Health Update: Discipline, silence, and the work behind wellness with Udara Mendis – What Experts Say

Udara Mendis transitioned from a corporate career into a life shaped by yoga, creativity, and travel. Grounded in discipline yet driven by curiosity, her journey reflects a conscious shift towards work that feels both purposeful and expressive.  

Tell us a little about yourself.

Truth being told, I didn’t have one fixed dream job growing up, but I always knew I loved fashion, travel, and a life that didn’t feel confined. Like everyone else at the time, I followed the conventional path and built a corporate career.

Over nine years, I explored different roles, from finance and operations to management and eventually moved into IT project management, where I worked for the last four years. On paper it was stable and promising, but in reality, it came with long hours, constant screen time, and a cost to my physical and mental health.

During that time, yoga became my support system. It helped me manage stress, rebuild strength, and reconnect with myself. When my teacher opened enrolment for her next yoga teacher training, something clicked and I realised I didn’t just want yoga as a personal tool, I wanted to share it.

So last year, I made a conscious decision, one that some people might see as risky, to step away and fully commit to a path that truly felt aligned with me. I was able to take this step with the support of my partner and my mother, whose encouragement and belief in me gave me the confidence to follow my own path. 

Today, I’m a full-time registered yoga teacher (Registered Yoga Teacher [RYT] 200 – Yoga Alliance). I’ve also been a part-time fashion and commercial model for the past two years, a journey I began alongside my corporate career. And I’m a traveller and content creator, sharing the beauty of Sri Lanka through my travel and nature-inspired work.

In a world that increasingly demands resilience and performance, is this emphasis on slowing down a form of resistance or an escape?

No, I don’t see slowing down as resistance or escape. For me, it’s about stepping out of the relentless cycle of ‘more, bigger, faster’ – the race to achieve the next promotion, buy the next car, or prove your status in society.

Too often, people focus on accumulating titles, possessions, or experiences to meet the world’s idea of success, without ever pausing to look inward. They rarely ask themselves, “Am I happy? Am I content? Am I truly living, or just performing?” I even ask my students this very basic question: “When was the last time that you deeply inhaled and exhaled with full awareness?”

That’s why I made a conscious decision to slow down. I choose a life where I work in a way that feels meaningful, take enough rest, and earn enough to support what truly makes me happy. I value time with loved ones, connecting with nature, travel, personal growth, and both physical and mental health over constant hustle.

For me, real bliss comes from presence, balance, and doing what aligns with my values, rather than chasing what society says I should achieve. Slowing down is not resistance or escape – it’s choosing to live fully, intentionally, and joyfully.

You work in a profession built on being looked at. Yoga insists on looking inward. Where have these two logics directly collided in your life and which one usually wins?

I don’t think one is wrong and the other is right, but they pull me in different directions. Modelling trained me to be disciplined, confident, and aware of presentation. Yoga trained me to be grounded, compassionate, and internally aligned. Simply put, modelling trains you to be seen, yoga trains you to see yourself. 

Earlier, modelling won because I lived through external approval. Now yoga wins more often because it helps me measure my worth by how grounded I feel, not how perfect I look. Modelling is about needing a spotlight and yoga taught me to exist without needing one. So I’d say yoga wins – peace and acceptance over approval and validation.

Yoga is often sold as softness and flow. What parts of your practice are genuinely uncomfortable, repetitive, or mentally resistant, and why do you stay with them?

Yoga is often marketed as softness and flow, but it also requires a lot of strength, discipline and awareness. The uncomfortable part for me is more real-life: teaching multiple classes in a row can be physically tiring, even though mentally I still feel calm. It becomes a practice of endurance and presence.

Another part is mental resistance. Sometimes my schedule makes me miss my own asana practice and strength training, and that’s where I notice resistance, not because I don’t want to practice, but because I want to give to everyone else first. Yet, I always make time for my pranayama and meditation practices.

And honestly, another uncomfortable thing is dealing with misconceptions about yoga, especially the modern Western sexualisation of tantra yoga. Sometimes people approach private classes with expectations that have nothing to do with yoga. I stay with it because I care about protecting the integrity of the practice, and I maintain clear boundaries so the space stays safe and respectful.

Yoga claims to activate the parasympathetic nervous system through pranayama. What specific mechanisms or evidence inform this claim, and where do you draw the line between experiential insight and scientific psychology?

Pranayama, or yogic breathwork, has been practiced in India for over 5,000 years as a method to control the vital life force, the breath. Not just through inhaling and exhaling, but also through breath retention, which plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s physiological and energetic systems. 

From a scientific perspective, modern research shows that specific breathing techniques directly influence the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs recovery and ‘rest-and-digest’ functions.

For example, studies have demonstrated that slow, controlled breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, reducing heart rate, lowering cortisol, improving digestion, and supporting emotional regulation, and helps the body transition into a state conducive to deep, restorative sleep. 

Research in journals like Frontiers in Human Neuroscience and Psychophysiology confirms that pranayama and similar controlled breathing exercises can reduce anxiety, stress, and even symptoms of depression, while improving autonomic balance. Personally, I’ve restarted my studies in psychology to better understand the science behind this ancient wisdom of yoga and explore how breathwork, sleep, and stress regulation intersect in the human mind and body.

Yoga gives us the lived experience feeling calmer, more centred, and physically more balanced after practice, while science helps us understand why this happens, validating what yogis have known intuitively for millennia. In today’s fast-paced world, lack of pause often leads to sleep difficulties, high stress, digestive issues, and emotional dysregulation. I see pranayama as a bridge between ancient wisdom and contemporary science, something anyone can experience, yet fully supported by research.

How do you decide what version of yourself is allowed to be visible in public and what must remain private, even if privacy costs you relevance or income?

I decide what to share publicly based on truth, intention, and safety. I’m comfortable showing genuine parts of my life – my yoga practice, healthy eating habits, sleep routines, travel, and moments with my partner – because these reflect who I am.

I also share some of my difficult experiences, including being mentally and physically abused. I do this not for sympathy, but because I know how isolating such experiences can feel. Acceptance was a huge part of my healing, and if my honesty helps even one person feel seen or find courage, it’s worth it. At the same time, I’m careful to protect privacy; my family and certain sensitive experiences remain private. I speak from a place of growth, not fresh pain, and I maintain clear boundaries about what is shared publicly.

Even if keeping these boundaries might cost me relevance or income, I choose integrity and safety over exposure. For me, authenticity doesn’t mean total exposure, it means honesty with respect and boundaries.

The wellness industry markets healing as linear and aesthetic. In what ways has your actual experience of growth been messy, regressive, or unsellable?

My journey of growth has been far from linear. There were periods when my work schedule at the time was extremely demanding, starting work at 4.30 a.m., completing an eight-hour corporate day, attending auditions or running errands, and then heading to evening yoga or calisthenics practice, often returning home around 10 p.m.

During this time, I also dealt with physical challenges like chikungunya, which temporarily affected my asana practice, something I shared on social media because it felt authentic, not polished. There were also moments when past experiences weighed heavily on me, leaving me mentally low.

Even in those times, I showed up for my students consistently. I speak openly about difficult past experiences when it’s relevant, because these challenges shaped my understanding that self-love, acceptance, and forgiveness are crucial for healing, especially when it comes to mental health. None of these experiences are curated or sold as part of a wellness image as they are messy, regressive, and deeply personal – yet they have shaped my growth in ways the industry rarely highlights.

Your body is central to both modelling and yoga. When does it feel like a tool you command and when does it feel like something that controls you?

My body has always been a central part of both modelling and yoga, but I don’t feel controlled by it. Yoga has taught me how to maintain a healthy, strong, and fit body, while breathwork supports my mental clarity and slows ageing.

At 31, I feel that I command my body – it responds to me, rather than the other way around. In contrast to my past self, when my mind was troubled and my body was neglected, I now experience a harmony between body and mind. My body is a tool that allows me to express myself, stay vibrant, and live fully.

If both modelling and yoga were taken away tomorrow, what part of your identity would survive and what would need to be rebuilt from scratch?

The part of me that would remain is my core personality – the part that listens, supports, and uplifts others. Over the years, I’ve helped people navigate mental and physical health challenges, sometimes preventing them from harming themselves or guiding them towards healthier choices. I believe that part of me would survive, and I would continue to grow it, possibly as a mental health advocate and influencer, building on the psychology studies I’m currently pursuing.

I’ve faced personal life battles and through immense self-love, acceptance, and the support of two of the greatest gifts in my life – good friends and a loving life partner, I’ve been able to overcome these challenges. Experiencing this has shown me the value of being a support for anyone who needs it, and I live by the saying, ‘The one who saves the life of one person saves the world entirely.’

Beyond this, I would continue to explore and travel across this beautiful island, sharing its beauty through travel content, because connecting with nature and creativity is also part of who I am.

PHOTOS © UDARA MENDIS