Today, as the founder of EKA MAI and SEED by Eco Mind Gur Arti helps people reconnect with their energy, purpose and inner resources through Kundalini Yoga, nutrition and holistic wellbeing. In this conversation, Gur Arti reflects on the turning points that shaped her journey.
Before yoga became part of your life, what was your lifestyle like? What led you toward this completely new chapter and spiritual path?
My relationship with yoga began long before Kundalini Yoga entered my life. I started practicing after the birth of my daughter, my second child. At the time, I was raising a young family while building businesses and managing projects across different countries. My life was full and active. I travelled constantly, worked long hours and carried responsibilities that seemed endless. From the outside, everything looked successful. Inside, another story was unfolding.
Yoga became a place where I could breathe again. I explored many styles and practiced almost every day. During those hours on the mat my body would relax and the constant noise would disappear.
For many years I believed achievement would eventually bring fulfilment. Instead, I found myself moving further and further away from my own nature. There came a moment when I was burned out and emotionally depleted. I was carrying a sadness I could not explain and a deep feeling that life was meant to be experienced differently. The most painful realization was that this state was affecting everything I loved – my family, my relationships connection to myself.I remember thinking: if this is success, why does it feel so empty? That question changed the direction of life. Years later I discovered Kundalini Yoga and began to experience something that has become central to all of my work today: abundance is not something we acquire. It is a state from which we live. My journey into yoga eventually became a journey into consciousness, vitality, longevity, women’s wellbeing and what I now call the art of abundance – the ability to create a life that feels rich from the inside.
Women, Business & Spirituality. How do you balance being a successful businesswoman, leading a team and at the same time staying deeply connected to your daily practice and spiritual life?
The more experienced I become, the less interested I am in the idea of balance. For many years I believed life consisted of separate compartments: work, family and spirituality. Looking back, I smile when I remember how seriously I took everything – the deadlines, the goals and the pressure I placed on myself. My professional life moved through fashion consulting, hospitality projects, brand development and entrepreneurship. I loved creating and still do. Yet there was a period when creation came at a cost. Like many women, I became extraordinarily skilled at taking care of everything except the person who was taking care of everything.
Somewhere along the way I stopped experiencing spirituality as an activity and began experiencing it as a way of relating to life itself. This is why I speak so much about abundance. Not because I am fascinated by wealth, but because I am fascinated by vitality. To me, abundance reveals itself as health, meaningful work, creativity, love, purpose and the simple ability to wake up feeling grateful to be alive.
The Story Behind EKA MAI. How did the idea of EKA MAI come to you? Was there a defining moment when you realized this was your mission?
For me, spiritual guidance is one of the highest forms of abundance a human being can receive. Long before I was guiding others, I was looking for guidance myself. Meeting my teacher became one of the most important moments of life. Through him I discovered Kundalini Yoga in a completely different way – not simply as a physical practice, but as a technology for human potential and a path of transformation. Very naturally I wanted to create a place where people could come into contact with these teachings. A place where someone could walk in carrying questions about their health, relationships or purpose and discover tools that could genuinely support them. EKA MAI was born from gratitude and the wish to create the kind of space I would have loved to find earlier in my own journey. Three years later, it has become a sanctuary for Kundalini Yoga, meditation and conscious living. Every day I watch people arrive as strangers and gradually become part of our community.
Why Dubai? What mission do you see for yourself and your project in the region? Why did you choose Dubai as the place to build and grow this vision?
I fell in love with Dubai. I loved the optimism and the energy of a country that is constantly creating, evolving and looking toward the future. I was particularly inspired by the importance the UAE places on wellbeing, innovation and quality of life. As I spent more time here, I also felt something that resonated with me on a personal level: the unique energy of the desert. In yogic language, I would describe it as a space of immense potential – where stillness and possibility exist together. This connection influenced the design of both EKA MAI and Eco Mind. I was inspired by the dialogue between the two elements that define this landscape: the desert and the ocean. One teaches stillness. The other teaches flow. Together they create a beautiful metaphor for the way I see life itself. Dubai felt like the right home for that vision, and every year I feel grateful that I listened to that intuition.
Wellness Routine, SEED by ECO MIND. What does your personal wellness routine look like today, and how did this philosophy eventually inspire Eco Mind and SEED?
The wiser I become, the more I appreciate simplicity. I wake up early, take a cold shower and practice Kundalini. I spend time outdoors whenever possible, prepare nourishing food and pay attention to the quality of what enters my mind as carefully as what enters my body. I am fully plant-based and gluten-free. Over the years I became fascinated by one question: why do so many people dream of abundance while living in a state of depletion? At some point I realized that vitality itself is a form of wealth. This understanding became one of the inspirations behind Eco Mind and SEED. I wanted to create food that supports the life people are trying to build – food that nourishes rather than depletes. Because when health and consciousness begin to grow, opportunities appear. And to me, that is one of the most beautiful expressions of abundance.
Top 3 Recommendations for Women. What are your top 3 recommendations for women who want to integrate healing nutrition, inner balance and beauty rituals into everyday life?
The first thing I would say is this: stop treating yourself as a project that needs fixing. I meet so many women who are exhausted from trying to improve themselves. Beneath all that effort there is often a belief that who they are right now is somehow not enough. From my experience, healing begins with relationship. The relationship a woman has with her body, mind and soul shapes every aspect of her life. Your body is not a problem to solve. It is the place where you experience life. A woman radiates beauty when her nervous system is relaxed, when she feels safe, connected and energized. I believe every woman deserves simple rituals that remind her of her own value: a morning practice, a nourishing meal prepared with love, a walk by the sea or through a forest, and relationships that feed the soul rather than drain it. For me, true beauty has always been a reflection of inner abundance.
