Mrinal Gautam
Mrinal is an Embodied Play Practitioner. He works at the intersection of spontaneous expression, play, emotional intelligence, and inner transformation. Trained as a designer from the National Institute of Design, he integrates design thinking with psychology and theatre to create spaces for deep and safe inner exploration. His work draws from transformational improv, Meisner theatre, sacred clowning, the Navarasa of the Natyashastra, and Kashmiri Shaivism. Having facilitated both intensive and short-term workshops, he has worked with hundreds of people across offline and online spaces. With a balance of playfulness, honesty, and care, he supports people in meeting hidden hurts, understanding their inner parts, and moving toward greater freedom, connection, and flow.
His journey into this work began with his own social anxiety, something he continues to meet and transform through the very practices he now shares. At the core of his approach is a simple insight: when the nervous system doesn’t feel safe, play becomes inaccessible. When safety is present, internally and externally, our natural capacity for play, expression, and aliveness unfolds.