Healing Your Superwoman Syndrome: Ayurvedic Rehab for Greater Immunity

Welcome to Actionable Ayurveda with Salila Sukumaran, where we talk about activating your AI, your Ayurvedic intelligence, so you can have that juicy, glowy health you deserve. So today we are exploring immunity and inner resilience through the lens of Ayurveda. Especially for us ladies out there who can't help being overachievers. Whether it's baking an original 1940s chocolate cake straight from the Joy of Cooking for a fundraiser or working on a deck for a multi-million dollar project, you cannot be anything but perfection itself. I think many of you will relate to what's called the Superwoman Syndrome. Let's break it down with some real-life examples. So you can understand this better. Imagine this: you're a busy executive. Let's call you Sarah. Sarah is the Vice President of Marketing at a big tech firm. She's got her hands full—meetings, deadlines, and a team relying on her. Sound like somebody you know? But wait, Sarah is also the soccer mom who volunteers at her kids' school, the girlfriend who organizes weekend brunches, and the daughter who checks in on her aging parents regularly. Now, Sarah wakes up at 5 AM to fit in a quick workout because, hey, she needs to look fabulous at that board meeting, right? By 7 AM, Sarah's made breakfast, packed lunches, and answered even a few emails. Can you relate? But here's where it gets tricky. By the time Sarah gets to work, she's already mentally drained. She sits in a crucial meeting, and instead of being fully present, She's thinking about that science project her son forgot to start and the looming deadline on a performance review. So many of us are out there trying to outdo everyone else in everything with the zeal of a triathlete, and naturally we start to fray at the edges by the end of our days. Aches and pains and feeling like crying for no reason, irritability, anxiety, low-grade inflammation. And a frequently upset stomach are all payback for being Miss Perfect. And I say this as a recovering wannabe superwoman. So let's understand why our bodies start to fail us when we go on a superwoman streak. We'll understand it through a powerful shloka that holds the key to greater wisdom and insight. Into the Ayurvedic point of view, and I'm going to share some practical rituals because you know I'm all about practical rituals because this is the Actionable Ayurveda podcast, right? And you can do these straight away, right away, to help you feel more centered starting today. So the verse is from Ashtanga Hridaya. This is one of Ayurveda's foundational textbooks. It's a tome. It gives us a profound insight into how disease takes root in the body. Sanskrit verses are like codes. We can build a cathedral of wisdom from half a code. Okay, and this one, all we need is the first two words and it's enough said. This will help all of us to think and rethink some of the choices we make on a daily basis that destroys our immunity. The shloka goes: Raga di rogan satatanu shaktan ashe shakaya prasrutan ashe shan. For the curious cats out there, this shloka is a Mangala Charana, or the auspicious chant at the beginning of any sacred text. The shloka is describing a perfect healer worthy of our highest respect. And like I said, for our chat today, the first two words are most important. So let's unpack the first two words, raga di roga. You may have heard of musical ragas before, but when I say raga di, here we are talking about negative emotions. If we give this a thought, All negative emotions are, air quotes, sticky. Think of irritability, covetousness, resentment, dissatisfaction, procrastination, delusional thinking, victim mentality. All of these states that arise from what Ayurveda calls as Madha, Moha, Aalasya, Krodha. Shoka, insanity, inability to let go, desire, desiring something really badly, laziness, anger, grief. These are the ragas. These are emotional states that play in a loop in our head, so they are sticky. I call them sticky emotions. Rogan word translates to the cause of disease. So together, the phrase raga di rogan means sticky emotions cause disease. Now we are being enlightened on how disease takes root in the physical body. It first sticks to our mind in the form of negative emotions. Now what is sticky when we think in Ayurvedic terms? It's really Kapha but gone rogue, right? Kapha, when it is working in harmony with Vata, the energy of circulation and movement, and the energy of Pitta, of metabolism, of transformation, of change, Kapha is a dynamic force that governs our immunity, right? Optimal Kapha is also synonymously called Bala or Ojas, or vyādhikṣamattva. It is the ability to withstand and work through a breach in the integrity of our protective barriers. Bala literally means our strength. Ojas means that juicy quality of being in a healthy body, right? Vyādhikṣamattva, meaning the ability to withstand diseases. Vyādhi is disease, kṣamattvā is capacity. Ayurveda's ancient wisdom tells us that true immunity isn't just about fighting disease. It's about creating an inner environment that is free from rāga, or that which is sticky. Now negative emotions, I call them sticky emotions because They're hard to lose these feelings, right? Feelings of proving we are worthy, running on empty trying to do it all and be it all, right? Now what sticks also blocks, accumulates, interrupts, and causes chaos. In short, creates disease. So negative emotions cause chaos in the subtle energy field as we go into a spiral of negative thinking. Think of all the insanity of a modern life, right? Shopping as therapy— guilty of it— hoarding things that hold little value, inability to let go of the past— thanks to social media, everything's plastered everywhere and we are constantly reminded— and the wish to live our life more as a performance for others on social media than genuinely living a life of meaning and connection. I was at this upscale sushi place last night, and there was this couple that looked like they were having an intimate dinner celebrating something, and I was surprised to see a third person with them. Looked like their social media manager, who had the lights and the gear and everything, taking pictures of them in their most intimate time together, right? Instead of chatting with each other and catching up and having a deep conversation. They were doing what is performative intimacy for others to view on social media, to consume and to believe that they were a great couple. They could be, I don't know, but that's what I saw and I was shocked. So all these are sticky habits. This is what causes our modern maladies. These are the ragas. And you heard this connection here first. Illness cannot take root in a mind that feels expanded emotions of love, joy, enthusiasm, curiosity, peace, authenticity, vulnerability, generosity. These are all free-flowing states, right? Sadly, these states don't come easy. These are hard work. We have to look at ourselves, self-inquiry, work with a therapist, read self-help books, talk to friends who are honest with us and tell us about ourselves, look for our blind spots, and be grateful to those who honestly share what— how they experience us, right? And these feelings and states are evanescent. They're shimmering bubbles that float off our minds, displaced by the next sticky emotion. Isn't it fascinating that our ancestors understood what modern science is only beginning to confirm now? In our relentless pursuit of more, more productivity, more achievement, more things to check off our list, we have somehow lost touch with this fundamental truth. So vyātikkṣamatva is our inbuilt ability to flush out sticky emotions on the mental level and to flush out sticky endogenous toxins which Ayurveda calls us 'Ama' on the physical level. So think of Vyādikṣamatva as your body's natural shield. The more we cleanse, the stronger our Vyādikṣamatva, ojas, or bala is. But unlike our modern quick fixes, this shield is not built overnight with vitamin C tablets and energy drinks. It's woven very carefully, deliberately, through daily intentional choices that honor our body and spirit. So let's look at some examples for clarity, right? Our teeth becoming sticky with plaque-building bacteria. This leads to gum disease and cavities. Flushing and cleansing with oil pulling helps keep healthy saliva flowing and flushing out that bacteria with regularity, giving us strong, clean teeth and a healthy mouth. When we have increased sticky quality of the endometrial lining of the uterus, we have challenging periods leading to even conditions like endometriosis, very painful condition. Flushing and cleansing with an annual panchakarma cleanse will help us get the energies moving in the right direction, will help us get that apanavata, that downward flow of vata moving in the correct manner. Now a buildup of sticky byproducts in the sinuses leads to inflammation and migraines, right? When we do daily nasal oiling or one drop nasya, as I call it, with something like Anuthaila, which is very cleansing, we see that gunk drain out. We see it literally come out of our nasal passages. Now let me share something that happened to me recently. Last week, I was pulling 60-hour weeks, and I had just returned from India, and I felt like I was so behind. I was surviving on chai and takeout, and I was running on empty. And I stepped out of the house with my pup in the evening to take her for a walk. I don't know what happened. All I remember is I took a step and I fell flat on my bum. Now, what I had done was I had just gotten off my floor cushion after working nonstop for hours, and I had gotten into my shoes, my walking shoes, so quickly, and I had stepped out without first coming back to my body, helping my legs acclimatize. And without taking stock of that cold January air, I couldn't feel my legs. And as I stepped outside my cottage, the frozen ground, I lost my footing. And that's when I said, enough. And I thought of my Guruji's guidance for me: Care for yourself before you care for others. When my batteries are charged, then I am thriving and I have a lot to offer. So let's talk about practical solutions. How are we going to bring our body back to balance, back to center, when we are in a go-go-go mode? So I'm going to share 3 practices that you can start today. Yes, even with your packed schedule, I promise. First up is your morning ritual. Now, before you roll your eyes thinking about those Instagram-perfect morning routines, Hear me out, it's not about perfection, it's about progress, and this takes just a few minutes. Instead of reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, reach for a glass of warm ghar pesh tea, which is water boiled with a combination of 2-3 spices, seeds like black cumin, fennel seeds, dill seeds, black seed, fenugreek, coriander, carom, etc. Just walk into your kitchen pantry, look at it, just feel what you need that day, connect with your intuition. You can't go wrong. And when you sip, take deep breaths of gratitude and appreciation. How wonderful that we get to do life with our people, our community, our family. This simple practice will kickstart your digestion and will help with flushing out or cleansing that which is sticky, that which causes disease. Just as you would rinse a plate with some hot water to clean it out, this Gut Bestie will also rinse our internal system to clean it out. Now here's a little secret. I keep a flask of warm Gut Bestie by my bedside that I've made the night before. That's the kind of practical Ayurveda we are talking about. Working with your life, not against it. Now here's the second game changer. It's all about keeping our environment from becoming attractive to pathogens. Remember how I said kapha gone rogue is what creates stickiness? Similarly, when the climate is often cold and damp, mold, bacteria, and viruses can potentially grow in our homes, and before we know it, our family members And us, we are catching colds and coughs and fevers. A simple practice we can all do is burning 3 to 5 sticks of incense made of, you know, agarwood if possible, and taking this throughout the house, through the cupboards, under our furniture, in the nicks and the corners, the nooks and the corners of our home. This is called Dhoopana in Ayurveda, and it is an essential practice during cold, damp months. When it's raining, when it's cold, this is when we need to do Dhoopana. Dhoopana can be done with sage sticks or organic incense, or even herbs and spices like turmeric, clove, sandalwood. You can make your own simple incense with aguru wood powder mixed with a little bit of honey and some ghee to bind it all together. Keep it to dry and then burn it with a lighter and it'll catch fire and it'll give this aromatic smoke that is very cleansing. It's antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral. Agaru is an aromatic wood that helps remove excess kapha or humidity from our home environment. And it's fascinating that the word for incense in India is agarbatti, meaning a wick made of aguru wood. Now the third practice is what I call traffic light meditation. You know those moments when you are stuck at a red light and you're feeling your stress levels rise? Your children are behind you, you're taking them to school, or you're rushing to a meeting or for a doctor's appointment. Now you can take these moments and transform them into a mini meditation moment. What I do is I flip my mirror and then I look deep into my own eyes. I connect with my own self and I see the facial expression I'm wearing. And if I'm wearing like a worried facial expression and my face is crunched, I just take a few deep conscious breaths and I relax myself. I look at myself in the eyes and I say, I have time to do all that I need. I am beautiful. I am strong, I am a force of good, I am complete, and all is well. And this is not just an affirmation, it's a cleansing flush of any negative sticky emotion that is building up in my mindscape. So now, the topic of vyādikṣamatva or immunity would not be complete without mentioning the elephant in the room. The way we are taught to be ladies and suppress our body's natural urges. You know what I'm talking about— holding in that burp during a business meeting, or trying not to yawn in class, or desperately searching for a bathroom because you've been holding it too long. Well, here's the fascinating thing: according to ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, suppressing these natural urges isn't just uncomfortable; it can actually mess with your immunity. Your ojas, your vyādhi samātva— kṣramaṭva, sorry— your bhala. So let's break down some of these urges you should stop suppressing starting right now. First up, yes, we are going there, passing gas. Did you know that a healthy adult should pass gas about 14 to 25 times a day? If you visited India, you know that it's totally normal and accepted. Some of you will be very shocked. And how about that urge to cry during a sad movie? Those just aren't your tears. That's your emotional armor melting away, making room for more of you—your authentic self. Here's one more: yawning. That's your body's way of saying, "Hey, I need more oxygen up here!" And when you suppress it, you're literally denying your brain the oxygen it craves. And the bottom line is— my doggy just sneezed to show you that you shouldn't be suppressing your urges. Your body is incredibly wise. These natural urges aren't embarrassing mistakes. They are your body's intelligent communication system. So the next time you feel the urge to yawn, sneeze, or pass gas, God forbid. Remember, suppressing natural urges is like putting your body on mute. Instead, honor these signals within reason, of course. I'm not suggesting causing chaos in an elevator. So here's what I really want you to remember, like I keep saying, it's not about perfection, it's about progress. That ancient Ayurvedic text I mentioned earlier, Ashtanga Hridaya, it doesn't just talk about preventing disease. It speaks of creating an inner environment so strong that stress, anxiety, and external pressures just bounce off your energetic field. Now, before we wrap up, here's your permission slip. To start small. Choose just one of these practices. Maybe it's the gut bestie, maybe it's the traffic light meditation, maybe it's dhupana, right? Start there. Remember, you're not just building immunity, your vyādika kṣamatva, you are reclaiming your relationship with your own well-being. Next week, we're going to explore more ways to activate our Ayurvedic Intelligence, our inbuilt AI. But until then, take a deep breath and remember, our ancestors survived much worse with so much less than we have. So you've got this, goddesses. So this is Salila again reminding you to stay juicy, stay glowy, and I will see you next week. When we talk about mini detox post the holidays.