For New York–based Ayurvedic doctor and writer Nidhi Pandya, her latest book Your Body Already Knows (HarperCollins) is an act of preservation of her grandfather’s wisdom. She grew up in a household where Ayurveda wasn’t studied from afar but lived every day. Her grandfather, a traditional Ayurvedic healer, had learned directly from ancient Sanskrit texts.
In a time when wellness has become an industry of quick fixes from supplements, injections, calorie counting, and trendy drinks like turmeric lattes, Pandya believes we’ve lost the essence of health. ”Ayurveda is not a list of remedies and restrictions. It is a science of life, rooted in rhythm, consciousness, and connection,” she says. For Pandya, Ayurveda was never a subject to study. “It was in the kitchen, in our daily choices, in the way we listened to the body,” she recalls.
The ancient texts, Pandya reminds us, describe the first cause of disease as Prajna Aparadha—an Ayurvedic term which refers to the loss of inner wisdom. Your Body Already Knows is her response to this disconnection, a guide to cutting through the noise and returning to alignment. “It’s about reconnecting with our biological and emotional intelligence, to live in a way that feels awake, alive, and deeply human,” she says.
The book begins with foundational concepts like sleep cycles and meal timing before culminating in a 21-day reset designed to help readers realign with natural rhythms. These aren’t rigid rules but small, practical steps—each an invitation to listen inward. The format is intentional. “Ayurveda is timeless, but to be relevant, it has to meet people where they are,” explains Pandya. “Even a short, intentional period of alignment can create a profound shift.” She has seen this repeatedly with her clients, whose stories she shares in the book. For many, the reset brought more clarity and balance than elaborate Panchakarma treatments or medical prescriptions. What they gained, she says, was something deeper than a protocol: “a compass. A way home to themselves”.
The author lives by these principles herself. “Healing doesn’t require perfection,” she says. “It requires rhythm, self-awareness, and trust in the body’s wisdom. Once people start living by rhythm rather than rules, everything shifts—digestion, sleep, emotions, energy, even relationships.”
For Pandya, much of her work is about dispelling myths that surround Ayurveda today, from the biggest misconceptions that “Ayurveda means eating Indian food or consuming certain superfoods like turmeric”, evident from the boom of Turmeric lattes on social media. Another myth, she adds, is that herbs alone make someone “Ayurvedic”. But the author says, “Ayurveda is not about a cuisine or a trend, but living in alignment with your body’s needs, nature’s rhythms, and the season you’re in. Even something as celebrated as turmeric can be un-Ayurvedic if taken mindlessly.”
For those new to Ayurveda, the prospect can feel intimidating—but Pandya insists it doesn’t have to be. In Your Body Already Knows, she distills the concepts of Ayurveda into simple, relatable language that makes the ancient wisdom feel accessible and practical for modern life. Far from restrictive, she sees Ayurveda as profoundly liberating. “I meet people exactly where they are. I don’t ask them to give up their cultural foods or their indulgences—I show them how to enjoy them, what to pair them with, and how to return to balance afterward.”
The title of her book underscores her core belief: the answers are already within us. “We’re all born with intuition—just look at a newborn who knows exactly how to feed, or animals who instinctively know how to heal,” she says. “But somewhere along the way, we lose that connection, buried under conditioning and noise.”
That’s what sets her approach apart from diet culture. “As long as the earth rotates and the sun rises and sets, Ayurveda will remain relevant,” she says. “This isn’t another plan to follow—it’s a way to return to yourself.”