What really happens when you stop drinking alcohol, even for a few weeks?

In this solo episode of Mind Sattva, Dr. Mitika Kanabar talks about Dry January and why many people choose to take a break from alcohol. She explains what changes in the body and brain when alcohol is removed, and why even a short break can lead to better sleep, steadier mood, more energy, and overall health improvements.

Mitika walks through how alcohol affects blood sugar, blood pressure, brain chemistry, and sleep. She also explores why drinking is so closely tied to celebration and social life, and how those beliefs have been shaped over time.

The episode includes practical guidance for handling social situations without drinking, managing cravings when they come up, and noticing habits that may be driving alcohol use. Mitika also talks about who may want to be more mindful or cautious with alcohol, how the liver and gut respond during a break, and changes people may notice in their body when they take a break from alcohol.

✨ In this episode:

Referenced in this episode:

https://www.quitlikeawoman.com

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What started as five minutes of scrolling is now two hours gone. Sound familiar?

In this "In the Flow" episode, Dr. Mitika Kanabar unpacks the science behind screen addiction: why our phones live "rent-free" in our brains and how social media algorithms are designed to capture our attention coins. She explains why the dopamine hit from scrolling feels like happiness but actually leaves us sadder, chasing that next reel like a mirage in the desert.

Mitika offers practical tools from both Western and Eastern perspectives: screen-free morning blocks, the yogic principle of shaucha (cleanliness in thought), and household boundaries that work. She addresses how excessive screen time erodes our closest relationships, why children's developing brains are especially vulnerable, and the uncomfortable truth that in social media, just like the casino, the house always wins.

✨ In this episode:

Referenced:

The Anxious Generation by Dr. Jonathan Haidt

Closing reflection:

If we want to change the narrative, we have to speak the truth where people are. Your attention, your focus, your intentions for the day, and your actual human connections: that's what the house is winning. And children learn more from our behavior than from what we have to say.

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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:

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:

Resources Mentioned: "Strength-Centered Counseling" by Teri Reuter and Dr. Colin Ward Connect: terireuter.com

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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:

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.

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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:

Closing reflection:

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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:

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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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:

Whether you are in recovery, supporting someone you love, or simply curious to understand it more deeply, this episode offers both perspective and encouragement.

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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:

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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:

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Photography credits:

Alex Tyson, Omar Lopez, and Alexander Grey — “Person counting dollar banknotes” on Unsplash