Positivity, in moderation, can be beneficial for our well-being. However, when positivity becomes a rigid expectation or a way to avoid addressing deeper emotions, it can turn into toxic positivity. In this episode of Wellness Curated, host Anshu Bahanda engages in a thought-provoking conversation with clinical psychologist and trauma therapist Seema Hingorrany, shedding light on the dark side of toxic positivity. Together, they explore the harmful effects of dismissing or invalidating negative emotions, discuss the importance of embracing authenticity, and provide insights into cultivating a healthy balance between positive and negative experiences. Tune in to gain valuable insights on how to navigate the fine line between genuine positivity and toxic positivity for your overall well-being.

In this episode of Wellness Curated, host, Anshu Bahanda delves into the transformative approaches of two esteemed experts in the field of nutrition and wellness. Dr Harald Stossier, the visionary behind Viva Mayr, who has now founded Modern Mayr Dilijan shares invaluable insights into his much sought-after methodology. With a focus on mindful chewing, proper digestion, and personalised dietary plans, his method aims to optimise overall well-being and enhance digestion through a holistic approach.

Joining the conversation, is also Dr S N Murthy who endorses a plant-based diet and naturopathy as powerful tools for health at Pema Wellness Resort. Emphasising the healing properties of plant-based foods and the benefits of natural remedies, Dr Murthy guides listeners towards embracing a lifestyle that aligns with the healing powers of nature.

Prepare to be inspired as these experts highlight practical ways to improve your well-being. Listen in and unlock the potential for enhanced health and vitality through these distinct approaches.

In this episode, your host, Anshu Bahanda dives deep into the world of kids’ nutrition, gleaning invaluable tips and insights for parents seeking to nourish their little ones.

Experts registered nutritional therapist Monisha Mahtani and registered nutritionist Sophie Bertrand talk about how to overcome the common challenge of dealing with picky eaters. Discover effective strategies to expand your child’s palate and create a positive mealtime environment that promotes healthy eating habits. You’ll also discover how to navigate food sensitivities and allergies while still providing delicious and nutritious meals that keep your child safe and well-nourished.

Sophie and Monisha also share practical approaches to create a positive food relationship and empower your little ones to make smart and nutritious choices. Your child’s well-being starts here!

In this episode, you’ll hear multiple award-winning nutritionist Sheeba Majmudar talk about how little people know about hydration, something that has a profound effect on the way we function. Sheeba talks about ‘activating’ water, which is really not as complicated as it sounds – how to do it and why this is required to facilitate the absorption of the water you consume into your cells. She fills us in on how much water individuals really need to consume and highlights surprising ways in which our bodies try to tell us that they’re dehydrated. She also cautions against relying on ‘thirst’ as the only indicator that your body needs water and explains why that’s a problematic approach.

Most importantly, Sheeba provides tips and strategies for measuring whether your body is adequately hydrated and ensuring that it gets the right kind of water all through the day. This episode is going to change the way you drink.

In this episode of Wellness Curated, host Anshu Bahanda talks to GP, Dr Sepp Fegerl, of the world-famous Vivamayr clinic, about fasts.

Although the term is now synonymous with ‘intermittent fasting’, which, typically, requires abstaining from food for some 16 hours, the practice of fasting, in different forms, has been a tradition in many cultures. It has also been seen to result in many benefits including improvements in insulin sensitivity, increased fat burning, a reduction in inflammation, greater mental clarity and heightened energy levels. However, done wrong, fasting can lead to not only a drop in energy levels, headaches, and dizziness, but it may even trigger a stroke or cardiovascular issues.

Here, Dr Fegerl tells you how to do it right: he talks about what works and what doesn’t and how often one should fast for maximum benefits. Importantly, he stresses on the need to ‘prepare for a fast’ and tells you how to do this, how to listen to one’s body and adjust the fast to suit individual needs and goals, and what sort of exercise or activity will complement a fast.

This is a must-listen for anyone who fasts for any reason at all, and more so, for anyone who’s looking to incorporate fasting into their wellness routine.

In this episode, nutritionist Niti Desai and psychiatrist Dr Chinmay Kulkarni provide listeners with practical tips and insights on how to develop a positive and sustainable approach to eating. Host, Anshu Bahanda gets them to talk about everything from mindful eating, food-related guilt and emotional eating to how social media, advertising, Netflix and delivery apps shape our eating habits. You’ll also hear how mixed messages in childhood can impact one’s ideas about food and about the roots of disordered eating. Identifying the problem is, however, just the first step; our experts also provide listeners with insights, inspiration and encouragement. We all know that our diets have a huge impact on overall well-being, so listen to this to discover strategies you can implement today – to build a healthy relationship with food.

In this episode nutritional expert Melanie Waxman, who’s associated with the Sha Wellness Clinic in Spain, makes healthy living easier than ever with tips on how to adopt the macrobiotic way of life. Melanie has spent years endorsing this methodology, which goes far beyond a list of what to eat and what to avoid. In this episode, she touches on all the aspects of Macrobiotics and tells you how you can benefit from the small lifestyle tweaks this approach calls for – “it’s not just about living for longer, but also living healthier,” she says. Melanie talks about how some foods affect us, the habits that we pick up and how to shed them, and she even has a list of baby steps that can lead you to optimal physical, spiritual, and mental health.

This is your ultimate guide to building healthy habits into your diet and lifestyle,  and developing a new, invigorating approach to long lasting health and happiness.

Psychiatric illnesses – by which we mean conditions that affect a person’s mood, thinking, feeling, and / or behaviour – affect one in seven or eight people around the world, and even so, experts believe these conditions are under-reported. The term includes but isn’t limited to depression, anxiety, bipolarity and schizophrenia. But even though billions of people are coping with these conditions right now – dealing with their own conditions or those of their loved ones – they remain shrouded in mystery and stigma. In this episode, Anshu Bahanda explores the roots of psychiatric illnesses and how they can be managed well, through a conversation with Aparna Piramal Raje, a well-known columnist and thought leader, and eminent psychiatrist Dr. Kersi Chavda, who is associated with Sir H N Reliance Hospital and Hinduja Hospital. Dr. Chavda shares his insights on the complex nature of psychiatric illnesses, including their genetic and environmental roots, and he also talks about the various treatment options available – including Aparna’s seven therapies-model, which includes medication and love therapy. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on this important topic, so you can learn how to recognise psychiatric problems better, talk about them more openly, and play your part to create a more inclusive world.

Yoga instructor Lamya Arsiwala tells you how yoga can boost brain power, and about some simple asanas you need to perform to experience these benefits. There are many reasons why the practice of yoga helps boost brain power. Studies have shown that practicing yoga regularly causes brain cells to develop new connections. Changes occur in brain structure as well as function, and these result in improvements in cognitive skills, such as learning and memory. Yoga, thus, has benefits in the areas of memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language. MRI scans have been used to study people who did yoga regularly and compare their brains to those who did not; practitioners of yoga were seen to have a thicker cerebral cortex (which processes information) and hippocampus (which is involved in learning and memory) compared to those who did not practice yoga. Moreover, while these areas of the brain tend to shrink with advanced age, regular yoga practitioners experienced less shrinkage – suggesting that yoga may even stave off cognitive decline.

Neurobics are activities and exercises that stimulate the brain. These are the equivalent to aerobic exercises, only they’re aimed at sharpening the mind. The idea is to train your brain with these exercises the way you train your muscles at a gym. A few short sessions of these brain workouts every day will challenge your brain and yield results in four key areas: Memory, Focus, Problem-solving and Calculation.

In this episode, you’ll hear scientist and educator Dr. Arnie Gotfryd talking about the results he’s seen neurobics deliver, why these exercises help and what you need to set up a brain gym at home. Arnie runs Maxi Mind Learning in Toronto and in this episode, he also delves into what his trademarked brain-training programme involves and how you can avail of its benefits.

Leading political journalist and TV show host Priya Sahgal who cares for her 80 year old mother, helping her deal with all the complications that old age brings, shares her experience in this episode. Not only will some listeners really relate with what she’s going through, Priya also tells you what’s worked for her and where the real-life challenges lie in situations such as these. After all, memory loss isn’t the only problem that comes with cognitive decline; caregivers may find their loved ones turn into people they don’t recognise with massive personality changes. They can become difficult, moody, or frustrated – and the difficult task of caring for them can leave you equally changed. Leading neurologist, Dr PN Renjen from Apollo Hospitals and geriatric psychiatrist, Dr Santosh Bangar tell you how to identify that it’s time to get your loved ones help, what to expect as they get older, what you can do to slow down / prevent or manage the symptoms of cognitive decline, and most importantly, what you must do to care for yourself.

The art of calligraphy is not only therapeutic; it actually stimulates the brain and helps improve focus, memory and problem-solving skills. In China, the Tang dynasty (618-907) mandated that officials practice the art of calligraphy, and the art of lettering was one of six disciplines of higher education. Today, there is scientific evidence to show that lettering improves brain function, but long before devices could measure it, the Chinese had observed the positive impact of lettering on visual-spatial aptitude. In this episode, you’ll hear Mumbai’s most sought-after calligrapher, Sanjana Chatlani of The Bombay Lettering Company talk about how the art improved her tennis game, and how it helps boost cognitive function in general. She also outlines what it takes to practice calligraphy, how to assess if you’re cut out for it, and where you can sign up for online classes so as to avail of the cognitive benefits now.

The Dancing Brain: Movements that sharpen your mind

Who doesn’t enjoy dancing. But did you know that the way you dance – the movements, the rhythm and the new steps you push yourself to try – can enhance brain power and creativity, and even help improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. In this episode, you’ll meet dance psychologist Dr Peter Lovatt, who has spent twenty years working in university research labs, where he’s been studying the impact of movement on human thinking and behaviour. Peter’s expertise is in experimental cognitive psychology and his work on memory, thinking, mood, language learning, problem solving, dance and Parkinson’s disease has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. He’s also the author of two books – The Dance Cure: The surprising secret to being smarter, stronger, happier and Dance Psychology: the science of dance and dancers. And in this episode, he talks about how different movements and dance forms impact the brain, how long you need to dance to sharpen your mind, what research has shown about the impact of dance on the symptoms of Parkinson’s and how dance can improve attention spans and even your kids’ grades.

How often have you promised yourself that you’re going to prioritise your wellness – that you’re going to get fitter or take care of your skin – and then faltered? It’s easier said than done, because, often, the goals we set are too ambitious and the changes required to achieve them are too numerous. It can all be rather overwhelming. That’s why, in this episode of Wellness Curated – the last episode of my ‘Let’s Get Physical’ season – I asked five experts to share simple one-minute rituals that will leave you feeling healthier and happier. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” said the Taoist philosopher Laozi, so begin by dedicating just one minute to yourself every day, and then I hope you’ll step it up gradually until your well-being is no longer an afterthought.

Let’s Get Physical: Not so long ago, only celebrities opted for aesthetic treatments. Botox, liposuction and dermal fillers were things that most regular people only read about in magazines with a mixture of awe and trepidation. Today, however, everyone is familiar with these procedures. It’s not uncommon for working professionals to stop by a clinic to get their Botox shots on their way to work; it’s become as ordinary as picking up a takeaway. The fact that technological developments have made these treatments more accessible is great – because issues like scars, acne and the physical after-effects of cancer treatments can sometimes destroy one’s self-esteem. But there is a downside to the fact that these treatments have become so commonplace, too. From the dangers of addiction and excessive use to the risks of having inexperienced people performing these procedures, Dr Barbara Dalbos from the incredible Sha Wellness Clinic in Spain, lays it all out in this episode.

Let’s Get Physical

Shiamak Davar, the man who has helped numerous celebrities like Shahid Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, and Alia Bhatt find their footing, both literally and metaphorically, tells you about the ways in which he has seen dance make a difference to people’s lives. Shiamak pioneered a new wave of dance in Indian films with Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), which is come to be known as ‘Shiamak style’ in India. A powerful arrangement of movements that have come to be synonymous with Shiamak, the ‘Shiamak style’ changed the face of dance in Bollywood. Film director Vishal Bhardwaj has highlighted Shiamak’s unique indo-contemporary style in the new film, Fursat, starring Ishaan Khatter and Wamiqa Gabbi. Shiamak also runs Victory Arts Foundation, through which he extends the benefits of dance to all those who may not otherwise have been able to afford his expertise: people with economic challenges, or mental or physical disabilities. And in this episode, the incredible dance supremo tells you the many ways in which he’s seen dance heal. Listen! Get inspired! Get dancin’!

Let’s Get Physical

Although few people in relationships take the trouble to lay down the boundaries, or clearly define their relationship agreements, most people would define an affair as an occasion when a partner broke such an agreement in what they felt was a committed partnership. That could be a physical affair, at times, but people can feel just as betrayed by partners who secretly correspond with another. Expectations vary from one relationship to another and even partners in a relationship can have different expectations. An affair is, therefore, really a case of breach of trust, in one way or the other.

It’s tough, but not impossible, to get back to a healthy relationship – if that’s what partners want to do. Whether you’re the one who strayed or the one who feels betrayed, in this episode, psychosexual and relational therapist Anvita Madan-Bahel, relationship reinvention specialist Aili Seghetti and psychotherapist Cassandra de la Thea tell you how to get through this rough patch.

Let’s Get Physical 

Aches and emotions: Why heartbreak really hurts 

Most people would agree that pain is influenced by emotion to some degree, but in this episode, you’ll hear psychologist Sushma IR and psychotherapist and psychological astrologist Arya Timblo talk about how bottled-up emotions can actually cause everyday aches and pains. Remembering that you have control over your life and resisting the temptation to catastrophise – “don’t get trapped in a whirlpool of ‘what-ifs’” as Sushma IR says – can help counter this. Listen to this episode to understand how you can live a relatively pain-free life.

In the post-COVID world, where well-being is finally getting due attention, technological advances in  fitness technology – especially in the area of wearable devices and interactive apps – is helping people to take nutrition, health and daily activity more seriously. The downside is that you could be taking it a bit too seriously. Listen to our experts, nutritionist Neha Sahaya, fit-tech entrepreneur Armaan Kandhari and fitness expert, Karan Khurana talk about the pros and cons of fitness technology, the tools they love and the ones they don’t and about how you can watch out for the pitfalls and get the most out of fitness tech. Discover how innovations like sensors and wireless technology are helping the world get fitter and learn about tech that costs a packet but which will pay you huge dividends.

In the final part of our meditation series we find out how to attract abundance, happiness and joy, guided by healer, seeker and yogini Amrita Mann.