“I Am Able To Check In With Myself” Mrinalika Bhanj Deo

Princess Of Mayurbhanj, Founder Of Organic Seed Brand Beej And Yoga Teacher

- Sanghita Singh

Mrinalika Bhanj Deo is busy giving final touches to the Belgadia Palace (in Mayurbhanj, Odisha) her ancestral home which she’s converting into a 12-room boutique hotel and a hub for sustainable tourism. “It has been a life changing experience for me,” says the Princess and yoga exponent/teacher, who is now turning into a hospitality entrepreneur. She spends her time between Mayurbhanj and Kolkata learning and teaching yoga. What started as a journey of self-exploration manifested itself in new work opportunities for Mrinalika. She launched an organic brand, Beej, selling fertiliser-free products three years ago while continuing to share the goodness of yoga with ardent students. Now that she’s turned hotelier, she’s using yoga as a tool to create a place that encourages serious practitioners and guests that want to experience clean and sustainable tourism while supporting elephants in the neighbouring forest of Simlipal.

What is it that you experience when you come to the yoga mat every morning?

“It is a space that is absolutely sacred to me, where I am able to leave everything else behind and come alive. My mind is clear, my body is calm and all that connects the two is the breath. I am able to just be and check in with myself to see how I am feeling on that day. Spending adequate time to answer unresolved questions or understanding the feeling of connection, love, fear and anger. Each time it’s like the tranquility you experience when you come home. I have been able to move past so many mind blocks and have watched my body transform to embody each pose better with each passing day.”

What was the beginning of your yoga journey?