Episode 17: Balancing Your Body, Mind, and Hormones with Ayurvedic Counselor Nimisha Gandhi

In this episode, I am speaking with my friend, Nimisha Gandhi, a functional medicine nutritionist, Ayurvedic Counselor, Yoga Nidra and meditation teacher, and former tech founder. Nimisha and I discuss holistic nutrition, functional medicine, and Ayurveda, along with her perspectives on hormonal health including perimenopause and seed cycling.    Nimisha shares an overview of the three Ayurvedic doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and clarifies the difference between your Vikruti and Prakruti. Then, Nimisha shares different ways to learn about your doshas, whether in person, online, or in a 1:1 setting. Plus, Nimisha shares a functional medicine perspective on hormonal health and details how her attunement to the mind-body-spirit connection is both an intuitive, and research-backed calling that she now shares with others, directly from the soul.    Thanks for listening! Attune to your heart + align your life. With Marisa LaValette.    Topics Covered: (4:27) Big moments in Nimisha’s life that inspired an intuitive awakening  (9:08) Nimisha’s journey into functional medicine and how it blends with her previous work (17:35) What is Ayurveda? (20:56) The 5 Great Elements, the Pancha Mahabhuta (21:55) Nimisha introduces the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha (26:34) Nimisha explains your Prakruti vs. Vikruti (27:44) Doshas also represent phases of life: Childhood, Midlife, Old Age (30:27) How your dosha can inspire life choices relating to home and career (32:15) Different ways to discover your dosha, including pulse reading, online tests, and 1:1 work with a practitioner (39:03) Nimisha shares why “all disease begins in the gut” (41:34) Nimisha describes Ayurvedic seasonal approaches and makes midsummer recommendations for Pitta-predominant Marisa  (47:15) The Ayurvedic perspective of "like increases like" and "opposites balance each other" (51:17) A story about Nimisha’s grandmother, cumin, and watermelon  (55:35) Why Nimisha calls seed cycling “the gateway drug to improving your overall hormonal health" (57:58) Nimisha notes the possibility of perimenopause symptoms beginning for some women as early as age 35 PLUS:   Be sure to tune in at 15:54 for an overview of holistic vs. functional nutrition.    Tune in at 37:36 to learn why a Vata imbalance can feel like “Running really fast but not going anywhere.” 🏃💨   Listen at 1:02:43 to hear Marisa’s symptoms— Is it burnout? Or is it perimenopause?   Stay till the end of the episode at 1:08:31 to hear Nimisha answer some rapid fire questions from Marisa. 🔥🔥🔥   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and keep up to date with new episode drops by subscribing to our newsletter at marisalavalette.com!   Resources Mentioned: Take the Dosha Quiz Kaikeyi: A Novel by Vaishnavi Patel   Guest Info: Nimisha’s Website Nimisha’s Instagram Schedule a FREE Discovery Call with Nimisha Connect with Me: Subscribe to our Newsletter Have a question? Email Us Follow Marisa on Instagram Follow Attune + Align on Instagram   Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts: I’m so grateful for your support! Please consider rating and reviewing Attune + Align on Apple Podcasts. First, open the Apple Podcasts app and search for Attune + Align. Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and rate with 5 stars—please write a brief review as well! I appreciate you.   💫 Sending love, light, and hugs from, Marisa