(The Collector’s Podcast — Episode 12)

Shivendra Misra is a yogi, writer, marketer, and entrepreneur. We discussed his spiritual journey, writing process on Medium, his advice to someone who is disheartened, and his book recommendations.

My spiritual journey began when I was working on my startup and things were not going the way I desired. I started exploring the spiritual journey of great entrepreneurs and came across Steve Jobs who visited India to learn meditation techniques. But I got serious in 2019 when I started practicing Kriya Yoga which was taught by Yogananda. And his book Autobiography of a Yogi became a turning point in my life.

It’s ironic to say but my most famous articles on Medium are the least researched. I ideate regularly to never run out of ideas and form a basic outline of my article using the mind-map technique. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't. I write my first draft using this amazing app called Cold Turkey that converts your laptop into a typewriter and gives you a set target to write say 800 words without getting diverted. Then I do multiple rounds of editing, get feedback from my peers, and cite the references.

I felt hopeless when my startups weren’t working and I could see my future crashing down. My advice to the person who feels disheartened and motiveless is to get out of the hustle-bustle of life and tune in with yourself. From a yogic perspective, I feel it’s important to have a free flow of energy to channelize yourself in the right direction.

If there is only one book I could read, I’d choose The Essence of Bhagwada Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda. This book has a word of God and that’s all you need. If you would read it again and again, this book has all the right tools and techniques to excel in life.

I don’t form long term goals rather go with my intuition. In the future, I don’t necessarily see myself as a great entrepreneur but I’d definitely see myself growing spiritually and using writing as a medium to share my experiences.