. I could afford a comfortable life for my self, the medical care I would need and the needs of the baby on the way. I was also surrounded by a supportive group of friend who induced nothing but positivity in my life. In addition, I had unshakable belief in the love my parents and sibling had for me to know that they would come around.

Anoop and me decided to give us a chance and be together. My son Raghav was born in May 2017. My step-son Vivaan, aged 9 then, became a permanent member of our household with his little brother coming in.

I don’t know whether this course of action was foolish or brave. But the universe has been kind to me. Today, it feels like the best decision I ever made. Today, I am surrounded by people who love and care for me and want to be around me. All three boys want to get a dog now, so we argue about that. They are all lazy bums. Actually, Raghav not so much.

Motherhood gave me the kind of clarity I never expected from it. Suddenly my time was my most precious commodity. I wanted to spend my days achieving something I could decipher a meaning out of and not just make a living. This would have been impossible without Anoop and his stable income.

In 2018, at 33 years of age with 10 years of experience in working with different brands and new product development later. With a one year old baby boy - Raghav, separated (not divorced), living with my boyfriend (we are yet to get married) and step-son Vivaan I decided to walk a different life path. So, after a decade of worrying about fitting my workout in my workday and finding a gym equipped hotel for all my work travel (168 flights in 2014), I started NEIKI.

I am full of plans. I have been blamed for wanting too much of everything. There is a lot I want to achieve and I am willing to put in the hard work and fight for it.

What do I say about NEIKI !

Well, it is my big leap of faith. It is my moon shot. It is born out of my desire to do something that contributes to making lives of some people around me better.

Yes, NEIKI is a fitness program. But there is more.

NEIKI addresses the pain that you feel. The kind pain that you may not even know exits.

Pete Egoscue said ‘Most men live lives of quiet despair.’ I am understanding this statement more and more as I spend more time in the world of sports training and rehabilitation.

Let me clarify, NEIKI is not a rehab program for the ones who are hurt. That is a starting point for many but not for all. It is a program that plays to your strengths. Yes, it focuses on posture correction and spinal alignment and joint range of motion amongst many things. The scope of the program embraces everyone excluding those who are unwilling to put in the handwork, effort or time.

With the philosophy ‘GIVE MORE. GET MORE’, NEIKI is for those who want to jump higher, run faster or lift heavier. It is for you if you want to cartwheel or walk the whole day without back pain. It is for you if you want to chase your grand kids across the park or simply tie your shoe laces.

NEIKI works with people who suffer from chronic diseases and chronic pain issues. It addresses the needs of people in special groups, e.g., pregnant women or marathon runners (not much difference between the two though I think :)). (That’s a joke ok - training formats vary for the two groups)

To summarise, NEIKI is an preventive injury strength and conditioning fitness program that helps you achieve your fitness goals. It imbibes the heritage of Ayurveda for healing and upliftment. We work on scientifically researched methods and customise it to suit your needs.

NEIKI is about overcoming obstacles and breaking stereotypes. It is about taking responsibility and knowing who you are and understanding your needs. NEIKI, like the name suggests, is about doing good. It is about forgiving yourself when you slip. It is about building sustainable lifestyle solutions.

"We promise that we will take care of you like no one has ever done."

That is my story and how I have come to believe in what I want to do. There are many pieces that complete this puzzle. And I with you, as time goes by, hope to provide the right solutions to a better way of living and learn to enrich my journey, every new day through hard work and a determined will. Let’s get to know every colour of the rainbow.

If you would like to stay connected with me, please follow my work on Instagram and Facebook:

Instagram Program page : @neiki.in

Instagram Personal Page : @parinamidha

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/byparina

Picture Descriptions:

1. Me in the middle of training.

2. Rainbow in Gurgaon on 31st May 2020.

3. My parents, brother and my younger son Raghav.

4. Me in my basketball gear,

5. A family photo with my partner Anoop and sons Vivaan and Raghav.

6. The first print communication for NEIKI in 2018.