At Brilliant Read Media, it is our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this, we invited Richa Agrawal for an interview with Brilliant Read Media. To say it further, Richa is an Entrepreneur and Founder & Director at AUM Life. Let’s learn more about her background, inspiring journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Richa:
What inspired you to start AUM Life, and what personal experience shaped this journey?
AUM Life wasn’t born from a business plan it began with a question that stayed with me for years: Why does well-being become so difficult to sustain once we return to everyday life?
I grew up in a home where Vedic philosophy, chanting, and havan weren’t occasional rituals; they were simply a way of life. As I explored my own spiritual journey, I experienced practices like Raj Yog Meditation, Vipassana, Isha Kriya, Twin Hearts Meditation, Access Consciousness, and many other traditions. Every experience offered valuable insights, but one realisation stood out.
Transformation itself wasn’t the difficult part; sustaining it was.
That led me to ask, Why should someone have to leave the city to experience the depth and peace of an ashram? That question eventually became AUM Life, an Urban Ashram where timeless wisdom can naturally become part of modern living instead of existing separately from it.
AUM Life focuses on blending timeless wellness practices with urban living. How do you make ancient wisdom relevant for today’s lifestyle?
I actually don’t believe ancient wisdom needs to be made relevant because human nature hasn’t fundamentally changed. What has changed is the way we live and how we access these practices.
Today’s world is fast-paced. People are balancing careers, families, responsibilities, and constant digital stimulation. If well-being is available only during retreats or pilgrimages, it’s difficult to integrate into everyday life.
At AUM Life, our goal is to make wellness a natural part of daily living. Whether someone comes for yoga before work, an Ayurveda consultation, a meditation session, or simply enjoys a nourishing meal, they’re strengthening their relationship with themselves through small yet meaningful daily practices.
What gap in the wellness industry did you identify that AUM Life aims to address?
I felt that the wellness industry had become either fragmented or transactional.
People often collect experiences: a yoga class here, a retreat there, a therapy session somewhere else. While each has its own value, they rarely come together as a complete lifestyle.
AUM Life was created as an integrated ecosystem where our seven pillars of wellness complement one another because true well-being isn’t compartmentalised. The body, mind, emotions, energy, relationships, and purpose are deeply interconnected.
Rather than chasing the next wellness trend, our mission is to help people build a lifelong relationship with holistic well-being.
In today’s fast-paced urban environment, what do you believe are the biggest challenges to mental and physical well-being?
We’ve become incredibly efficient at managing everything except ourselves.
We’re constantly connected, constantly stimulated, and constantly moving. Yet very few people are taught how to pause, observe their own thoughts, or create space for silence.
Over time, this disconnect affects every aspect of life from stress and sleep to relationships and physical health.
I believe one of the greatest luxuries today is undivided attention not only towards others but also towards ourselves.
Many people struggle to sustain wellness habits. What practical advice would you give to busy professionals?
Stop looking at wellness as another task on your to-do list.
Instead, ask yourself, “What’s one small thing I can do every day that helps me reconnect with myself?”
It could be five minutes of meditation, conscious breathing before a meeting, eating one meal mindfully, or simply putting your phone away for a few moments.
Transformation isn’t created through intensity; it is created through consistency. Small daily rituals often become the practices that change our lives the most.
How do you balance authenticity in yoga and meditation with the realities of building a scalable business?
For us, scale has never been the starting point; purpose has.
These traditions have existed for centuries, and our responsibility isn’t to reinvent or dilute them. It’s to create an environment where people can experience them authentically.
Growth certainly matters because it allows us to reach more people, but authenticity must always remain at the centre. If we compromise that, we lose the very essence of why AUM Life exists.
Since founding AUM Life, what has been your biggest lesson as an entrepreneur?
One of the biggest lessons has been understanding that meaningful work takes time.
When your mission is inner transformation rather than simply selling a product, success isn’t always reflected in immediate numbers or quick milestones.
Entrepreneurship has taught me to trust the process and stay committed to the vision while remaining flexible in how we bring it to life. More than anything, it has taught me patience, resilience, and faith.
Have you noticed a shift in how people perceive meditation and holistic wellness in recent years?
Absolutely.
People today are asking much deeper questions. Earlier, wellness was often viewed as something people turned to only after experiencing burnout.
Now, there’s a growing awareness that well-being should be cultivated proactively rather than reactively.
There’s also renewed interest in India’s traditional knowledge systems because people are looking for practices that offer genuine depth and lasting transformation rather than temporary relief.
What role should workplaces play in supporting employee well-being and mental health?
Organisations have an incredible opportunity to influence how people live, not just how they work.
Supporting employee well-being shouldn’t begin only when someone is stressed or overwhelmed. It should become an integral part of workplace culture.
When companies encourage mindfulness, movement, healthier routines, and meaningful breaks, employees become more focused, creative, resilient, and engaged. Ultimately, everyone benefits.
What is your long-term vision for AUM Life, and what impact do you hope it creates?
My vision is for AUM Life to become much more than a wellness destination.
I hope it grows into a community that continually reminds people to return to themselves.
Whether someone visits us for yoga, meditation, healing therapies, retreats, Ayurveda, or simply a quiet cup of tea, I want them to leave feeling more aware, more centred, and more connected than when they arrived.
If AUM Life can help people realise that well-being isn’t a destination but a way of living, then I believe we will have fulfilled our purpose.
At BrilliantRead, we don’t just share startup stories; we bring you journeys that challenge perspectives, spark ideas, and fuel ambition. Every story we feature is carefully chosen to add real value, inspire action, and ignite possibility within our growing community of entrepreneurs and dreamers.
If you have a powerful story, one that can inspire, educate, or create impact we want to hear from you.
