Title: An Integrative Preventive Wellbeing Intervention for Indian Athletes Using Indian Psychological Principles 

Abstract: This research explores the holistic journey of Indian athletes through a mixed-methods design that centers on their lived experiences and personal narratives. Drawing on qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews and narrative accounts, the study examines athletes' past experiences, challenges, and coping mechanisms within the high-performance sport environment. The integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches enabled a comprehensive understanding of the psychological and cultural dimensions shaping athlete wellbeing. A key finding underscores the relevance and effectiveness of grounding psychological interventions in Indian traditional systems particularly Ayurveda and indigenous spiritual practices which resonate deeply with athletes' cultural roots. The implications suggest that culturally congruent approaches prioritizing wellbeing over performance pressure offer a more sustainable and ethically aligned pathway for supporting Indian athletes' mental health and long-term development. 

About the Author: Dr. Kashish Pandey is an author, counseling psychologist, mindfulness practitioner, and sports & exercise researcher with 4.5 years in academia as well as industry, blending research, teaching, and applied work with athletes and youth. Her Ph.D. examined psychological predictors of athletic performance, and she have published several papers in Scopus and Web of Science on grit, tenacity, and related variables that inform practical interventions for sport and clinical psychologists. She has served as Research Assistant at Manav Rachna Institute and most recently worked at IIT Delhi under Prof. (Dr.) Kamlesh Singh on an ICSSR-funded project; has also completed a seed-money study examining para-athletes’ personality and its impact on doping attitudes.

She believes in amalgamating ancient wisdom with modern practice drawing on yoga, mindfulness, and Indian healing traditions to design holistic interventions. She is a Hatha yoga sadhaka and delivered a Hatha Yoga workshop at Christ University, Bangalore. She has authored Filthy Feelings of Emptiness and have presented award-winning work at national and international conferences, including Best Paper Presenter (Manav Rachna, 2023), Best paper award (SPAI, Jaipur), Best Research Award (Mrcon 2024), Young Scholar Award (SAI, LNCPE 2023) and PhD topper in the research methodology (2022) respectively.