Ayurvedic Gut-Heart-Mind Connection with Dr. Sujatha Kekada - 416
Release Date: 10/30/2025
Elements of Ayurveda Podcast
Colette explores the Ayurvedic concept of Sadvritta, often translated as right living or ethical conduct, and how these timeless teachings can help us navigate modern life with more awareness, compassion, and harmony. While Ayurveda is often associated with food, herbs, and daily routines, the classical teachings remind us that true health goes far beyond the physical body. Our thoughts, beliefs, speech, and interactions with others all influence our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. In today’s fast-paced and highly stimulated world, where disconnection, reactivity, and social...
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What does integrity truly mean in Ayurveda and why does it matter now more than ever? In today’s rapidly expanding global wellness space, conversations around ethics, responsibility, and authenticity are becoming increasingly important. While this episode doesn’t focus on specific events, it acknowledges that moments of rupture in any healing tradition can serve as powerful invitations to return to its roots, back to awareness, accountability, and integrity. In this episode, I’m joined by Vaidya Jayarajan Kodikannath, CEO and Academy Director of Kerala Ayurveda (USA), he brings both...
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In modern life, we often talk about stress as if it’s one single experience. We say “I’m stressed” and assume the solution is the same for everyone, but Ayurveda offers a much more nuanced understanding. From an Ayurvedic perspective, stress is not one-size-fits-all. It expresses itself through the lens of the doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) and each one creates a very different experience in the body and mind. This is why what works for one person may feel ineffective, or even aggravating for another. In this episode, Colette guides you through the different types of stress according...
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Colette is joined by Dr. Sujatha Kekada to explore some of the most common myths surrounding Ayurveda and bring clarity to what this ancient system truly teaches. From questions around diet and lifestyle to its relevance in today’s scientific landscape, they unpack how Ayurveda is far more adaptable, nuanced, and evidence-aligned than many believe. Together, they explore how Ayurveda meets you where you are, honouring individuality, context, and balance rather than enforcing one-size-fits-all rules. In this episode, they discuss: Whether Ayurveda is truly “scientific” and how modern...
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Mushrooms have become increasingly popular in the modern wellness world, particularly for their potential benefits for the nervous system, immunity and resilience. But where do they fit within Ayurveda? In this episode, I’m joined by Sharmistha Guha Majumdar to explore mushrooms through the lens of Ayurvedic principles. While mushrooms are not extensively described in the classical texts, Ayurveda offers a sophisticated framework for understanding any substance through observation, energetics and ecological context. Sharmistha shares how we can move beyond simply asking whether something is...
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As winter transitions into spring, many people begin to notice subtle shifts in how they feel. You might experience brain fog, sluggish digestion, low motivation, seasonal allergies, or new cravings for sugar and comfort foods. While these symptoms may seem random, Ayurveda recognizes them as common responses to the seasonal shift from winter to spring. In this episode, Colette shares seven signs that your body may be asking for a seasonal reset and explain how Ayurveda views these signals as early messages from the body. Rather than waiting for deeper imbalance to develop, Ayurveda encourages...
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Have you ever felt tired… but something about it didn’t feel like true fatigue? In this episode, Colette explores the subtle but important difference between Kapha accumulation and true fatigue, and how easily the two can be confused. What feels like low energy may actually be heaviness, stagnation, and mental fog, which are signs that the body is asking for movement and stimulation, not more rest. Colette shares a recent personal experience of waking up feeling heavy, slow, and mentally foggy, not depleted, but stuck. Through her Ayurvedic lens she understood that these qualities were not...
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Healing rarely happens through a single change. More often, it unfolds through awareness, consistency, and a growing relationship with the body and mind. In this episode, Colette is joined by her client Erica, who shares her deeply personal journey of healing through Ayurveda. What began as a search for answers during a period of fatigue and sluggishness became a transformational process of self-discovery, compassion, and empowerment. Erica began working with Colette in January 2025 and joined the Reset–Restore–Renew Program, where she experienced how structured cleansing, supportive...
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As we approach the Spring Equinox on March 20th, nature reaches a moment of perfect balance, equal light and equal dark. But this shift isn’t just happening around you… it’s happening within you. In Ayurveda, seasonal transitions are considered powerful physiological turning points. The Spring Equinox marks a pivotal moment when winter’s accumulated heaviness begins to melt and move through the body, influencing digestion, energy, emotions, and overall wellbeing. In this episode, you'll learn: The deeper meaning of seasonal awareness in Ayurveda Why the Spring Equinox is a...
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What happens when we slow down enough to truly listen? In this heartfelt conversation, Colette is joined by her client Jenny, who shares her personal journey with Ayurveda, from her early connection with nature to her recent experience on the Digestive Reset Cleanse. Jenny reflects on how growing up in rural Ireland with a deep love of the natural world quietly shaped her path toward yoga and, eventually, Ayurveda. What began as curiosity evolved into a meaningful relationship with practices that helped her reconnect with her body’s rhythms. In this episode, they explore her experience on...
info_outlineAyurveda teaches that the heart (Hridaya) is not just a physical pump for blood, it is central to our physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Together, we explore how chronic stress, unresolved grief, and emotional trauma can affect both the heart and mind, and how Ayurvedic wisdom can guide us toward healing from the inside out.
We also dive deep into the subdoshas, exploring the subtle energies of Prana Vayu, Sadhaka Pitta, and Tarpaka Kapha, that regulate how we “digest life” and how they link the gut, heart, and mind.
In this episode, we cover:
- Dr. Sujatha's perspective of the Hridya (heart) beyond its mechanical function
- How the gut–heart–mind connection operates through the subtle doshas and channels (srotas)
- The impact of chronic stress, grief, and trauma on Prana Vayu, Sadhaka Pitta, and Tarpaka Kapha
- Early signs that your heart–mind connection is under strain
- Dr. Sujatha’s favourite Ayurvedic approaches for healing the heart through diet, herbs, therapies, and lifestyle
Resources & Links:
- Learn more about Dr. Sujatha and her offerings: AmrtaSiddhi Ayurvedic Clinic
- Episode 411 - The Gut–Emotion connection
- Episode 274 - Prana Vaha Srotas
- Episode 302 - Ayurvedic Herbs for the Mind & Nervous System
- Episode 103 - Subdoshas of Vata
- Episode 105 - Subdoshas of Pitta
- Episode 107 - Subdoshas of Kapha
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