Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life

What if your value as a woman had nothing to do with what you cook—or how many recipes you juggle each night?
In this “In the Flow” episode, Dr. Mitika Kanabar tackles the “food police” that live in our cultures, communities, and families. She explores why women say no to themselves ten times before even asking to use their gym membership, and how self-worth becomes tangled with cooking, caregiving, and keeping everyone fed.
From the “Excel sheet of everybody’s tiffins” to mopping the kitchen floor at midnight, Mitika examines how cultural conditioning shapes what we believe we owe our families—and why perimenopause often becomes the turning point when women stop covering the cracks with new paintings.
Inspired by @justbeingmelani’s viral perimenopause content, Mitika closes with a Mind Sattva spin on Melanie’s “We Do Not Care Club”—a comedic take on releasing guilt around hot flashes, leftovers, and impossible expectations.
✨ In this episode:
The “food police” in your culture and the transactional nature of women’s worth
Permission-seeking: why women ask to use their own gym memberships
Gender roles and the mental load of feeding a family
Cognitive dissonance: rajasic comfort foods vs. sattvic eating goals
Perimenopause and the end of “overdoing for everybody”
Breaking free from the myth of the “ideal” wife, mother, and daughter
A Mindsattva edition inspired by @justbeingmelani’s “We Do Not Care Club”
Featured:
@justbeingmelani (Mama Melanie)
Closing reflection:
Sometimes important feedback needs to be given in comedic ways. Your worth isn’t measured by the dopamine hit your food provides. And if there are cracks in the wall? Maybe it’s time to stop hanging paintings over them.
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Wondering when to stop versus when you're just quitting? Struggling with understanding what "good enough" means?
Teri Reuter has reinvented her career multiple times. As a therapist, coach, and leadership expert, she shares the truth about career transitions, overcoming self-doubt, and why the words you use literally shape your reality.
✨ What you'll learn:
The difference between stopping and quitting
Why changing direction follows Newton's law of motion
How your words construct your reality
Moving from automatic self-doubt to self-acceptance
What "good enough" actually means
The sunk cost trap that keeps people stuck
Why appreciating your own company matters
Listening to understand versus listening to respond
Resources Mentioned: "Strength-Centered Counseling" by Teri Reuter and Dr. Colin Ward Connect: terireuter.com
🔗 Listen on Podbean | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTubeFollow @MindSattva and @KanabarMD on Instagram

What if better health wasn't about restriction, but about growing toward wellness when the timing is right?
Dr. Mitika Kanabar shares her lifestyle medicine journey—from skeptic to practitioner to co-author of "How Healers Heal." Inspired by a new plant shoot in her studio, she explores how real change requires the right support, resources, and readiness.
From a "Plants for Life" class she almost dismissed, through pandemic grocery store discoveries (when only plants were left on shelves!), to measurable health improvements in her family, Mitika reveals how community and privilege shaped her path. She breaks down the six evidence-based pillars of lifestyle medicine and celebrates the new dietary guidelines that finally recognize cultural diversity in healthy eating.
✨ In this episode:
The 6 pillars: plant-forward nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, connection, and avoiding risky substances
Why she wasn't ready the first time—and what changed with community support
The "health equity lens" in 2025-2030 guidelines: your cultural foods matter
Nutrient density vs. calorie counting: a paradigm shift
Real results: improved thyroid, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels
How peas and lentils finally earned their place in the protein section
Resources mentioned:
ACLM, NutritionFacts.org, eCornell Certificate, "The Lifestyle Medicine Handbook," and "How Healers Heal"
Closing reflection:
Growth doesn't happen on demand. Like that new shoot on her plant, transformation comes when conditions align—privilege, timing, support, and readiness. The question isn't just what to do, but when you'll be ready to grow.
🔗 Listen on Podbean | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
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What does it mean to truly understand that nothing lasts forever, and that this truth might actually set us free?
Dr. Mitika Kanabar explores grief and impermanence through Eastern philosophy. From Tibetan sand mandalas that monks create and then destroy, to the Kathopanishad's dialogue with Yama, god of death, to Krishna's teachings in the Bhagavad Gita: this episode asks how we treasure what we cannot hold onto.
✨ In this episode:
How Tibetan monks use sand mandalas to practice accepting impermanence
The ancient story of Nachiketa confronting death itself and what he learns
What na bhuto na bhavishyati (never before, never again) really means
The Bhagavad Gita's teaching: the soul is eternal, but everything else passes
Why fleeting moments, from hospital bedsides to snowstorm kindness, deserve our full presence
How to bring impermanence into daily life without becoming attached or afraid
Closing reflection:If impermanence is inevitable, perhaps the question isn't how to hold on, but how to be here fully while we can.
🔗 Listen on Podbean | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTubeFollow @MindSattva and @KanabarMD on Instagram

What does it mean to grieve, and how does that process shape who we become?
In this In The Flow episode of Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar reflects on grief through personal experience, cultural understanding, and the meeting of Eastern and Western perspectives. After losing her father, she reflects on what the experience has taught her about love, loss, and the ongoing nature of grief.
Drawing from her medical background and spiritual roots, Mitika revisits the work of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whose book On Death and Dying introduced the five stages of grief. She explores how these ideas connect with Eastern traditions and the rituals, prayers, and community practices that support healing across cultures.
✨ In this episode:
What grief truly means beyond its dictionary definition
The five stages of grief described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
How grief is expressed and supported across different cultures and faiths
Hindu traditions around death and dying, including the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and asti visarjan
Reflections on community, compassion, and the ongoing nature of grief
A reading from Rabindranath Tagore on facing death with courage and grace
Whether you are grieving, supporting someone through loss, or reflecting on life’s impermanence, this episode offers space to pause, understand, and honor what it means to love and let go.
 
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Dr. Mitika Kanabar on Instagram
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What does it truly mean to be in recovery?
 
In this first episode of In The Flow, a new series within Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar reflects on the many ways recovery can take shape. As an addiction medicine physician, she shares her belief that recovery begins the day you decide to get help and reminds us that the path is unique for each person.
 
From a grounding moment with a Tibetan singing bowl to reflections on 12-step groups, SMART Recovery, faith-based programs, and the concept of recovery capital, Mitika highlights both practical approaches and the deeper dimensions of healing. This conversation also honors September as Recovery Month, a time to bring awareness, compassion, and hope to those touched by addiction or behavioral struggles.
 
✨ In this episode:
Mitika’s belief that recovery begins the day you decide to seek help
Different ways people approach recovery, from medical support to community groups
The SAMHSA definition of recovery and its four dimensions: health, home, purpose, and community
Reflections on behavioral addictions and the idea of “recovery capital”
A short practice with a Tibetan singing bowl for grounding and calm
 
Whether you are in recovery, supporting someone you love, or simply curious to understand it more deeply, this episode offers both perspective and encouragement.
 
🔗 Follow and Listen
Mind Sattva on Instagram
Dr. Mitika Kanabar on Instagram
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What is the true meaning of Navratri?
Why do devotees celebrate nine nights with devotion, dance, and ritual, and how can these ancient practices bring wisdom into our modern lives?
In this episode of Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar welcomes Acharya Mrityunjay, theologist, astrologer, Hindu priest, and scholar, for a deep conversation on the spirituality of Navratri. Together, they explore the nine forms of Goddess Durga, the symbolism of Garba dance, the significance of puja rituals, and how stories of Krishna and Sharad Purnima illuminate timeless lessons of renewal and resilience.
Whether you are familiar with Navratri traditions or curious to learn more, this episode offers both cultural insight and spiritual reflection, showing how devotion, collective energy, and even a few minutes of heartfelt prayer can awaken joy and inner strength.
✨ In this episode:
What Navratri means: nine nights of devotion and renewal
The nine forms of Goddess Durga and their blessings
Rituals of puja: archan, stuti, jap, and dhyan
The deeper symbolism of Garba dance and collective energy
Krishna’s role in Garba and the story of Maharaas
The cosmic joy of Sharad Purnima, the brightest full moon of the year
Why even short, simple prayers can connect us to the divine
 
🔗 Follow & Listen
Mind Sattva on Instagram
Dr. Mitika Kanabar on Instagram
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Is perfectionism keeping you stuck?
What if striving for “perfect” is holding you back more than helping you move forward?
In this episode of Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar continues her exploration of perfectionism—how it shows up in daily life, what drives it, and how we can begin to move through it with more self-compassion and awareness.
Through real-life stories, cultural reflections, and practical reframes, Mitika shares ways to interrupt the cycle of procrastination, overwhelm, and self-doubt—and make space for balance, resilience, and growth.
✨ In this episode:
How perfectionism leads to procrastination and burnout
Internal vs. external pressures to be perfect
How the need to “get it right” can slow us down even in critical work
The power of reframing negative self-talk
Why compassion comes before mindfulness
How perfectionism affects our relationship with body image, social media, and material success
What a single pomegranate sapling reveals about resilience
🔗 Follow & Listen
📸 Instagram: @mindsattva
📸 Instagram: @kanabarmd
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Photography credits:
Alex Tyson, Omar Lopez, and Alexander Grey — “Person counting dollar banknotes” on Unsplash

Have you ever felt the need to get everything right before taking the next step?What if letting go of perfect could open the door to more joy, connection, and growth?
In this episode of Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar explores how perfectionism shapes our choices, relationships, and sense of self-worth, and how we can shift toward a mindset of “good enough” that allows for a more balanced way of living.
She reflects on personal stories, cultural influences, and wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita to offer a more compassionate lens on why perfectionism shows up and how to respond to it with awareness.
In this episode:
Three forms of perfectionism and how they show up in daily life
How cultural expectations can fuel the need to appear “perfect”
A real-life example of how a sari taught the value of showing up imperfectly
Why fear, obligation, guilt, and shame keep perfectionism in place
How the Bhagavad Gita reframes perfection and self-responsibility
The value of focusing on your own path rather than perfecting someone else’s
How “good enough” can strengthen relationships and community

In the first episode of Mind Sattva: Practical Wisdom for Modern Life, Dr. Mitika Kanabar introduces the ideas and intentions behind the podcast.
She asks:
What if we had access to certain insights earlier in life?
How might that change how we think, choose, and grow?
This episode explores the intersections of Eastern philosophy and Western science, setting the stage for future conversations grounded in curiosity, reflection, and real-life application.
In this episode:
What Mind Sattva means and why it’s about more than just calm
A Sanskrit approach to learning that helps wisdom stay with you
Why knowing something and living it are two different things
How ancient philosophy connects with modern research and real life
A perspective on pain and suffering that shifts how we respond to challenges
An introduction to the gunas — the qualities of energy that influence how we think and feel
A simple metaphor that explains why bringing different perspectives together matters
What to expect from future episodes: thoughtful conversations, practical takeaways, and multilingual content