This special lady is someone I hold dear to my heart for she is responsible for a lot of the positive transformation I have experienced in my life.
It seemed fitting to start off 2019 with Nutan’s story.
I hope you will find it as inspiring as I, and many others, do.
Please meet Nutan Rameshwari.
Nutan at her most colourful self
There are very few people in life who will blow you away the first time you meet them.
Nutan is that person.
From the first time I met Nutan in her quirky warm home in 2005, I knew she was going to have huge impact on my life.
I marvelled at her loud contagious laugh, her smooth glowing skin and her bright colourful clothing. In fact I distinctly remember thinking “Is She For Real?!”
Nutan was unlike any Indian lady I had ever met. She didn’t care for superstition or convention. She always challenged the norm and made friends with absolutely anybody, regardless of their background, age, social status or wealth.
Now at the age of 62, Nutan has the energy of someone half her age. She constantly speaks in sing-song and bounces off the walls with delight every time I meet her. I swear this lady has a constant supply of zinging energy flowing through her.
It’s no wonder that she turned out to be my first teacher on the principle of living life from within. Nutan got me questioning absolutely everything I thought I knew about life and showed me that there was another way to live.
Nutan and I
Early Life
Nutan was born in 1957 on the bluest shores of sunny East Africa, Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), and spent the best part of her childhood growing up on its vast unspoilt beaches.
At age 14, Nutan emigrated to the United Kingdom and experienced a complete culture shock.
“There was no beach! What am I to do? This girl’s freedom was briefly lost and it was a real turning point in my life. I had to find something as equally ‘splashing’ to uplift me. I noticed there were many material shops around Tooting and Balham (South East London suburbs) where we were based, and so I switched my mum’s old Singer sewing machine to speed stitch ‘Bell Bottomzzz’. Hallelujah I found a new love! I forged a new identity for myself on these foreign shores through my love of fashion and maths”.
At age 17, Nutan went on to study Biomedical Sciences at two of the UK’s best teaching hospitals in London. After qualifying in 1980, Nutan married and moved to Bahrain in the Middle East, where she lived for 11 years and became a mother to two boys.
“The seed of my realisation was planted here as I began to observe the injustice of foreign labour workers being made to work in intense heat for 12 hours without a break. I remember filling their water gallons, offering food and trying to help them where possible. My true OBSERVING of life began in Bahrain”.
Nutan returned to England in 1991 and set up home again in a quiet South London suburb. In a bid to fill her life with something exciting and creative beside household chores, she learnt portrait painting, jewellery design and started working at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
“These vibrant art forms brought FOCUS into my very being”.
In 1997 Nutan took a big gamble and put all her savings into an ambitious business passion becoming a Hotelier and purchasing a small quaint hotel in Croydon. It eventually turned into a thriving family business.
“Customers would walk through the door and my aim was to uplift them so that they would leave at their bouncing best!”
Turning Point
Life suddenly turned upside down between 1999 and 2000 when both of Nutan’s parents passed away.
“My father in particular was my first guru. He always believed that the fire of learning must come from the soul. I realised at this time how fragile life was. I lost the passion to live and everything died within me. I was still running the business and not showing my grief to the outside world was the hardest ordeal”.
In a desperate bid to help her deal with her grief, Nutan turned to yoga and so began a healing journey that took her to places that she had never imagined.
“All that was blocked within me, started to release and I was determined to master every pose. I felt immense joy once again. Our true nature is JOY but we lose it when we are stuck in Sorrow”.
Nutan with one of her students
However, a few years later Nutan had to temporarily stop yoga owing to a herniated disc forcing her to take bed rest and give up the very thing that had brought her much joy.
This was made particularly difficult as the family were now splitting their time between Holland and the UK, so Nutan was required to travel a fair bit between the two countries.
The Dutch doctors recommended meditation as a way of dealing with the intense pain that Nutan was experiencing, and so began another healing process and a shift onto a different life path.
Transformation and New Beginnings
Nutan retired from the hotel business in 2007 when she realised that her heart was no longer in it.
“Selling up and focusing instead on Yoga, meditation and spiritual practice was the best decision against all odds. It gave another new sense of purpose to flow”.
Nutan and some of her students
As a follower of the spiritual teacher Mooji Nutan attributes most of the change in her life to his teachings and understanding the highest TRUTH.
“This love, light, all awareness that we already are. Every physical, mental & emotional experience is testing us to make us stronger so that we can unveil our true nature, liberating us from all mind conditioning”.
At the age of 62, Nutan is now a qualified yoga teacher and teaches adults and children every week to master all aspects of themselves, not just the physical.
Solo yogic trails are Nutan’s passion and every year she embarks on a new adventure to holy sites around the world, often without any plan or phones in order to stay completely aware in the present moment.
Her most recent trip was to Bethlehem and she will shortly be embarking on a journey to the Kumbh Mela in India.
Nutan spends her spare time swimming, creating her own outfits from recycled clothes, feeding the homeless and cooking nurturing meals for her nearest and dearest (hand delivering to yours truly on a regular basis)!
Nutan’s Life Lessons
What have been the toughest parts of your life journey so far and how have you overcome them?
The last 9 years have been extremely tough for me. I have been tested physically, emotionally and mentally on this journey of self-discovery, facing criticism and doubt from those around me, whilst trying to stay true to my inner voice which just wants to be free to experience life as I choose to.
When contestants sit to play “Who wants to be a millionaire” everyone starts with easy questions, but as the game progresses only very few can pass the toughest and most ambiguous questions. Why? Because it is here one’s memory, intelligence, confidence, determination and skills are triggered into action. This is a metaphor for our inner growth.
Everyone’s questions, and therefore lessons, are different. We are here to rise on our own journeys and usually the start of these journeys can be uncomfortable and riddled with self-doubt.
What makes your heart sing?
My memories of being with my father on the sunniest beaches of Dar es Salaam, feeling and eating the sand, swimming in the sea on my own (my father used to watch me sitting on his Morris car bonnet). There was no fear at all, despite being a young child in the sea on my own (although there were a few times I found myself under the African fishing boats, that was a little scary)! Its how I learnt to swim/float and felt truly free.
Being creative, whether it’s making jewellery or clothes or painting.
Uplifting others through yoga, cooking food, teaching or just laughing with them!
Nutan demonstrating strength through yoga.
What do you believe about our life here on Earth?
When we follow our heart, we become life. Each one is a master piece. The whole Universal force is waiting and ready to help us to find our pearl, but only when we completely trust will our lives will be transformed.
In order to do this we must connect deep with our inner selves and strengthen our faith to overcome whatever is thrown onto our stage & have faith that you can surf through it.
What three key pieces of advice would you give our readers about living their life to the full?
The curtain is up...
…and you are on the stage. Play your part as best as you can, staying connected to your inner self. There are no retakes in life. BEING LOVE is the supreme creative art. Discover what is stopping you experiencing it.
All will fade away...
…that is not for your growth automatically once you step on the ladder of TRUTH. Be fearless to discover who you truly are.
The message is...
…that we must EVOLVE to grow inwards in every situation and not decay.
Do you have any ‘Miracle Moments’ you would like to share?
At 7am I was in a Cathedral in Calcutta. There were no candles to light for a prayer and no one else on site other than a security guard at the door.
I stood to pray offering my light from within, and seconds later I could feel someone stand next to me. As I opened my eyes I saw a woman smiling & offering me a box of candles. Together we lit all the candles and I knelt down at the alter to pray & give thanks.
Minutes later as I opened my eyes to see… And she was gone. To me, that was THE Supreme Divine in action…This is a miraculous way to truly LIVE!!!!
Nutan always finds hearts in her candle wicks
I hope you have enjoyed reading about Nutan’s story and life lessons. If you want to find out more about Nutan and her yoga practice, you can follow her on Facebook here
To read other inspirational interviews please click here
If you have a story you would like to share or simply want to get in touch, you can contact me here
This Post Has 10 Comments
I am delighted to have had some contact with Nutan myself and experience her tremendous capacity for change under challenging conditions. Truly a soul worth knowing, to say the least!
Nutan is simply remarkable – because of you seena I too met this incredible woman full of beans! She really does live life to its true potential!
What a grea lady very impressionable.
Ole ole to the best writter, Lady Seena Chand. My story is flowing and shimee shimee like shakira shakira. Biggest pranam to you for making it so alive…..i love it truly. Asanti sannaaaaaaa my tikoo Chandini >< <3
I really enjoyed reading about Nutans life & her lessons. A wonderful & inspiring piece.
Thank you for sharing this story! Lovely read.
What a truly uplifting story. Thank you for sharing.
Inspirational
Very inspiring. Really enjoyed reading about Nutan. Do you run yoga classes on zoom? Pls fo let me know. I would love to join.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment Daxa, I am glad you found this interview with Nutan inspiring. You can contact Nutan on her Facebook page (details are given at the bottom of the interview) or on yogin@hotmail.co.uk and she will be able to let you know which Zoom classes she is running in the week. All the best, Seena.