Soniyaa Kiran Punjabi, founder CEO of Dubai-based Illuminations, talks to Mallika Rale about her walk down the spiritual path and her Pune venture

With her bright eyes, disarming smile and petite frame, Soniyaa Kiran Punjabi could easily pass off as a model. Talk to her for a few minutes and you realise she’s also a wise head on young shoulders.

As founder CEO of Illuminations, a well-being centre in Dubai, Soniyaa exudes a quiet confidence, which has come with much learning and self-discovery. “Those who know me well are aware that many times I have allowed a stammering issue that I was born with, to define me. I would use it as an excuse to limit and hold myself back in many areas of life,” she recalls.

Today, Soniyaa addresses large groups and inspires people to let go of their limitations. This has been possible through a spiritual journey that she undertook a few years ago. “I believe that sometimes the experience of pain is your vehicle towards growth. That is when we question the very essence and meaning of life. That experience for me was when one of my closest friends who was in London at the time passed away in a car accident. We were 19 then,” she says. His death led her mind to ask many questions about life, death, afterlife, past life and so on. “It made me realise how short life really is despite the illusion of permanency we live in. It propelled me to look for answers beyond what we understand in the physical world,” Soniyaa explains.

It was while she was on this quest that she was introduced to a teacher in India who enlightened her about the power of the mind, emotions and energy. Says she, “I learnt about how we create our reality with our thoughts and beliefs, be it in our health, career or relationships. When I applied all the tools I was given, I was able to let go of so many negative patterns. It changed my life completely. I woke up to my true potential and felt that everyone needed to know about this.”

Starting with workshops for friends and family, through word-of-mouth, people began attending sessions conducted by her and other healers and practitioners that she promoted. This sowed the seeds of Illuminations. Soniyaa shares, “It was fascinating to see how people in Dubai were looking for something deeper than their materialist surroundings. After seven years, I finally took the decision of opening up the space I had always dreamt about. I started out from my room in my apartment. It then grew with time. We opened our centre in Jumeirah Lake Towers around two years ago.” Soniyaa hasn’t looked back since then.

Spreading lightness of being

“Illuminations in Dubai began with the mission to encourage individuals to ‘Live Light’!” says Soniyaa.
The centre conducts training programmes, workshops, private consultations and daily meditations, apprising participants of various healing techniques. “Our services are based on holistic therapies and spiritual approaches, such as meditation tools, hypnotherapy and various energy modalities. The intention is to motivate individuals to expand their minds, open their hearts, and gain knowledge, wisdom and clarity to align their mind-body-energy,” elaborates Soniyaa, adding, “In Dubai, we cater to different cultural backgrounds and communities, especially those between the age of 25 and 45.”

Now in Pune…

Heading Pune’s centre in Koregaon Park is managing partner and senior facilitator at Illuminations, Irina Khanna. Originally from Georgia, Eastern Europe, she has embraced India as her home over the past 18 years.

Irina is a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist and trans-generational healer focusing on inherited family patterns through constellation therapy. “I was inspired to set up Illuminations here because I was fascinated with the Dubai set-up. I was working there as a facilitator and would see people walk in to buy books, participate in meditations, attend training programmes or just observe friends having a cup of tea talking about their lives and spirituality all at once. The place was so positive and energised,” she explains.

Though there are different schools of spirituality here, Illuminations has a universal approach. Says Irina, “We welcome different tools from Osho to Yogic Sciences to Western Sciences of hypnotherapy to naturopathy healing all under one roof!”

As for her target group, she says it includes everyone who is seeking happiness. “It can be a professional in a limiting career, a housewife in an unhappy marriage or a youngster battling an addiction,” notes she.

For details, call on 30483216 or log on to www.illuminationsworld.in