Summary
Hilary Russo interviews Niraj Naik about his transformation from a soul-crushing seven-year career as a pharmacist to founding SOMA Breath. Niraj shares his dramatic origin story, from running 2000-person raves as a university student to developing ulcerative colitis that left him housebound. He explains how discovering pranayama and breathwork through a yoga teacher transformed both his health and his life direction. The conversation covers how SOMA Breath differs from other breathwork modalities by combining ancient pranayama with music composition, creating what Niraj calls "transformational art." He discusses working with Muse's manager as a music mentor, his collaboration with Wim Hof, and how the Cambridge University study came about. Niraj also addresses the epidemic of chronic over-breathing in modern society and how simple breathing techniques can address anxiety, stress, and autoimmune conditions.
Key Points
- Niraj ran 2000-capacity raves for three years at university before becoming a pharmacist
- Seven years as a pharmacist led to depression and disillusionment with the healthcare system
- Ulcerative colitis was his wake-up call that led to discovering pranayama and Ayurveda
- He was mentored in music by the manager of the band Muse, who later encouraged his health path
- SOMA Breath is unique in combining breathwork with original music composition
- He collaborated with Wim Hof running events before creating his own modality
- Pharmacy patients would leave with "shopping bags full of drugs" that managed but never cured disease
- SOMA Breath instructors are trained as "transformational artists" who blend music, breathwork, and coaching
Key Moments
From running 2000-person raves to pharmacist to breathwork pioneer
Niraj shares his dramatic fall from running massive raves at university to becoming a pharmacist after a shooting incident shut down his venue, describing the soul-crushing experience of transitioning from performer to pill dispenser.
"complete fall of grace to now being pharmacist in a little cubicle, dishing out pills, wearing a lab coat. I mean, it was kind of a huge shock to the system. So anyway, that carried on for seven years. So yeah, so it was like, what happened was I went into that world and I saw straight away for the first time what it's really like to be working in the healthcare industry."
Pharmacy patients leaving with shopping bags full of drugs
Niraj describes witnessing pharmacy patients leave with shopping bags full of medications that managed but never cured their diseases, with one prescription often leading to four more drugs to handle side effects.
"It's really making people wake up now. And was that kind of what you were feeling in a way? Yeah, I felt intuitively that something was not right with it. And also the amount of prescriptions people are on is just astonishing. People would initially go away with shopping bags full of drugs like every month. And, you know, you'd see people come in with one prescription, right? A few months later, they're on like four."
SOMA Breath instructors as transformational artists
Niraj explains how SOMA Breath instructors are trained as transformational artists who blend music, breathwork guidance, and coaching to create unique healing experiences.
"SOMA Breath is unique in that we combine breathwork with original music composition. Our instructors are trained as transformational artists who blend music, creating their own soundscapes, their guiding sessions, their recording things. They're being entrepreneurial."
