executive Team
Mukul Purohit - Chief Exec, Producer & Founder
Mukul Purohit is the Executive Producer of Mystic Art Retreats, where he plays a pivotal role in expanding the franchise internationally. With over a decade of multi-regional experience, Mukul has developed expertise in corporate finance, corporate development, global business development, and licensing across various sectors, including Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Creative Industries, and Hospitality
In addition to his professional endeavours, Mukul is an avid art collector and an investor in emerging sacred artists. He has a profound passion for indigenous cultures and traditions, dedicating his free time to studying their art, rituals, folklore, and cultural geography. Mukul's commitment to the arts is further exemplified through his involvement with Shanayya Arts, an art marketing company that promotes the works of emerging artists. Mukul holds a business degree from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, an arts degree from the University of Greenwich in London and studied finance from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
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Having lived in multiple countries including the UK, Australia, and the UAE, Mukul is now based in India. He frequently travels in search of ancient marvels, cultural gems, and shamanic traditions, reflecting his deep appreciation for global heritage and spirituality.
Ekabhumi Charles Ellik
Ekabhumi Charles Ellik is an award-winning poet, author, devotional artist, yoga instructor, emcee, and event producer. His primary spiritual practice is creating sacred art. Through a ritualized and meditative creative method, he makes artworks for ceremonial and educational use that help people recognize the divinity of common experiences and find meaning in daily life. His artworks may be found in yoga studios, private homes, and on altars around the world.
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His name was given by his first guru during a formal initiation ceremony into a yogic lineage in 2005. Since that time, he has studied with many spiritual teachers and traditional artists both in India and the States. Ekabhumi’s writing and artwork has been published widely, appearing in anthologies and journals like The Poetry of Yoga, Berkeley Fiction Review, and Pearl, as well as books like Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Hareesh Wallis and Awakening Shakti by Sally Kempton. His instructional Shakti Coloring Book and the uplifting Bhakti Coloring Book are now available world-wide from Sounds True Press. Though his first love is art, he has a wide range of interests that are reflected in his many past occupations: Yoga instructor, stock options broker, handyman, journalist, ski boot fitter, competitive surfer and champion sailor. He toured internationally as a performance poet, and the poets he coached won numerous regional and national titles. He hosted writer’s groups, produced poetry readings and organized spoken-word festivals for nearly 20 years, culminating in the wildly successful 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam.
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For nearly two decades, he variously taught yoga, painting, public speaking, and creative writing to students ranging from kindergarten to post-graduate level. Ekabhumi is an inspiring, playful yet methodical teacher who utilizes the arts to help students cultivate deeper intuitive states. He is currently core faculty of livingsanskrit.com and visiting faculty for The Bridge in Shanghai. On weekends, he can be found in his garden practicing silence and learning directly from Nature. ​
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Melanie Rhodes - Brand Ambassador
Melanie is a dedicated practitioner of various holistic arts and her desire to further ancient knowledge in contemporary contexts led her to patronising the mystic art retreats. A deep appreciation for the arts in so many of its facets, she is a qualified Architect with a degree in Building & Architecture from the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Melanie has been practicing different styles of yoga such as Iyengar, Bikram, Vinyasa and Kundalini over eighteen years and is also a qualified Asthanga yoga teacher. Her immersion in Ayurveda is reflected in her adopting the medicinal science into her daily lifestyle, attending panchkarma programmes and even taking post-partum care following water-births of her two children – Nathan and India.
Melanie is also a student of the Non-Dual Advaita philosophy of classical Hindu thought with her teacher belonging to the the school of Ramanah Maharshi. With four children she still manages to meditate daily whilst embracing a very busy life with her famous coach-cricketer husband Jonty Rhodes. Their commitment and love for India as a philosophy is not just reflected in them naming their daughter “India” but also their immersive practice in Indian holistic arts and traditions.
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Sonali Gurung - Manager - Operations
Sonali Gurung is an innovative entrepreneur, passionate traveler, and dedicated philanthropist with a Master's degree in Mass Communication. Her life journey is deeply influenced by the tranquil mountain landscapes of her upbringing. She integrates her enthusiasm for travel and commitment to building meaningful relationships into her business endeavors and her nonprofit organization, Tathastu Foundation, which aims to provide free education to underprivileged children. As a loving mother to three dogs, Sonali's existence embodies a vibrant mix of adventure, hospitality, and deep connections, all inspired by her lasting bond with the mountains.
Karishma Aggarwal - Company Secretary
Karishma Aggarwal is an accomplished Independent Practicing Company Secretary with industry experience in legal and secretarial services. She specializes in providing comprehensive advisory across corporate laws, business management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, debt recovery, intellectual property rights, and FEMA-related matters. Her expertise extends to turnkey business implementation-including company, LLP, and startup registrations-corporate restructuring, secretarial audits, due diligence, compliance management, and drafting and vetting of various agreements and petitions.
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Throughout her career, Karishma has held key positions with firms such as Kshitij Management Consultants LLP, LetsComply, Arvind K. Jain & Associates, Neptune Infocom, and several legal firms. She is adept at managing complex corporate legal matters, including appearances before courts for mergers, property, and negotiable instrument cases. Karishma handles all compliances for Mystic Art Retreats.
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Silvia Maggia - Visual Storyteller
An internationally acclaimed artist, photographer, and film director, Silvia works across documentary film, video art, and photography, bringing deep emotional sensitivity and artistic presence to her work.
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Silvia Maggi is based in Berlin and was born in Italy in 1982. She studied Sociology at the University of Urbino (Italy) and Visual Journalism in Bilbao (Spain). Her work moves across film, photography, and archival storytelling, blending the personal and the political through a poetic gaze. She explores the intersections between memory, identity, and collective resistance, tracing the emotional landscapes where private histories meet social transformation.
Since 2004, she has been working in the fields of art and documentary film, presenting her work at festivals, art galleries, and universities, including Universidade do Minho (Braga, PT), Royal Geographic Society (London, UK), Centro de Arte de Vanguardia Neomudéjar (Madrid, ES), Yermilov Center for Contemporary Art (Kharkiv, UA), Festival del Cinema Indipendente (Cineteca di Milano, IT), Festival del Cinema Italiano (Rovinj, HR), Italian Film Festival (LA, USA), Centro Cultural de España (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), and Radial System (Berlin, DE), among others.
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Silvia recently led the Visual Storytelling as the official photographer at our Seats of Power II retreat in India where she captured the essence of sacred spaces, intimate practice, and shared transformation with her signature care-based lens. Her ongoing research explores the magic of the feminine and the mystery of death, expressed through deeply evocative visual narratives. These shall also serve as topics for our future retreat offerings.
Carolina Mastio - Destination Curator Italy
Carolina Mastio is a wellness and solo travel advocate from Sardinia, Italy, one of the world’s five Blue Zones — regions where people live longer, healthier lives, and where a deep connection to nature is part of everyday life. Her roots have always inspired her to seek destinations that reconnect us with our essence and the Earth.
She holds an Arts Honours degree in Business and Events Management from Greenwich University in London and a technical diploma in Tourism and Accounting. Over the years, she has also completed training in marketing, tourism strategies, hospitality revenue, negotiation, and social media.
With a background in communication and a deep love for yoga, Carolina creates and curates transformative experiences that blend movement, presence, and cultural exchange. She also brings extensive experience in crafting soulful events — from intimate gatherings to larger-scale productions — and in collaborating with boutique hotels and villas to design conscious hospitality experiences grounded in authenticity and care.
Marta Grigoreva - Destination Curator France
Born in St. Petersburg and based in Monaco, Marta is a celebrated portrait artist known for her mastery of realist oil painting, infused with the color and spirit of Impressionism.
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Her creative journey began with a foundation in music, she studied the violin and pianoforte in St Petersburg school- conservatory, followed by a master’s degree in economics. Her passion for the arts eventually brought her to New York, where she worked at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, before embracing the study of Fine Arts at Harvard.
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In New York, she studied portraiture under the legendary Nelson Shanks, which inspired her to pursue painting full-time in Italy and London, UK. A portrait commission from Sir Stelios Haji-loannou, founder of easyJet, brought her to Monaco - where she eventually relocated in 2011. Marta's portfolio includes stunning oil portraits of people, animals, and landscapes — with a great ability to capture human personality and character. She paints directly onto canvas to preserve spontaneity and emotion. Her works are held in private collections across Europe, Russia, and the U.S.
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Notable highlights: A powerful portrait of Nelson Mandela at the Palais Princier de Monaco, Princess Michael of Kent, an 11-month portrait of Dr. Elena Ambrosiadou, and a recent 12-month family masterpiece. She also creates soulful dog and horse portraits that radiate likeness and specific personal qualities.
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Beyond painting, Marta is the author and illustrator of the charming "Napo & Allegra: City Sketches" picture book series, where a curious dog explores Monte Carlo, London, and New York - inspiring children (and adults!) to discover art and creativity. A Harvard-trained art historian and certified yoga teacher (700+ hours in India & the U.S.), Marta brings a rare blend of artistic mastery, global spirit, and mindful living to all she does.
Payal Barua - Destination Curator United Arab Emirates
Based in Dubai, Payal is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, speaker, and mentor who is passionate about guiding clients towards optimal health. Specialising in gut and hormone health, metabolic wellness, weight loss, fertility, menstrual health, and autoimmune conditions, Payal emphasizes the crucial connection between the body and mind. She believes that the nourishment we provide to both our minds—through meditation, positive psychology, and philosophy—and our bodies—through nutrition and exercise—is essential for overall wellbeing. To support her clients in achieving their health goals, she has designed two comprehensive programs. The first consists of 12 sessions focusing on daily lifestyle habits, understanding the human body's responses to diet, mindset, and nutrition coaching. The second program delves into brain health and the neuro-hormonal pathways essential for transformative change.
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Payal is also a certified Hatha Yoga teacher from Sivananda Yoga Vedanta in France, with extensive training in yoga for individuals with injuries, disabilities, seniors, and prenatal yoga. She is also an upasak from the SriVidya lineage in Devipuram, India.
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Fluent in French and English, she has taught yoga in Paris, India, and Dubai, while also coaching private health clients from diverse locations such as Denmark, Chile, and Lebanon.
Her deep commitment to health originates from her personal journey of raising a special needs child. After successfully running a fashion import and export business in Paris until 2012, Payal experienced a transformative shift in her life following the birth of her son. This led her to the realisation that “a happy person is also a healthy person,” and that health serves as the foundation for fulfilling dreams
 Ekabhumi Charles Ellik |  Sonja Picard |  Mavis Gewant |  Tova Olsson |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Erika Strauss |  Alessanddra Nirrwaan |  Deniz Erdinch |
 Carolina Fonseca |  Jacqueline Kapur |  Judy Schneider |  Anita Sinclair |
 Nirali Kartik |  Elena Jessup |
"It is my opinion that spiritual liberation practices are context-specific; they arise in specific cultural, geographic, and historic contexts. They must be understood and/or practiced in context to function properly. After all, those of us who desire self-realisation/liberation in a human body are asking for a context-specific experience. So it behooves all of us who have tasted or deeply immersed ourselves in the nourishing waters of the dharma traditions to cultivate a relationship with living stewards of the practices we engage and the cultures from which they arose."
by Co-founder, Ekabhumi Charles Ellik