#54 Navigating Peri-Menopause from Ayurveda & Yoga Perspective with Kate ODonnel, Ayurveda Practitioner, Author & Ashtanga Yoga Instructor

#56 Everything About Oils in Ayurveda

Osi Mizrahi is the founder of OSI Oils, a sacred wellness brand rooted in slow beauty, Ayurvedic ritual, and the art of coming home to oneself. Born on a farm in Israel, Osi’s connection to the natural world began early, shaping her journey as a medical intuitive, Ayurvedic artisan, and guide in the healing arts. With over 30 years of experience in yoga, Ayurveda, Reiki, Kundalini, and Theta Healing, Osi blends ancient wisdom with feminine embodiment. Osi believes in slow beauty and slow aging, practices that honor body’s rhythms and nourish vitality. Oils for Osi are more than skincare. They are vessels of self-love, sensuality, and spiritual healing. Connect with Osi Mizrahi here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osi.mizrahi/ Website: https://www.osioils.com/ Discussion Topics: Ques 1: Please tell us how did you enter the beautiful world of Ayurveda & Yoga? Ques 2: How did you end up exploring the world of oils? Ques 3: Why are oils considered such an important medicine in Ayurvedic healing? Ques 4: Most people often see oils as a skincare remedy. Can you help us understand why the impact of oils is beyond skincare and how do oils impact physiologically and energetically when we massage them into the body? Ques 5: What kind of oils are defined in Ayurveda? Are the oil types different for hair, skin, body, digestion and senses? What is the difference? Ques 6: Why Ayurveda emphasizes on the practice of Abhyanga for nervous system, anxiety, chronic stress, ungrounded feelings, disturbed sleep besides imparting a youthful skin? Ques 7: Many Ayurveda practitioners recommend practicing oil massage before bedtime. What is the relevance & which oils to use. Also, oiling before bed can feel messy, any tips to enjoy oiling without feeling messy? Ques 8: What oils or ingredients are most supportive for women experiencing burnout and adrenal fatigue? Ques 9: Women today are undernourished & depleted & with their lifestyle they get even more depleted. Slowing down is the only deep-rooted way to renourish a depleted body. What would you like to tell the women specially in their 40s & 50s, completely drained & depleted & dealing with peri-menopausal nuances, about Ayurveda & oiling? Ques 10: Lot of women steer clear of oils as they see their weight gain rising specially after 40s. And that is exactly the time when women must go high on oils. What is your take & suggestion to such women? Ques 11: Your range of oils is inspired by panchakarma practice in Ayurveda. What is the understanding behind creating these oils at Osi Oils?

#55 Scientific Perspective of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Perspective with Ronald Steiner, Ashtanga Practitioner & Sports Physician

Dr. Ronald Steiner is a Sports Physician, Researcherwith focus on prevention and rehabilitation, and one of the most well-known practitioners of Ashtanga Yoga. Dr Ronald is one of the few yoga teachers authorized by the Indian masters Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and BNS Iyengar. AnAshtanga pioneer, Dr. Ronald Steiner is one of the few Yogis in the world who masters the third series of Ashtanga Yoga. Dr Ronald is the founder of AYI (Ashtanga Yoga Innovation) method that links YOGATHERAPY with traditional ASHTANGA YOGA & YOGA PHILOSOPHY, with the aim of bringing body and mind into a state of balance, keeping in mind the scientific parameters of fitness & limitations of each individual. The AYI Method bridges the gap between ancient tradition and progressive science, between applied anatomy and living philosophy, between precise technology and practical experience. Dr. Ronald Steiner combines traditional Ashtanga Yoga with progressive insights, especially from the field of medicine, movement science, and psychology, to create a new orientation toward aliveness. Connect with Dr Ronald Steiner here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.ronald.steiner/ [https://www.instagram.com/dr.ronald.steiner/] Website: https://www.ashtangayoga.info/ [https://www.ashtangayoga.info/]  Discussion Topics: Ques 1: How did yoga happen to you & how did you find your teachers? Ques 2: What is so special about Ashtangapractice that the world is crazy about this yoga form, where the community is so strong & feels like people from a different planet exuding strength, purpose & spirituality in a very reflective and powerful way? This is one keen question on my mind for long, what is so magnetic about the Ashtangapractice that all practitioners come across as very dedicated, strong & purposeful people talking more of spirituality than asanas in the Ashtanga practice?  Ques 3: Based on your medical & traditional background in movement, what does the ashtanga practice stand for traditionally, scientifically medically & energetically? Ques 4: Being a sports physician and having practiced the yogic movement practice of maximum intensity, how do yousee Ashtanga practice from a scientific perspective?   Ques 5: What is AYI Method & what is it designed to achieve? Ques 6: Where does Yoga Philosophy and subtle elements of Ashtanga practice like breath, mantras, counts, bandhasfit-in into the scientific understanding of Ashtanga practice? Ques 7: What is the take of Ashtangis about modifications in the practice?   Ques 8: This is again a controversial question but a relevant one, lately there was a controversy ‘Why I Quit Ashtanga Practice’ circulating high in Ashtanga circles. Why now, after keeping the tradition alive for nearly a century, all of asudden this wave of quitting ashtanga spread out, while considering how powerful practice it is. More so when it can be modified to suit different individual types, there is always a choice, why quit? Ques 9: How come most Ashtangis visiting Mysore Ashtanga Yoga shala are able to develop such a strong practice and each Ashtagis practice looks the same…strong, flowing, dedicated & deeply involved with an exception that some people end up with injuries. I am sure not all students enter the shala with that strong with intense practice of difficult asanas, what’s the magic trick? Ques 10: Ashtanga practice also requires a lot of energy & rest, how are students able to cope up with the nutritional & lifestyle demands of the body to stay with the practice for long? Ques 11: I have another controversial question & think you are the best person to answer being a doctor & a yoga therapist. Generally, a doctor recommends yoga only as a side approach and not a source to reverse or heal health conditions. When people turn up to you for their health conditions, do you recommend yoga or medicine as first line of action?

#54 Navigating Peri-Menopause from Ayurveda & Yoga Perspective with Kate ODonnel, Ayurveda Practitioner, Author & Ashtanga Yoga Instructor

Kate O’Donnell is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, authorized Ashtanga yoga instructor, best-sellingAyurvedic author, and founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institute. She is authorized by her teacher Sharath Jois to teach the Primary and Intermediate series of Ashtanga Yoga. Kate holds 20 years of experience studying and practicing the wisdom of Ayurveda and yoga. She teaches yoga in Boston and Portland, Maine, and travels to India annually forstudy. Kate is the author of four Ayurvedic cookbooks, including ‘The Everyday Ayurveda Guide to Self-Care’, ‘TheEveryday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well’, ‘Everyday Ayurvedic Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind: 100 Sattvic Recipes’ and 'Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health'. She is a contributor to many publications including Yoga Journal, Women’s Health Magazine, NPR and specializes in Ayurvedic education, cooking skills & cleansing programs, Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kateodonnell.ayurveda/ [https://www.instagram.com/kateodonnell.ayurveda/] Website – https://www.kateodonnell.yoga/ [https://www.kateodonnell.yoga/]   Discussion Topics: 1.    How has your journey of perimenopause been after years of Ayurveda & Yoga practice? How have these practices helped you to keep your feminine health & hormones in balance during the transitionary peri-menopausal years? 2.  What are the typical natural symptoms of perimenopause that may happen as the hormones shift within? Do all women go through such symptoms or can theybe delayed or slowed down in their impact? 3. What according to you is the Ayurveda & Yoga understanding of perimenopause, as in how does Ayurveda look & define the hormonal shifts happening within during perimenopause? 4.   Are the peri-menopausal symptoms like irregular cycle, weight gain, hair loss, skin aging, body sagging, insomnia, hot flashes among other health concerns normal in Ayurveda understanding? 5.   According to Ayurveda what are the root causes of troubled perimenopause & menopause? 6.   In Ayurveda, feminine energy is also highly associatedwith feminine beauty & skin, this also translates to hormones estrogen & progesterone & their impact on femininity, beauty & skin in peri-menopausal years. What does Ayurveda say in this context, especially when host of modern treatments offer anti-aging promises in peri-menopausal years? 7.  What kind of Yoga practices must be added or modified to a woman’s routine to natural & healthily deal with perimenopause? Is strength training & muscle work important to sail through smooth perimenopause? 8.   How do foods choices impact hormones & in Ayurvedaare there any recommended foods & herbs recommended that can bring about hormonal balance in peri-menopausal years & control the symptoms of these years? 9.   How should the meals in peri-menopausal years look like? 10.  How should selfcare in peri-menopausal years look like? 11.  There is much awareness now about the role of nervous system in helping & calming down hormonal imbalances. However, the fact still is that most women are dealing with a lot in their lives & its practically impossible for most of them to prioritize diet, discipline & rest to be able to manage their nervous system. In such a scenario how do you think a women must bring in Ayurveda nuggets & Yoga relaxation techniques that can combine well with her hecticschedules. Is there a way? 12.  What is Ayurveda’s take on modern hormonal therapies like Hormone replacement therapy? 13.  Are there any lifestyle practices from Yoga & Ayurveda that can deeply support feminine hormonal balance if practices regularly apart from food considerations? 14.  There is much debate nowadays on bringing in lunar practices in one’s routine to bring about balance in feminine hormones. What do these lunar practices translate to in practical sense?

#53 Role of Supplements in Wellness Space with Sanjiv Jagota, Founder & CEO Nature's Signature & Nature's Source

Sanjiv Jagota is the founder and CEO of Nature’s Source and Nature’s Signature, two of Canada’s leading natural health product retailers. With over 30 years of experience in the health and wellness industry, Sanjiv is widely recognized as a visionary in the space of integrative medicine and natural healing. A biochemistry graduate with a background in pharmaceutical R&D, Sanjiv made a bold pivot toward holistic health in 1998, launching his first store with a mission to make therapeutic natural products more accessible. Today, his retail group is known for its extensive professional brand offerings, personalized in-store expertise, and practitioner partnerships. Sanjiv is the recipient of the Brock Elliott Award and was recently honored as the 2025 Whole Health Innovator by Grocery Business magazine. He has been featured on podcasts, radio, and television as a respected voice in natural health. His thought leadership is also reflected in two peer-reviewed publications on integrative medicine, featured in the Canadian Journal of Naturopathic Medicine and Integrated Healthcare Practitioners. Sanjiv is passionate about educating consumers on the responsible use of supplements and continues to advocate for innovation, transparency, and ethical standards in the wellness industry. Website: www.natures-source.com

#52 Practices for Selfcare, Beauty & Wellness with International Model Roxanne Gould

About Roxanne: Roxanne Gould has been a model since she was three. Now inher 60s, she has seen the peak of modelling world with international assignments, being on the cover of French, German, Greek & Italian Vogue magazine. She has showed up in German Harper’s Bazaar, L’Official and many other covers and fashion magazines for more than 50 years. Roxanne is also a Well-being coach from Deepak Chopra Institute. She owns a successful coaching business which builds teenagers and women’s self-esteem through modeling, movement, mindset, diet, exercise, andself-image. Roxanne is the author of ‘More Than Just a Pretty Face’ where she shares all aspects of aging gracefully. At 66, Roxanne is leading by example that true beauty onlyreveals itself with age. She has learnt the art of aging gracefully & has gained immense wisdom on aspects of inner & outer beauty. Roxanne is a Yoga practitioner & follower of ancient selfcare practices. In this podcast she shares with us her unique secrets and practices that help her look great and feel at her best every day on the path of graceful aging. Website: www.roxmod.me [http://www.roxmod.me/] Instagram: @roxmod Linkedin: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/roxanne-gould-9752a111 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-gould-9752a111] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Roxanne-Gould-1852640101702680/ [https://www.facebook.com/Roxanne-Gould-1852640101702680/] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/roxangould [https://www.youtube.com/user/roxangould]