Indian-Origin CEO, Who Quit Microsoft For Health, Spends Rs 3.5 Lakh On Bengaluru Breathing Workshops

An Indian-origin CEO based in the US is making headlines after revealing that he spends around Rs 3.5 lakh every year on breathing workshops in Bengaluru. Speaking to Business Insider, Sudheer Koneru, an alumnus of IIT Madras, shared that he retired from a successful 15-year career at Microsoft for a journey of "inner discovery" and better health. Currently, he leads Zenoti, a Seattle-based company which provides business software to salons, spas and fitness centres. 

The 56-year-old shared that he often travels to Bengaluru to attend four-day intensive breathing workshops that cost between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.6 lakh each. The sessions include two-hour guided meditations using spiritual breathing techniques, which he described as "amazingly healing and just so powerful, per the outlet. 

Koneru revealed that he started out as a product manager at Microsoft in 1992, before launching his own company, Intelliprep, in the early 2000s. In 2008, at age 39, he left the company to focus on improving his fitness by doing yoga, strength training and running. "I was happy with where I was financially, and my goals were more around my personal well-being and being with my family," he told the outlet. 

"What I did every day at work, all that was fine, but there is something deeper to the meaning of my existence. I needed to spend some time learning about that, not just making money," he continued. 

Then, after a two-year sabbatical, Koneru came out of retirement and founded Zenoti. He said that he tries to integrate what he sees as the principles of wellness into his company's culture. His firm hosts fitness classes during work hours, including yoga, kickboxing, and pilates, and rewards employees with money for every mile they run, walk, or swim. Employees also have access to a spa and salon, healthy snacks like fruit in the office, and unlimited counselling sessions, the outlet reported. 

"Wellness isn't about having a six-pack," Koneru said. "It's about balance and being able to live to your full potential," he added. 

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Despite his demanding 10 to 12-hour workdays and frequent travel, Koneru shared that he prioritises his health to remain at the top of his game. He does yoga most days at around 7 am, including on weekends. His biggest annual expense is a Rs 13 lakh month-long retreat to Bali, where he receives treatments such as massages and sound baths and does lots of yoga.

The 56-year-old also attends a four-day breathing workshop at a Bangalore-based centre. Each workshop costs between $1,300 and $1,900, and Koneru estimates that he spends around $4,000 on them a year.