Total Health

By Authority Magazine Editorial Staff at Authority Magazine

Jamshyd Sethna Of Shakti Himalaya On How We Can Optimize Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing

I’d love to inspire a movement around conscious travel. It’s about traveling with purpose — taking the time to connect with local cultures, leaving a positive impact on the environment, and fostering a deeper sense of understanding. It’s not about traveling more but about traveling better.

As a part of our series about “How We Can Cultivate Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jamshyd Sethna, Founder and Owner of Shakti Himalaya.

Jamshyd Sethna, founder of Shakti Himalaya, is a pioneer of immersive, purposeful travel in India. Born in Bombay and educated in Darjeeling, his love for the mountains deepened during his school years, leading to a career pivot from tea planting in Upper Assam to travel and tourism in Mumbai. Disillusioned by the superficiality of mass-market travel, he founded Banyan Tours in 1996 and Shakti in 2006, offering transformative, community-driven journeys through India’s most remote and untouched regions.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I grew up in Bombay but spent part of my childhood in Darjeeling, which is where my love for the mountains began. I felt an almost instinctive connection to the landscape and the majesty of the Himalayas left a deep impression on me. That early exposure to the region’s beauty has stayed with me over the years and eventually led me to Shakti. Today, I’m based in New Delhi, a city that continues to influence how I engage with and think about India’s evolving travel culture.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

My career began in a Tea Plantation in Upper Assam, which gave me an early appreciation for life in remote landscapes and the rhythms of local communities. When I later transitioned into travel and tourism in Mumbai, I found myself increasingly disillusioned with the superficiality of mass-market travel. I felt there was a missing depth — an absence of genuine connection to place as well as quality service. That realization sparked a desire to create something more meaningful, which led to the founding of Banyan Tours in 1996, and later Shakti in 2006. I was inspired to build experiences that allow travelers to engage with India in a way that truly respects and honors the culture, people, and landscapes in style and comfort.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve been fortunate to have many influences along the way, but one of the most important realizations in my journey has been that meaningful guidance often comes from within. My instinct / gut feel was my lodestar. It stemmed from a deep, personal conviction — something I truly believed in — rather than external validation. I was though enormously grateful by the response I received from a number of people whose opinions I respected and who also recognized that it was important to build companies that prioritized authenticity, sustainability, and genuine connection.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

One of my most instructive mistakes happened in the early days of Shakti’s Village Walks in Kumaon. I found a spectacular site near the Tibetan glaciers and set up a three-bedroom tented camp, convinced it would be the perfect crowning glory to Shakti. When I visited with Canadian friends in early 2005, bad weather kept us inside the tents (thankfully with a stock of Lagavulin 16 and Cubans) — and it became painfully clear that tents did no justice to the extraordinary views outside.

That expensive mistake changed everything. We commissioned architect Bijoy Jain to design Shakti 360 Leti, a four-bedroom lodge built without cement and designed to leave no permanent trace on the land. Fifteen years later, when the area was no longer remote, we dismantled it piece by piece and used the materials in the development of Shakti Prana, which opened in October 2025. It taught me to listen to the landscape.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, which is made up of conversations between an elderly, tired Kublai Khan and Marco Polo about the latter’s explorations and reflections on real and imagined cities, external and internal, all leading back to the eternal city Venice, his city of birth.

A passage that lingers in memory: “The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.” — Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities. The last sentence, “seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space,” has stuck with me through the years and is now internalized.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

“This is the precept by which I have lived: Prepare for the worst; expect the best; and take what comes.” — Hannah Arendt. It resonates with me because it is anyway how I have lived my life.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

I’m particularly excited about the new lodges that we launched in Kumaon in 2025, Shakti Prana and Panchachuli. These projects offer a unique experience that blends eco-conscious luxury with deep immersion in nature. With Prana, we’ve introduced a solar-powered retreat, designed to minimize environmental impact while offering a space for reflection and connection. Both lodges give travelers the chance to reconnect with nature, culture, and themselves in a profound way.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. In this interview series we’d like to discuss cultivating wellness habits in four areas of our lives: Mental wellness, Physical wellness, Emotional wellness, & Spiritual wellness. Let’s dive deeper into these together. Based on your research or experience, can you share with our readers three good habits that can lead to optimum mental wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

Meditation: Practicing meditation regularly, for a short time daily helps create a space for clarity and calmness.

Cooking: one of my favorite times for thinking or calming myself is cooking.

I find it meditative and this is something that has only improved recently as covid allowed me the time to focus but now I make the time for it. It’s a pleasure for me to share this with my Shakti team and our cuisine in all locations in the mountains have exponentially improved.

Reading. Especially great literature is a sure fire way of connecting with one’s own emotions.

At Shakti, we give guests time to experience these practices. Through activities like visiting monks, culinary workshops with Chef Yeshi, and practicing yoga and meditation on Prana’s new yoga deck, we encourage guests to create moments of peace and reflection. It’s a holistic approach to mental wellness that connects to the surrounding environment and local culture.

Do you have a specific type of meditation practice or Yoga practice that you have found helpful? We’d love to hear about it.

A few years ago I attended a TM (Transcendental Meditation) seminar and then followed it up at a TM Ashram in Kumaon with my daughter. Both of us have benefited from the practice. Hatha Yoga is what I have dabbled with for the last 15 years. Can recommend it highly.

Thank you for that. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum physical wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

Movement and outdoor activities: Staying active is key.

I enjoy hiking though I struggle with sustained uphill climbs. I walk my dogs in the park regularly. I also go to the gym thrice a week.

Prioritizing rest: I make it a point to get quality rest, as recovery is just as important as physical activity.

A good night’s sleep and time to recharge are essential for maintaining energy and focus.

Eating nourishing foods: Focusing on fresh, seasonal produce and balanced meals is important.

A simple diet with whole ingredients, free from processed foods, keeps us energized and healthy.

At Shakti, we’re known for our hiking itineraries, which connect guests to the beauty of the region while promoting physical wellness. We also collaborate with community chefs, like our Yeshi, Yashpal and DK who bring local flavors and ingredients to the table.

Do you have any particular thoughts about healthy eating? We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Convenience is one of the biggest barriers. It’s often easier to grab fast food or processed snacks than to prepare a wholesome meal. But over time, I’ve found that making small, intentional choices — like preparing meals in advance or carefully sourcing local ingredients — makes it easier to stick to healthy eating habits. Sourcing locally not only supports sustainable farming practices but also ensures that the food is fresher and richer in nutrients. We’ve learned the importance of sourcing ingredients that grow naturally in our regions including bottleneck ferns, wild lemongrass, nettles and an array of seasonal herbs. We often forage for these ingredients, which makes the food even more special, and it’s a way to connect with the land in a meaningful way. 70% of Shakti’s produce comes from within a 20km radius which is an intentional decision and developed over 20 years.

Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum emotional wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

Practicing meditation and pranayama: the daily habit allows one to refocus and relax.

Learning that less is more: I have long realized that fewer connections but more meaningful ones leads to a happier and more stable state of mind.

‘Always give people more than they expect’ — this practice which essentially is one of kindness without expectation of it being returned contributes to emotional wellness.

Finally, can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum spiritual wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

Spending time in nature: Being in the presence of great mountains and river valleys soothes the spirit.

Regular exposure to the great arts: be it music, literature, paintings nourishes the soul.

Helping others, especially in communities where Shakti operates, provides a sense of fulfilment that is difficult to replicate in any other way.

Do you have any particular thoughts about how being “in nature” can help us to cultivate spiritual wellness?

Nature and great natural beauty resonates within and unlocks a space for reflection and renewal. It has a way of helping me find balance and perspective, and I believe it’s one of the most powerful tools for spiritual wellness.

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’d love to inspire a movement around conscious travel. It’s about traveling with purpose — taking the time to connect with local cultures, leaving a positive impact on the environment, and fostering a deeper sense of understanding. It’s not about traveling more but about traveling better.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

Bob Dylan as he has accompanied me constantly — from my teenage years to my 70s, he has had a major influence on me.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can follow us on Instagram @shaktihimalaya, and visit our website www.shaktihimalaya.com for more information about our work and how you can join us on one of our journeys.

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.