May 13, 2024 • 25 mins
In this episode, Dr. Obadan welcomes guest Dr. Rashmi Schramm to discuss their shared work in medicine. They delve into Dr. Rashmi's personal experience with burnout and over-medication, advocating for maintaining good habits and accepting off days. The conversation further explores the importance and scientific evidence of meditation and mindfulness, types of meditation, and their benefits. They also touch on the impact of loneliness on health and an upcoming meditation retreat.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hi everyone.
Thank you for joining me here today.
My name is Ndidiamaka Obadan, also known asDoctor Didi.
I'm the founder of younger self MD medicalclinic health and wellness which is located in
Hanasaw, Georgia.
We help adults, prevent, and treat medicalconditions like diabetes, high blood pressure,
(00:29):
and chronic kidney disease in as little as a 30minute consultation so they can go on to live
healthier, happier, and longer lives.
And today, I have the amazing doctor Rashmi,and I'm gonna let her introduce herself.
Thank you so much, Doctor Dede.
I'm so excited to be here with you.
(00:51):
So my name is Doctor Rashmi Shram.
I am a board certified family physician.
I've been in practice for about 23 years or SoI'm also a certified coach as well as a
certified meditation teacher.
I am the founder of optimal wellness, and whatwe do here is We actually help really high
achieving busy women to tap into their owninner peace and power so they can lead more
(01:14):
energetic and fulfilling lives.
And we do that by using all the tenants ofmindfulness of ayurveda, which is really the
original lifestyle.
Medicine, if you will.
And I do one on one work.
I also do, group work as well.
And your you know, your work, and I think mywork are very similar in that you're helping
(01:35):
people to move the needle in their health tobigger and better mind Obadan health, and
that's really how I see myself, helping folksas well.
Yes.
And that is Amazing.
I am so so, yes, I practice integrativemedicine.
And a lot of all these therapies what what wedescribe as nonconventional have so many
(02:00):
therapeutic effects, you know, like the Ari howdo you pronounce it?
I call it ARO.
Yeah.
It's a tough one.
Yep.
It's ARO David.
Say it again.
I I I you're Veda.
So I by your means, like, I'm speaking adifferent language now.
That's right.
It is.
I just or or or Riviere.
Yeah.
Don't even try to look at it.
(02:21):
Don't even tell me to spell it.
I'm gonna just butcher the spelling as well,but it's very therapeutic, and it works.
So why not?
Why not admit?
So, so tell us tell us how you got here and whyyou chose to focus on this type of therapy and
how it's helping your patients.
Yeah.
You know, as a family physician, kind of on thefront lines for years years years, it was very,
(02:47):
very parent to me that all of us, just as asociety, had way more than what was good for us
as far as health, and as far as stress and thestressors of daily life were concerned.
And it wasn't, of course, just my patients.
It was everyone around me, including me, Andultimately, I it was, you know, I started to
look for these.
(03:08):
I'd I don't even like to call them alternative,but I just think of them as more integrative,
just like you said, right, and complimentary,types of things because I personally was also
going through kind of a almost a very slowburn, if you will, kind of a burnout.
That was a very slow burnout where I was losinginterest in things.
(03:28):
I was starting to have, emotional kind of, youknow, just irritability that didn't feel right
for me.
I, of course, then waited until physicalsymptoms appeared, and you like this one.
I was drinking so much diet coke.
I was passing kidney stones.
I was literally in the office.
Oh my gosh.
(03:48):
Really?
Right.
So it That is what happens.
Yeah.
It's what happens.
Yeah.
It happens to a lot of us.
A lot of us did.
It's like a thousand people.
The bad habits, you know, you turn to comfortfood, and then there's more stress.
And, you know, so, yes, you just keep goingdown this rabbit hole of adding more problems
(04:09):
so to speak.
And then, you know, you start taking medicine,different kinds of medicines will and they all
have their side effects.
And, you know, it's more problems, and it justkeeps going on and on and on.
Next thing you know, the person comes in.
I've seen this a lot.
25 pills that are prescribed and then a lotmore over the counter that they take.
(04:36):
And they feel miserable.
Oh, yeah.
No.
It's a it's an everyday occurrence as a familyphysician a 100%.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I just, you know, I was kind of at rockbottom.
I had, plenty of exposure to yoga intomeditation when I was growing up.
I grew up in India.
And I grew up in a very large family and thematriarch.
My grandmother, I lived with her.
(04:57):
She was amazing.
She practiced every day, and she had to talk ina few things.
Yeah.
In South India.
Oh, okay.
So so I and I had dabbled in it.
I was a closet meditator in college.
I never told anyone.
But I meditated with different groups andcertainly this one group where we met every
week and be like, I'm going to the library, youknow, because I was afraid of what people were
(05:19):
thinking.
And so and I had abandoned all of that.
All of those things that I understood wouldconnect my mind and my body and help me
emotionally all of that.
When my kids were little, when I was working alot, when I was burning out.
And ultimately, that's really why I went backto try to see what was here for me.
Whether it was meditation or ayurveda.
(05:39):
And honestly, I talk about one of the reasonsthat I signed up for, like, my first meditation
teacher training, and that was, you know, overa dozen years ago.
It's not because I thought I was ever gonnateach, but it's because I needed the community,
and I needed the in-depth kind of understandingof it.
And, you know, that just cascaded into, like,15 other things, of course.
(06:00):
But that was before social media.
That was really before, like, internet.
So it was I just had to I had to fly to, youknow, learn all those things.
So it was it was really it was a beautifulexperience, and it's always been a beautiful
experience.
And I've just, had the opportunity to havedeeper dives into these over the years as well.
That's great.
Yes.
(06:20):
I I saw as I was reading your bio, the all thecertifications that you have and coaching and
and all these therapies, And and that's that'sjust amazing.
And so you were sharing that you started havingthese, things going on and the burn, and you
learned to these therapies and meditating, andthey helped you overcome.
(06:45):
Right?
They did.
And the thing about the human just mind and thehuman nature is that we'll do things just as
and as quickly as we get better, we drop it.
You know?
And that's what was going on with me.
So I mean, so you would do So, yeah, so tell memore.
What do you mean by that?
Like, you will start it for a couple of months,and then the habit will fall back to old habits
(07:09):
and Right.
That's it.
That's it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You miss a day or 2 here, and then you go, oh,you know, I just don't
wanna get
into it.
You know, as I'm doing mind, da da, and then,like, 3 weeks later, there's another crisis.
And I'm like, who?
You know, super anxious.
And I'm like, what's going on?
I'm like, oh, wait.
I'm not even, you know, moving.
I'm not meditating.
I'm not doing anything that I know is helpfulfor me to release stress.
(07:31):
So that went on for quite some time, and Ithink that's pretty natural.
And that's what I like to kind of, you know,remind people is it's impossible.
We're not machines.
We can't just make a switch immediately,especially in the world of extractions that we
live in, right, especially in the world of,like, food, like, substances that we are fed
(07:53):
all the time and advertised to, that are veryaddictive that, you know, like, the smartest
scientists in the world came up with thesesubstances like diet coke to keep us addicted.
And so don't be surprised if our brains areaddicted to it.
Things like that.
Just remind ourselves that it's okay to havethese you know, off off days, but the all are
(08:14):
none thinking I had to move away from.
And so it was like, you know, as much as I cando today, kind of, that's how I started back
every time.
Okay.
Well, that's amazing, and that's reallypowerful.
Just as much as I can do today, can doeverything, and then just, accept the fact that
you're gonna have good days and bad days.
Things are gonna happen, you know, kind of andand and overcome.
(08:37):
Well, that's great.
Well, so, you know, your management, I mean,we've talked about so many things already.
I didn't even know what tips you would want toshare, but they're, you know, usually I ask my
special guests to share three tips with us,with my audience, but I really wanted to talk,
with you about meditation.
(09:00):
Does everybody have to meditate?
You know, and what is the difference betweenmeditation and prayer?
For example, you know, because sometimes whenyou try to have this conversation with, I
remember a religious, a spiritual leader, I hadthis conversation, and she was like, you know,
I don't believe in meditation.
(09:21):
It's against prayer.
And, you know, I feel like they serve differentpurposes.
You know, it's a skill for me, but, you know,you're the experts in this field.
So I really wanna hear or your take is onmeditation.
Is it for everybody?
And how how and then, you know, you can shareyour tips with us.
(09:41):
Sure.
I like this question because it actually comesup a lot.
And so I'll I'll I'll explain it the way that Isee it.
I don't know that's, like, the way everyonesees it.
Right?
And so meditation is definitely separate fromprayer and religiosity.
Right?
And to me, spirituality is different thanreligiosity.
So spirituality to me is that connection to ahigher self, that connection to Some people
(10:07):
might call call that god, universe, nature,whatever that is.
That's really spirituality or connection tosomething higher.
And the kinds of meditation that I teach arespiritual in nature.
They were designed to have us transcend themind and the ego and the logical kind of mind,
the analytical mind that can keep us very stuckin very limiting beliefs.
(10:29):
Now I have had students from, I think, almostevery religion in the world come and work with
me.
And so that's a really common question that Iget.
And so, what I say is, you know, every religionis welcome.
I will not be talking about religion, andreligion religiosity will not be part of
anything that we do.
So part of the way I see religion is that thereis any belief that's involved in that, and
(10:55):
there is not a belief that involved inmeditation.
You don't have to believe that it works for itto work.
We have over 10,000 published studies that itworks.
It has been, you know, something that everyancient wisdom tradition has in its, you know,
kind of teachings, right, And there has been anevolution of the kinds of meditation that I
teach for 3, 4, 5000 years.
(11:17):
And so to me, that's pretty good evidence thatthis is a very helpful thing for us.
And, you know, in addition to that, to answeryour question, does everyone have to meditate?
No.
I I don't think so.
Honestly, I I I have met people who just, like,are just kind of these very mindful beings, you
know, because what meditation really is, it ithas a lot at, like, sort of hashtags, if you
(11:41):
will, but meditation is very simple.
It is just the journey from activity intostillness.
We're not creating anything.
We're not, you know, we're not, like, doinganything.
We're just touching the stillness that'salready always there.
And mindfulness so it's a it's a it's a veryformal practice of mindfulness.
It's the fastest way that we build up ourmindfulness muscle.
So a lot of people are just generally verymindful.
(12:03):
And let me tell you what I mean by that.
They're just generally pretty easy going, notjust on the outside, but on the inside as well.
And they're also very, very introspective.
They tend to they tend to be able to processthings.
They give themselves a lot of space and time tometabolize things.
They're more present than some other people.
(12:24):
And so mindfulness, that's really what that is.
Mindfulness is the awareness.
That's really what we're talking about.
Am I aware that this thought is here?
Am I aware that this emotion is here?
Right?
And And there's also a component of mindfulnessin that.
We're really trying to be in this moment.
Like, you're in this moment.
I'm in this moment.
I'm listening to what you're saying.
You're listening to what I'm The listeners arelistening.
(12:46):
Right?
Even though they might be driving, they mightjust be listening intently.
That's mindfulness.
That's just awareness.
And there's a sense of curiosity over judgment.
And that's really just it.
It's very, very simple.
So, no, I don't think everybody has tomeditate.
But what we do know is somewhere around 25 to35% of adults in the US are very interested in
(13:07):
meditation.
And they've tried to meditate before, orthey're or they're looking for meditation.
In some way or shape or form.
That's very powerful.
So, I mean, I just love the words that you wereusing.
I like how you get the describe it.
You know, and when you mentioned that a lot ofpeople are just naturally more mindful, you
(13:28):
know, what came to my mind is that they aremeditating all the time.
Yeah.
Yeah.
For sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'll you know, some people, the have adiscipline, a more disciplined mind.
It's either they have been born in to a familythat does it.
You know how when it is when you just dothings, automatically, reflexly, it's normal to
(13:54):
you And then only when you go out into theworld and meet other kinds of people, that's
when you realize that, oh, this thing thatyou're doing has actually been a skill that
people have been trying to acquire.
You know, and and there are different kinds ofmeditation.
Right?
The other day, I was, you know, studying abouttranscendental.
Meditation, you know, because the first timesomeone introduced this absolute stillness to
(14:18):
me, you know, it just didn't work for me.
You know, I mean, like, what just I would liketo know your take on this.
It didn't work for me because, you know, thewhole idea of key mind.
You should not let your in.
You should be a stiller.
Like, some people can never have an empty mindand not think about anything.
Me for 1, maybe it's my level.
(14:39):
Maybe I'm just starting.
Right?
So, maybe as I progress into this into thisrealm and become more, I feel like I'm mindful
already, but, you know, but I I there aredifferent stages.
I'm definitely not at the monk you know, thesuper monk stages.
You know what I mean?
But, so, yeah, what's your take on that?
What's your take on presidential, meditation?
(15:03):
Yeah.
So, actually, both kinds of meditation that Iteach are specifically transcendental in that
they help you transcend the mind, help youtranscend the ego so that we can go beyond kind
of the everyday sort assault, if you will.
Does it require you to be absolutely still anempty mind?
Not at all.
In fact, the, you know, yoga, Nindra, which iskind of the most popular kind of meditation
(15:24):
that I teach is fully guided.
And all you have to do is lie down and followalong.
And it we use different techniques like in bodyscans.
We do breath work.
We do, all kinds of different mindfulnesstechniques in there.
And it is a very deeply rejuvenating meditationat the studies on that are astounding.
The other kind I teach is a mantra basedmeditation.
(15:46):
There's no really quietness in that.
In that mantra just means mind vehicle or mindladder.
And so when we are thinking of mantra, it isthe it is a way for us to ground the mind
because the monkey mind does need a grounding.
And it
and it's a very specific vibration.
And when the monkey mind is able to hang on tothis vibration, then the then we're able to be
(16:09):
in a space where we can watch our thoughts.
I have never, in my life, had probably even aminute where I did not have a thought.
So I think that's a, you know, that's some sortof myth that's in it's a fallacy.
I mean, So so so I do think
I'm so glad to.
Yes.
You say this.
Like, you did a lot of happy.
(16:31):
I am.
Finally, here you say, I mean, somebody sayit's okay not to have this completely void and
empty mind, you know, because No.
No.
I I don't I mean, it's not possible.
I mean, we have up to 60 to 80,000 thoughts aday.
Hey.
So that's one thought every 1.1 seconds.
That's what the breathing does.
That's what it's supposed to do.
(16:51):
It's going to try to predict the future all thetime or re re, you know, kind of think about
the past.
And it's automatic.
And so as we progress, though, in our practice,we're able to at least recognize that it's the
thought and recognize that we are not thosethoughts and then recognize that we have a
(17:14):
choice as to whether do I want to follow thatthought or do I wanna come back to the
guidance?
That's really all the meditation is asking youto do.
And that's as simple as it gets.
And so if we don't understand that concept, wethink we're numb.
There's no such thing as not meditatingproperly because meditation is a practice of
non judgment.
And so if you're sitting there judging yourmeditation practice, it's not actually a single
(17:37):
thing.
Right?
And and then the other thing, the other thingtoo, like, I love what you said, which is, you
know, I think I'm already a mindful person.
I agree, in that there is an awareness of whatis happening.
Right?
So that's really what we're talking about.
And there are so many different ways that wecan practice meditation, if you will, just kind
(17:58):
of like you said, you know, so my olderdaughter, she's really into rock climbing, and
it is one of the most mindful things that wecan ever do.
Right?
Because if we are not in that moment withcuriosity and not carried away by our thoughts,
things aren't gonna go very well.
So, you know, and if they're, you know, she'sdoing that for 2 hours a day, which she does in
(18:20):
the summer, the that's 2 hours of mindfulness,and that transfers into, you know, the rest of
those 22 hours.
There's so many other things like skiing, likewhere you have to be present.
They're surfing.
There's so many activities that are mindfulways for to be playing chess.
I mean, any of those things, are actuallyreally strengthening the mindfulness muscle.
(18:41):
That's so powerful.
For me, it's when I'm exercising at the gym,and I am on my, any of the machines there.
Going hard for a long period of time.
All of a sudden, I I I've achieved what I calla feeling of wellness because I start to feel
(19:01):
I'm not hearing anything.
I'm not seeing anything.
You know, I'm just do doing the repetitivemotion you know, and it it just takes me to a
different plane, so to speak.
And everything is okay.
I have no pain.
And I'm you know, being able this is what I tryto teach my patients that if you're able to
combine a positive thing, you know, like, withrock climbing, for example, you know, movement,
(19:27):
you're burning the calories at the same time,as well as healing your mind and every, you
know, so you're you're using 1 therapeuticapproach to hit several things at the same
time, killing multiple beds with one stone.
So that's that's great.
I love that.
So let's move on to the next phase, which is,tell us 3 tips that you would like with us.
(19:51):
I mean, we've been talking about meditation.
So I think that will be the first one for sure.
Everybody should go and start trying tomeditate, right, or, you know, what what would
you wanna share with us about?
You know, I would say say.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I would really about meditation, I would saythis.
I would say if it's something that someone'sbeen curious about because if they know
somebody or they you know, because a lot oftimes, if we try to say you should meditate,
(20:14):
it's just not gonna work.
Know, it's just not gonna work.
So if there's a curiosity, then I thinkexploring that would be great and fun.
And, you know, people can start with just asimple app.
There's com.
There's heads based.
I also have a free YouTube channel with lots ofevidence based beginner meditations.
If anyone wants to try those, those are there.
And and really, to kind of piggyback on whatyou said, Doctor Didi, which is this idea of,
(20:38):
like, killing 2 birds with one stone.
And and that's really something that I try toteach it as well.
And so for me, what I do every single morningis I go for a run outside with unplugged.
I don't wear anything.
While I wear clothes, but I don't wear anyelectronics.
(20:58):
Let's clarify.
I am not naked.
No one needs to come to my neighborhood to tryto see a naked running down the road at 6 AM.
So So but, really, what what we can do is we'repracticing mindfulness.
You know, if we're listening for the sounds, ifwe're looking to see what's here, if we're just
present and Like you said, if, you know, I'mjust noticing the cadence of, like, my fee, and
(21:21):
I can do that for 30 minutes even.
That's, you know, mindfulness, that's time andnature, which is so healing, and that's
movement.
So I think if we can combine movement with someamount of mindfulness, which is just presence,
it's always always going to be a great way forus to spend time that is usually a very scarce
resource for all of us.
Like, I would say that.
And then really the third one would be reallyfocusing on meaningful connections with others.
(21:47):
And meaningful connection with ourselves too.
And we know that loneliness is an epidemic, andwe know that.
And of course, you know this too, but, youknow, just if if if someone is lonely, the kind
of the risk of, you know, developing in chronicdiseases, which you help them avoid is the same
as booking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
And so really, really connecting, making thatour priority, because I think COVID really
(22:09):
shook all that up.
We were already kind of headed in thatdirection, particularly in really busy cities,
which, you know, is kind of conundrum.
Yeah.
Because everyone gets too busy.
So creating the space in our lives to makemeaningful connections, I would say, is the 3rd
most most important tip, I would say.
That's amazing.
Those are all powerful tips and And I can'temphasize the last point enough.
(22:31):
Relationship building connections, you know,stay in touch.
This, you can do it all by yourself.
It can be isolated.
In fact, that's the first sign that there's aproblem when you feel the need to isolate.
And move away from every at all withdrawal.
And, yeah, that's when you need tointentionally reach out, resist the temptation
(22:54):
to hide.
So that's that's really powerful.
Well, thank you so much for sharing that withour audience.
So, we have, almost come to the end of ourpodcast.
And but before we leave, can you sharesomething interesting?
That happened to you recently or something, youjust learned that made you feel more empowered.
(23:19):
Okay.
You know, something that really just it justhappened, yesterday, which is really kinda
cool.
But I am posting a meditation movement andmeditation retreat with Doctor.
Michelle Quirk, and we just sold it out, 2months ahead schedules.
So we are Congratulations.
Thank you.
So it reinforces what we just talked about,which is connecting with others, time, and
(23:41):
nature, moving and stillness, all of thosetogether, and of course, we'll give people
really great food too.
So when we can combine those, like, people arelooking for that in there, and it was it it it
just felt like a very empowering, kind ofbeautiful thing that I was just celebrating
today.
So I thought I'd share that with you.
Oh, that's really good.
Thank you so much.
And where is that gonna be?
(24:02):
Give us all the details.
Richmond in Central Virginia.
So it's in Charlottesville, Virginia.
And so that one is sold out, and we don't havea wait list because it's we oversold it.
And but we are gonna have another one, mostlikely in Florida and February.
So if anyone's interested, I'll have all theinformation on my website, which is just my
name rashmi Schram com.
(24:22):
Okay.
Oh, that would be great.
And then we'll we'll post it also when youshare the notes, we'll post it on YouTube.
That's thank you so much for coming on our showtoday.
How can people find you
if they wanna work with you?
Yeah.
It's and it's all my handlers are the same,which is Doctor period and then my name, Doctor
Rachmi Schram.
I'd love to connect on Instagram on face book.
(24:44):
I'm also on threads now, which is the new one.
I'm also on TikTok y'all, so I don't even know.
On YouTube, So I've moved that to being 1.
So usually, my computer looks helpful forpeople, but I do the the one I'm most active
on, I would say is Instagram, though.
Instagram.
Okay.
Great.
So I'll definitely gonna put that in the notesas well.
(25:04):
So I everyone can find you and walk with thisamazing doctor in Florida.
And, it was amazing.
Thank you so much for joining us, and hopeyou'll come back again sometime to share some
hot tips with us.
It has been my pleasure.
Thank you so much.
I'd love to come back.
Yep.
Thank you.
Well, thanks all for joining us.
Look forward to our next special guest thatwe'll be having.
(25:27):
And remember, we're currently acceptingpatients at younger self MD.
You can find us on our website at youngerselfmd.com, Give us a call.
445-566-4623.
We'll be happy to have you.
Bye for now.
Hi everyone.
Thank you for joining me here today.
My name is Ndidiamaka Obadan, also known asDoctor Didi.
I'm the founder of younger self MD medicalclinic health and wellness which is located in
Hanasaw, Georgia.
We help adults, prevent, and treat medicalconditions like diabetes, high blood pressure,
(00:29):
and chronic kidney disease in as little as a 30minute consultation so they can go on to live
healthier, happier, and longer lives.
And today, I have the amazing doctor Rashmi,and I'm gonna let her introduce herself.
Thank you so much, Doctor Dede.
I'm so excited to be here with you.
(00:51):
So my name is Doctor Rashmi Shram.
I am a board certified family physician.
I've been in practice for about 23 years or SoI'm also a certified coach as well as a
certified meditation teacher.
I am the founder of optimal wellness, and whatwe do here is We actually help really high
achieving busy women to tap into their owninner peace and power so they can lead more
(01:14):
energetic and fulfilling lives.
And we do that by using all the tenants ofmindfulness of ayurveda, which is really the
original lifestyle.
Medicine, if you will.
And I do one on one work.
I also do, group work as well.
And your you know, your work, and I think mywork are very similar in that you're helping
(01:35):
people to move the needle in their health tobigger and better mind Obadan health, and
that's really how I see myself, helping folksas well.
Yes.
And that is Amazing.
I am so so, yes, I practice integrativemedicine.
And a lot of all these therapies what what wedescribe as nonconventional have so many
(02:00):
therapeutic effects, you know, like the Ari howdo you pronounce it?
I call it ARO.
Yeah.
It's a tough one.
Yep.
It's ARO David.
Say it again.
I I I you're Veda.
So I by your means, like, I'm speaking adifferent language now.
That's right.
It is.
I just or or or Riviere.
Yeah.
Don't even try to look at it.
(02:21):
Don't even tell me to spell it.
I'm gonna just butcher the spelling as well,but it's very therapeutic, and it works.
So why not?
Why not admit?
So, so tell us tell us how you got here and whyyou chose to focus on this type of therapy and
how it's helping your patients.
Yeah.
You know, as a family physician, kind of on thefront lines for years years years, it was very,
(02:47):
very parent to me that all of us, just as asociety, had way more than what was good for us
as far as health, and as far as stress and thestressors of daily life were concerned.
And it wasn't, of course, just my patients.
It was everyone around me, including me, Andultimately, I it was, you know, I started to
look for these.
(03:08):
I'd I don't even like to call them alternative,but I just think of them as more integrative,
just like you said, right, and complimentary,types of things because I personally was also
going through kind of a almost a very slowburn, if you will, kind of a burnout.
That was a very slow burnout where I was losinginterest in things.
(03:28):
I was starting to have, emotional kind of, youknow, just irritability that didn't feel right
for me.
I, of course, then waited until physicalsymptoms appeared, and you like this one.
I was drinking so much diet coke.
I was passing kidney stones.
I was literally in the office.
Oh my gosh.
(03:48):
Really?
Right.
So it That is what happens.
Yeah.
It's what happens.
Yeah.
It happens to a lot of us.
A lot of us did.
It's like a thousand people.
The bad habits, you know, you turn to comfortfood, and then there's more stress.
And, you know, so, yes, you just keep goingdown this rabbit hole of adding more problems
(04:09):
so to speak.
And then, you know, you start taking medicine,different kinds of medicines will and they all
have their side effects.
And, you know, it's more problems, and it justkeeps going on and on and on.
Next thing you know, the person comes in.
I've seen this a lot.
25 pills that are prescribed and then a lotmore over the counter that they take.
(04:36):
And they feel miserable.
Oh, yeah.
No.
It's a it's an everyday occurrence as a familyphysician a 100%.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I just, you know, I was kind of at rockbottom.
I had, plenty of exposure to yoga intomeditation when I was growing up.
I grew up in India.
And I grew up in a very large family and thematriarch.
My grandmother, I lived with her.
(04:57):
She was amazing.
She practiced every day, and she had to talk ina few things.
Yeah.
In South India.
Oh, okay.
So so I and I had dabbled in it.
I was a closet meditator in college.
I never told anyone.
But I meditated with different groups andcertainly this one group where we met every
week and be like, I'm going to the library, youknow, because I was afraid of what people were
(05:19):
thinking.
And so and I had abandoned all of that.
All of those things that I understood wouldconnect my mind and my body and help me
emotionally all of that.
When my kids were little, when I was working alot, when I was burning out.
And ultimately, that's really why I went backto try to see what was here for me.
Whether it was meditation or ayurveda.
(05:39):
And honestly, I talk about one of the reasonsthat I signed up for, like, my first meditation
teacher training, and that was, you know, overa dozen years ago.
It's not because I thought I was ever gonnateach, but it's because I needed the community,
and I needed the in-depth kind of understandingof it.
And, you know, that just cascaded into, like,15 other things, of course.
(06:00):
But that was before social media.
That was really before, like, internet.
So it was I just had to I had to fly to, youknow, learn all those things.
So it was it was really it was a beautifulexperience, and it's always been a beautiful
experience.
And I've just, had the opportunity to havedeeper dives into these over the years as well.
That's great.
Yes.
(06:20):
I I saw as I was reading your bio, the all thecertifications that you have and coaching and
and all these therapies, And and that's that'sjust amazing.
And so you were sharing that you started havingthese, things going on and the burn, and you
learned to these therapies and meditating, andthey helped you overcome.
(06:45):
Right?
They did.
And the thing about the human just mind and thehuman nature is that we'll do things just as
and as quickly as we get better, we drop it.
You know?
And that's what was going on with me.
So I mean, so you would do So, yeah, so tell memore.
What do you mean by that?
Like, you will start it for a couple of months,and then the habit will fall back to old habits
(07:09):
and Right.
That's it.
That's it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You miss a day or 2 here, and then you go, oh,you know, I just don't
wanna get
into it.
You know, as I'm doing mind, da da, and then,like, 3 weeks later, there's another crisis.
And I'm like, who?
You know, super anxious.
And I'm like, what's going on?
I'm like, oh, wait.
I'm not even, you know, moving.
I'm not meditating.
I'm not doing anything that I know is helpfulfor me to release stress.
(07:31):
So that went on for quite some time, and Ithink that's pretty natural.
And that's what I like to kind of, you know,remind people is it's impossible.
We're not machines.
We can't just make a switch immediately,especially in the world of extractions that we
live in, right, especially in the world of,like, food, like, substances that we are fed
(07:53):
all the time and advertised to, that are veryaddictive that, you know, like, the smartest
scientists in the world came up with thesesubstances like diet coke to keep us addicted.
And so don't be surprised if our brains areaddicted to it.
Things like that.
Just remind ourselves that it's okay to havethese you know, off off days, but the all are
(08:14):
none thinking I had to move away from.
And so it was like, you know, as much as I cando today, kind of, that's how I started back
every time.
Okay.
Well, that's amazing, and that's reallypowerful.
Just as much as I can do today, can doeverything, and then just, accept the fact that
you're gonna have good days and bad days.
Things are gonna happen, you know, kind of andand and overcome.
(08:37):
Well, that's great.
Well, so, you know, your management, I mean,we've talked about so many things already.
I didn't even know what tips you would want toshare, but they're, you know, usually I ask my
special guests to share three tips with us,with my audience, but I really wanted to talk,
with you about meditation.
(09:00):
Does everybody have to meditate?
You know, and what is the difference betweenmeditation and prayer?
For example, you know, because sometimes whenyou try to have this conversation with, I
remember a religious, a spiritual leader, I hadthis conversation, and she was like, you know,
I don't believe in meditation.
(09:21):
It's against prayer.
And, you know, I feel like they serve differentpurposes.
You know, it's a skill for me, but, you know,you're the experts in this field.
So I really wanna hear or your take is onmeditation.
Is it for everybody?
And how how and then, you know, you can shareyour tips with us.
(09:41):
Sure.
I like this question because it actually comesup a lot.
And so I'll I'll I'll explain it the way that Isee it.
I don't know that's, like, the way everyonesees it.
Right?
And so meditation is definitely separate fromprayer and religiosity.
Right?
And to me, spirituality is different thanreligiosity.
So spirituality to me is that connection to ahigher self, that connection to Some people
(10:07):
might call call that god, universe, nature,whatever that is.
That's really spirituality or connection tosomething higher.
And the kinds of meditation that I teach arespiritual in nature.
They were designed to have us transcend themind and the ego and the logical kind of mind,
the analytical mind that can keep us very stuckin very limiting beliefs.
(10:29):
Now I have had students from, I think, almostevery religion in the world come and work with
me.
And so that's a really common question that Iget.
And so, what I say is, you know, every religionis welcome.
I will not be talking about religion, andreligion religiosity will not be part of
anything that we do.
So part of the way I see religion is that thereis any belief that's involved in that, and
(10:55):
there is not a belief that involved inmeditation.
You don't have to believe that it works for itto work.
We have over 10,000 published studies that itworks.
It has been, you know, something that everyancient wisdom tradition has in its, you know,
kind of teachings, right, And there has been anevolution of the kinds of meditation that I
teach for 3, 4, 5000 years.
(11:17):
And so to me, that's pretty good evidence thatthis is a very helpful thing for us.
And, you know, in addition to that, to answeryour question, does everyone have to meditate?
No.
I I don't think so.
Honestly, I I I have met people who just, like,are just kind of these very mindful beings, you
know, because what meditation really is, it ithas a lot at, like, sort of hashtags, if you
(11:41):
will, but meditation is very simple.
It is just the journey from activity intostillness.
We're not creating anything.
We're not, you know, we're not, like, doinganything.
We're just touching the stillness that'salready always there.
And mindfulness so it's a it's a it's a veryformal practice of mindfulness.
It's the fastest way that we build up ourmindfulness muscle.
So a lot of people are just generally verymindful.
(12:03):
And let me tell you what I mean by that.
They're just generally pretty easy going, notjust on the outside, but on the inside as well.
And they're also very, very introspective.
They tend to they tend to be able to processthings.
They give themselves a lot of space and time tometabolize things.
They're more present than some other people.
(12:24):
And so mindfulness, that's really what that is.
Mindfulness is the awareness.
That's really what we're talking about.
Am I aware that this thought is here?
Am I aware that this emotion is here?
Right?
And And there's also a component of mindfulnessin that.
We're really trying to be in this moment.
Like, you're in this moment.
I'm in this moment.
I'm listening to what you're saying.
You're listening to what I'm The listeners arelistening.
(12:46):
Right?
Even though they might be driving, they mightjust be listening intently.
That's mindfulness.
That's just awareness.
And there's a sense of curiosity over judgment.
And that's really just it.
It's very, very simple.
So, no, I don't think everybody has tomeditate.
But what we do know is somewhere around 25 to35% of adults in the US are very interested in
(13:07):
meditation.
And they've tried to meditate before, orthey're or they're looking for meditation.
In some way or shape or form.
That's very powerful.
So, I mean, I just love the words that you wereusing.
I like how you get the describe it.
You know, and when you mentioned that a lot ofpeople are just naturally more mindful, you
(13:28):
know, what came to my mind is that they aremeditating all the time.
Yeah.
Yeah.
For sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'll you know, some people, the have adiscipline, a more disciplined mind.
It's either they have been born in to a familythat does it.
You know how when it is when you just dothings, automatically, reflexly, it's normal to
(13:54):
you And then only when you go out into theworld and meet other kinds of people, that's
when you realize that, oh, this thing thatyou're doing has actually been a skill that
people have been trying to acquire.
You know, and and there are different kinds ofmeditation.
Right?
The other day, I was, you know, studying abouttranscendental.
Meditation, you know, because the first timesomeone introduced this absolute stillness to
(14:18):
me, you know, it just didn't work for me.
You know, I mean, like, what just I would liketo know your take on this.
It didn't work for me because, you know, thewhole idea of key mind.
You should not let your in.
You should be a stiller.
Like, some people can never have an empty mindand not think about anything.
Me for 1, maybe it's my level.
(14:39):
Maybe I'm just starting.
Right?
So, maybe as I progress into this into thisrealm and become more, I feel like I'm mindful
already, but, you know, but I I there aredifferent stages.
I'm definitely not at the monk you know, thesuper monk stages.
You know what I mean?
But, so, yeah, what's your take on that?
What's your take on presidential, meditation?
(15:03):
Yeah.
So, actually, both kinds of meditation that Iteach are specifically transcendental in that
they help you transcend the mind, help youtranscend the ego so that we can go beyond kind
of the everyday sort assault, if you will.
Does it require you to be absolutely still anempty mind?
Not at all.
In fact, the, you know, yoga, Nindra, which iskind of the most popular kind of meditation
(15:24):
that I teach is fully guided.
And all you have to do is lie down and followalong.
And it we use different techniques like in bodyscans.
We do breath work.
We do, all kinds of different mindfulnesstechniques in there.
And it is a very deeply rejuvenating meditationat the studies on that are astounding.
The other kind I teach is a mantra basedmeditation.
(15:46):
There's no really quietness in that.
In that mantra just means mind vehicle or mindladder.
And so when we are thinking of mantra, it isthe it is a way for us to ground the mind
because the monkey mind does need a grounding.
And it
and it's a very specific vibration.
And when the monkey mind is able to hang on tothis vibration, then the then we're able to be
(16:09):
in a space where we can watch our thoughts.
I have never, in my life, had probably even aminute where I did not have a thought.
So I think that's a, you know, that's some sortof myth that's in it's a fallacy.
I mean, So so so I do think
I'm so glad to.
Yes.
You say this.
Like, you did a lot of happy.
(16:31):
I am.
Finally, here you say, I mean, somebody sayit's okay not to have this completely void and
empty mind, you know, because No.
No.
I I don't I mean, it's not possible.
I mean, we have up to 60 to 80,000 thoughts aday.
Hey.
So that's one thought every 1.1 seconds.
That's what the breathing does.
That's what it's supposed to do.
(16:51):
It's going to try to predict the future all thetime or re re, you know, kind of think about
the past.
And it's automatic.
And so as we progress, though, in our practice,we're able to at least recognize that it's the
thought and recognize that we are not thosethoughts and then recognize that we have a
(17:14):
choice as to whether do I want to follow thatthought or do I wanna come back to the
guidance?
That's really all the meditation is asking youto do.
And that's as simple as it gets.
And so if we don't understand that concept, wethink we're numb.
There's no such thing as not meditatingproperly because meditation is a practice of
non judgment.
And so if you're sitting there judging yourmeditation practice, it's not actually a single
(17:37):
thing.
Right?
And and then the other thing, the other thingtoo, like, I love what you said, which is, you
know, I think I'm already a mindful person.
I agree, in that there is an awareness of whatis happening.
Right?
So that's really what we're talking about.
And there are so many different ways that wecan practice meditation, if you will, just kind
(17:58):
of like you said, you know, so my olderdaughter, she's really into rock climbing, and
it is one of the most mindful things that wecan ever do.
Right?
Because if we are not in that moment withcuriosity and not carried away by our thoughts,
things aren't gonna go very well.
So, you know, and if they're, you know, she'sdoing that for 2 hours a day, which she does in
(18:20):
the summer, the that's 2 hours of mindfulness,and that transfers into, you know, the rest of
those 22 hours.
There's so many other things like skiing, likewhere you have to be present.
They're surfing.
There's so many activities that are mindfulways for to be playing chess.
I mean, any of those things, are actuallyreally strengthening the mindfulness muscle.
(18:41):
That's so powerful.
For me, it's when I'm exercising at the gym,and I am on my, any of the machines there.
Going hard for a long period of time.
All of a sudden, I I I've achieved what I calla feeling of wellness because I start to feel
(19:01):
I'm not hearing anything.
I'm not seeing anything.
You know, I'm just do doing the repetitivemotion you know, and it it just takes me to a
different plane, so to speak.
And everything is okay.
I have no pain.
And I'm you know, being able this is what I tryto teach my patients that if you're able to
combine a positive thing, you know, like, withrock climbing, for example, you know, movement,
(19:27):
you're burning the calories at the same time,as well as healing your mind and every, you
know, so you're you're using 1 therapeuticapproach to hit several things at the same
time, killing multiple beds with one stone.
So that's that's great.
I love that.
So let's move on to the next phase, which is,tell us 3 tips that you would like with us.
(19:51):
I mean, we've been talking about meditation.
So I think that will be the first one for sure.
Everybody should go and start trying tomeditate, right, or, you know, what what would
you wanna share with us about?
You know, I would say say.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I would really about meditation, I would saythis.
I would say if it's something that someone'sbeen curious about because if they know
somebody or they you know, because a lot oftimes, if we try to say you should meditate,
(20:14):
it's just not gonna work.
Know, it's just not gonna work.
So if there's a curiosity, then I thinkexploring that would be great and fun.
And, you know, people can start with just asimple app.
There's com.
There's heads based.
I also have a free YouTube channel with lots ofevidence based beginner meditations.
If anyone wants to try those, those are there.
And and really, to kind of piggyback on whatyou said, Doctor Didi, which is this idea of,
(20:38):
like, killing 2 birds with one stone.
And and that's really something that I try toteach it as well.
And so for me, what I do every single morningis I go for a run outside with unplugged.
I don't wear anything.
While I wear clothes, but I don't wear anyelectronics.
(20:58):
Let's clarify.
I am not naked.
No one needs to come to my neighborhood to tryto see a naked running down the road at 6 AM.
So So but, really, what what we can do is we'repracticing mindfulness.
You know, if we're listening for the sounds, ifwe're looking to see what's here, if we're just
present and Like you said, if, you know, I'mjust noticing the cadence of, like, my fee, and
(21:21):
I can do that for 30 minutes even.
That's, you know, mindfulness, that's time andnature, which is so healing, and that's
movement.
So I think if we can combine movement with someamount of mindfulness, which is just presence,
it's always always going to be a great way forus to spend time that is usually a very scarce
resource for all of us.
Like, I would say that.
And then really the third one would be reallyfocusing on meaningful connections with others.
(21:47):
And meaningful connection with ourselves too.
And we know that loneliness is an epidemic, andwe know that.
And of course, you know this too, but, youknow, just if if if someone is lonely, the kind
of the risk of, you know, developing in chronicdiseases, which you help them avoid is the same
as booking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
And so really, really connecting, making thatour priority, because I think COVID really
(22:09):
shook all that up.
We were already kind of headed in thatdirection, particularly in really busy cities,
which, you know, is kind of conundrum.
Yeah.
Because everyone gets too busy.
So creating the space in our lives to makemeaningful connections, I would say, is the 3rd
most most important tip, I would say.
That's amazing.
Those are all powerful tips and And I can'temphasize the last point enough.
(22:31):
Relationship building connections, you know,stay in touch.
This, you can do it all by yourself.
It can be isolated.
In fact, that's the first sign that there's aproblem when you feel the need to isolate.
And move away from every at all withdrawal.
And, yeah, that's when you need tointentionally reach out, resist the temptation
(22:54):
to hide.
So that's that's really powerful.
Well, thank you so much for sharing that withour audience.
So, we have, almost come to the end of ourpodcast.
And but before we leave, can you sharesomething interesting?
That happened to you recently or something, youjust learned that made you feel more empowered.
(23:19):
Okay.
You know, something that really just it justhappened, yesterday, which is really kinda
cool.
But I am posting a meditation movement andmeditation retreat with Doctor.
Michelle Quirk, and we just sold it out, 2months ahead schedules.
So we are Congratulations.
Thank you.
So it reinforces what we just talked about,which is connecting with others, time, and
(23:41):
nature, moving and stillness, all of thosetogether, and of course, we'll give people
really great food too.
So when we can combine those, like, people arelooking for that in there, and it was it it it
just felt like a very empowering, kind ofbeautiful thing that I was just celebrating
today.
So I thought I'd share that with you.
Oh, that's really good.
Thank you so much.
And where is that gonna be?
(24:02):
Give us all the details.
Richmond in Central Virginia.
So it's in Charlottesville, Virginia.
And so that one is sold out, and we don't havea wait list because it's we oversold it.
And but we are gonna have another one, mostlikely in Florida and February.
So if anyone's interested, I'll have all theinformation on my website, which is just my
name rashmi Schram com.
(24:22):
Okay.
Oh, that would be great.
And then we'll we'll post it also when youshare the notes, we'll post it on YouTube.
That's thank you so much for coming on our showtoday.
How can people find you
if they wanna work with you?
Yeah.
It's and it's all my handlers are the same,which is Doctor period and then my name, Doctor
Rachmi Schram.
I'd love to connect on Instagram on face book.
(24:44):
I'm also on threads now, which is the new one.
I'm also on TikTok y'all, so I don't even know.
On YouTube, So I've moved that to being 1.
So usually, my computer looks helpful forpeople, but I do the the one I'm most active
on, I would say is Instagram, though.
Instagram.
Okay.
Great.
So I'll definitely gonna put that in the notesas well.
(25:04):
So I everyone can find you and walk with thisamazing doctor in Florida.
And, it was amazing.
Thank you so much for joining us, and hopeyou'll come back again sometime to share some
hot tips with us.
It has been my pleasure.
Thank you so much.
I'd love to come back.
Yep.
Thank you.
Well, thanks all for joining us.
Look forward to our next special guest thatwe'll be having.
(25:27):
And remember, we're currently acceptingpatients at younger self MD.
You can find us on our website at youngerselfmd.com, Give us a call.
445-566-4623.
We'll be happy to have you.
Bye for now.
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