Rajesh Bharadwaj
Back in 2009, I was working 70-hour weeks in Mumbai's financial district, convinced that success meant being constantly busy. The irony wasn't lost on me when I collapsed during a board meeting from what doctors called 'acute stress response.' That's when I stumbled into my first 10-day silent retreat in Igatpuri — not by choice, but because a friend practically dragged me there.
Those ten days changed everything. Not in some magical, instant way, but through the slow, sometimes uncomfortable process of actually sitting with my thoughts for hours at a time. I learned that meditation isn't about emptying your mind — it's about developing the capacity to observe what's already there without immediately reacting to it.
After spending years studying with teachers across India and Southeast Asia, I started noticing how difficult it was for people to find authentic long-form meditation guidance. Most resources focused on 5 or 10-minute sessions, which have their place, but the deeper transformative work happens when you're willing to sit for 30, 45, or even 60 minutes at a time. That's where Mansionex was born — from the understanding that some journeys simply can't be rushed.