69. Stop Obsessing Over Your Dosha: What Vikriti Means And Why It Matters More

Have you ever wondered what your dosha is? You're not alone—but that question might be keeping you stuck.

In this groundbreaking conversation, Kate sits down with Arjita Sethi—serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and founder of Shanti, an AI-powered wellness platform that's revolutionizing how we access Ayurvedic wisdom. Arjita shares her remarkable journey from childhood illness to Silicon Valley burnout to postpartum healing, and how each crisis brought her back to the Ayurvedic roots planted by her grandmother.

This episode tackles one of Ayurveda's stickiest problems: our obsession with finding our dosha. Arjita explains why understanding your vikriti (current state of imbalance) matters far more than your prakriti (constitutional type), and how this shift in perspective makes Ayurveda accessible to everyone—no certification required.

She walks us through her incredible 90-day postpartum recovery protocol (which brought her hemoglobin from 4 to 11.5 in one week), explains how she's training an AI brain on Ayurvedic knowledge, and shares why Ayurveda isn't about being a purist—it's about meeting yourself where you are and taking one step closer to your center.

If you've ever felt confused by dosha quizzes, overwhelmed by Ayurveda's complexity, or curious about how AI might make ancient wisdom more accessible, this conversation will change everything.

• Arjita's childhood healing journey from a tapeworm in her brain and wrong medications
• How her grandmother practiced Ayurveda without clocks—reading the sky for circadian rhythm
• The Silicon Valley burnout that happened despite running half marathons and doing 'all the right things'
• Why the same green smoothie works for her Pitta husband but not for her Vata constitution
• The difference between prakriti (your constitution) and vikriti (your current imbalance)
• Why we've become martyrs to our dosha—and why that's the wrong approach
• The complete 90-day postpartum recovery protocol that healed Arjita after traumatic birth  
• What her mother fed her to bring hemoglobin from 4 to 11.5 in one week
• The importance of jaggery, ginger, and warming foods for postpartum healing
• Why asking for help isn't weakness—it's essential for healing
• How Shaanti's AI platform works: training a brain on Ayurvedic studies
• Why you don't need to know your dosha to start practicing Ayurveda
• The three essentials: breath, sleep, eat—start here
• How to assess your vikriti every three months or when life changes
• Why Ayurveda can include modern practices like Pilates and Lion's Mane
• How epigenetics proves we're not bound by hereditary fate
• The power of documenting grandmother wisdom before it's lost
• Morning mantra practices tied to days of the week
• How AI can give us time back for what matters—sun, family, rest

Arjita Sethi is a serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and recognized leader at the intersection of AI and wellness. Originally from India and now based in San Francisco, Arjita has spent over a decade in the AI space, starting before machine learning became mainstream.

Raised by a grandmother deeply versed in Vedic and Ayurvedic studies, Arjita grew up immersed in practices like meditation, yoga, and circadian living—though she didn't realize this wasn't 'normal' until much later. After recovering from childhood illness through Ayurveda, co-founding a successful vocational school with her mother, and experiencing Silicon Valley burnout, she returned to her roots during the pandemic.

Arjita founded Shaanti, an AI-powered wellness platform that makes Ayurvedic wisdom accessible without overwhelming complexity. By training an AI brain on Ayurvedic studies and combining it with personalized vikriti assessments, she's helping people make wellness decisions aligned with their current season of life—not just their dosha.

She holds certifications in Ayurvedic health practice, is a certified manual therapist with a background in physical therapy, and practices Kundalini yoga. Arjita is also an advocate for women in technology and runs a virtual school teaching AI skills to entrepreneurs.

Website: findshaanti.com

Instagram: @arjitasethico

Prakriti: Your natural constitution or body type—essentially your elemental DNA. This is what most people think of when they hear 'dosha,' but it's only part of the picture.

Vikriti: Your current state of imbalance—where you are TODAY based on life circumstances, stress, season, age, and health. This is what you actually need to address for healing.

Season of Life: The concept that your body changes based on what you're going through—whether you're fundraising versus post-funding, child sick at school versus family vacation, perimenopause versus postpartum. Same person, different needs.

AI Brain Training: The process of feeding publicly available Ayurvedic studies and traditional knowledge into an artificial intelligence system so it can provide personalized recommendations based on your prakriti and vikriti.

• Stop obsessing over your dosha—focus on where you are TODAY (your vikriti)
• Start with the three essentials: breath, sleep, eat
• Breathe from your diaphragm, not just chest breathing (fight or flight indicator)
• Eat the most colorful, fresh food you can—better than any takeout regardless of dosha
• Assess your vikriti every three months or when life circumstances change
• Ask yourself: How far am I from my center? Then take one step closer
• Don't try to turn your life around overnight—small changes stick
• Build a tribe and community—asking for help is strength, not weakness
• Try warm water with salt, turmeric, and black pepper first thing in the morning
• Create evening wind-down rituals with mantras, soft lighting, family time
• Remember: Ayurveda has no rigid rules—it meets you where you are
• You don't need to be a purist—Pilates, Lion's Mane, modern life can integrate
• Document wisdom from elders before it's lost (interview your grandmother!)
• Use AI to handle busy work so you can sit in the sun with your baby

Arjita shares her mother's 90-day postpartum healing plan that brought her hemoglobin from 4 to 11.5 in one week:

First 40 Days - Focus: Healing

• Daily massage with sesame and coconut oil for grounding high Vata
• Warming, grounding, easily digestible foods
• Leafy vegetable pancakes, fiber-rich foods
• Peanut chutney and other warming chutneys
• No non-vegetarian foods (hard to digest protein)
• Focus on sweet, salty, sour tastes—avoid astringent and bitter
• JAGGERY in everything (restored iron levels)
• Lots of GINGER
• Nutmeg for sleep and anxiety
• No garlic, no onion, no rajasic foods
• Quinoa, dal, warm cooked foods (no raw or sprouted)

Next 1.5-2 Months - Focus: Restoring Nutrition

• Building back vitamins and minerals given to baby
• Continued focus on warming, nourishing foods
• Lots of different types of peppers for warmth and digestion
• Pelvic floor therapy alongside Ayurvedic protocol
• Western medicine continued (painkillers, vitamins, therapy)—not either/or

• Shaanti Platform: findshaanti.com 
• Take the prakriti and vikriti quiz
• Get AI-powered personalized recommendations
• Access daily 5-minute practices (real videos, not AI-generated)
• Vikriti assessment every 3 months or as needed
• Kripalu Center - Where Arjita took her health practitioner certification
• Kundalini Yoga programs (mentioned as part of her healing journey)

If this conversation helped you stop obsessing over dosha quizzes and start focusing on where you are TODAY, please subscribe to Everyday Ayurveda with Kate and share this episode. To explore Arjita's AI-powered Ayurveda platform, visit findshanti.com. For more support with Ayurvedic living, visit healwithkate.org.

The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, or wellness routine.

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