About
I thought I understood stress. Then my body said, ‘nope!’
I’m Dr. Anuja Luniya, physiotherapist by degree, stress researcher by necessity. After two decades of IBD (and surviving a brutal flare 6 years ago), I created ‘Relax Play Thrive’ — India’s first stress regulation activity book.
Now, I help people recognise and regulate stress earlier — before it quietly starts shaping how they function, recover and live.
This isn’t mindset. It’s stress regulation literacy. Built by someone who was always too scientific for wellness, too creative for healthcare, and too body-first for self-help. Turns out, that was exactly the point.
Building stress regulation literacy for India.
Starting with you. 🫵🏼
Years supporting health, recovery and stress regulation
People supported across health, recovery and stress regulation
Organisations across tech, healthcare, finance, education & more
Workshops, Talks & Panels across India
People using Relax Play Thrive for stress regulation
Built through lived experience. Trusted across 70+ organisations. 
📖 Author
Authored two national whitepapers exploring how chronic stress is quietly reshaping human behaviour, recovery and national capacity in modern life.
Created ‘Relax Play Thrive’ — India’s first stress regulation activity book — blending lived experience, neuroscience and play into tools people actually want to use.
💼 Speaker
Worked with 70+ organisations across tech, finance, FMCG, health, education and impact. From interactive workshops to keynotes — I translate stress and nervous system science into something people can actually understand and use.
🧠 Behavioural Health Coach
Helped clients across chronic illness, burnout and everyday stress, find tools that actually work — virtually and in person.
🏡 Wellness Studio Founder & Coach
Built a one-of-its-kind family wellness studio and polyclinic combining physiotherapy, fitness and integrative care — before it was mainstream.
🏃🏻♀ Geriatric Fitness & Rehab Coach
Pioneered a fall prevention and mobility program for older adults — bringing simple science and injury prevention into daily routines.
🩺 Physiotherapy Consultant
Rehabilitation and recovery for hundreds of clients — helping them reclaim independence, ease, and movement.
Trusted by leaders. Loved by teams…
“I cannot praise her workshops enough — I recommend her 10 out of 10.”
"Working with Anuja actually helped me to create a work life balance."
“I saw a difference from the get go!”
My body became the most aggressive stress educator I ever had.
Back in my physio days, I walked past this quote every morning:
“We help you thrive, not just survive.”
I didn’t know then just how much that line would come to define me.
Six years ago, I collapsed with back-to-back IBD flares.
I was bleeding every day. Couldn’t tolerate food — not even khichdi. My weight dropped by 16 kilos. I lost my energy, my balance, even my coordination. I almost lost my hope.
I knew stress was a trigger.
So I did all the “right” things: meditation, journaling, yoga, gratitude.
But nothing worked. Sometimes, it even made things worse.
I wasn’t just stressed — I was dysregulated.
Years of pushing through — losing my sister, toxic relationships and workaholism — had pushed my nervous system into survival mode.
My body wasn’t broken. It just didn’t feel safe.
Doctors said, “Immunosuppressants.”
But that quote wouldn’t leave me alone:
“Thrive, not just survive.”
And another from childhood:
“The only limits are the ones you set for yourself.”
I didn’t want to just cope. I wanted to feel alive again.
So I basically made healing my full-time job. I studied the gut microbiome, the vagus nerve, circadian rhythms, behavioural science.
I tested tools on myself like a slightly desperate biohacker — and slowly, I began to shift.
I could eat again.
I could move again.
I could laugh again.
And somewhere in that mess, Relax Play Thrive was born.
Today, everything I am building is based on lived experience and science. Because you can’t out-think a body that no longer feels safe.
Stress is biological. So recovery should be too.
I’m not here to “manage” stress. I’m here to help people re-regulate their nervous systems —through science, play and tools people can actually use in real life.
Beyond mindset
I go beyond top-down fixes. My approach starts with the nervous system — helping people feel safer in their body first, so change becomes possible.
The whole body lens
From vagus nerve tone to gut health, fascia and biorhythms — I use bottom-up tools to create real relief and lasting change.
Prevention, always
I believe in stopping the spiral before it starts — and giving people the tools to stay well, long before they break down. My goal? To help make India one of the least stressed countries in the world — not by pushing harder, but by playing smarter.
Because when nervous systems feel safe, people don’t just survive — they thrive.
Why this work matters now more than ever. ⚡
Stress regulation literacy isn’t a luxury.
It’s a revolution whose time has come.
📈
Stress levels have doubled post-pandemic
but most people still can’t recognise stress early.
🧘🏻♀️
Most systems assume capacity already exists
while stress is quietly draining it.
🇮🇳
India ranks among the most stressed nations
and we deserve better.
What changed when people stopped just coping...
“No restrictions, no diets, no changing my workouts, nothing!”
"I, now, have more energy, a set routine and can keep myself accountable without being burnt out or hard on my self."
“Some of these activities could become part of the office culture. I loved the idea of having a book like this in the first place.”
Let’s make good things happen.🤝
If you’ve read this far — thank you. If something here spoke to you — and you’re building something aligned — let’s connect.
I’m always open to thoughtful collaborations, honest conversations, and meaningful work that brings nervous system care into everyday life.