Sharmilee Kapur
11-Feb-2026
Never a better time to get your Om (Aum) on!
Inputs by: Sharmilee Kapur, Founder & Director of Atmantan Wellness Centre
Can one continue living with the adage ‘In with the “new” and out with the “old”?
Biohacking is relatively new, as is the scientific, data-driven understanding of hacking how, what, and why our human systems age and mature while optimising performance. Is spirituality then old or simply everlasting?
This year, we will all be taking that incredible step forward, where we will be endorsing the movement of spiritual biohacking - an amalgamation of valid ancient practices as they intersect with modern science! If you ask me, this is exactly what further authenticates our ancient Indian medicinal systems as they culminate into lifestyle-transformative hacks!
For the last few years, while incorporating wearables into our daily lives and analysing personalised data, we may have reached a point where we are fed up with the daily numbers triggering us, or the stress of hyper-optimising is getting to us. You may even find yourself seeking a more sustainable way of life that better aligns the inner self with the physiology. If this is where you are in time, then spiritual biohacking is exactly what you need. Here are 4 simple truths you can begin with that blend ancient practices with modern research and will enable you to spiritually biohack your life…
1. Breathe with Intention
As you incorporate the practice of structured breathing (Pranayama) into your life, you open the floodgates to inner well-being while simultaneously shutting off those relentless stress cycles. Science has proved that Pranayama is the ideal tool to reprogramme your nervous system!
When you do this regularly, you will not only feel better but also notice your baseline resilience shift. Even the vibration of Om (Aum) chanting at 432Hz is proven to have calming effects on our bodies. Chanting simultaneously activates the ventral vagal nerve, shifting the body almost instantly into the parasympathetic mode (rest-and-digest state). This is sound healing in its purest form.
And I bet not too many know that the same beneficial effects of hypoxia (creating a drop in oxygen levels, leading to increased production of red blood cells and improved mitochondrial efficiency along with enhanced utilisation of oxygen) that altitude training brings to you can be achieved with Pranayamas of Kumbhaka (breath retention), Bhastrika (bellows breath), Kapalabhati and Murcha Pranayama, to mention a few.
2. Yoga Nidra, your Natural Sleep Tonic
This guided meditation is a mindful sleep therapy that takes you from a beta alertness to the alpha, theta, and sometimes even the delta states. The Silva method talks about something our scriptures have said for centuries: that as you intentionally move to the state between waking and sleeping (Alpha state), you unleash the power to programme your subconscious mind!
Even sleep studies today call this the profoundly restorative state, which is when sleep starts to heal you. Sleep trackers or HRV (heart rate variability) monitoring amidst a Yoga Nidra proves this nervous system restoration! Choose to recover both mentally and physically as you sleep with the help of this spiritual hack!
(Sharmilee Kapur, Founder & Director of Atmantan Wellness Centre)
3. Circle your Day the Circadian Way
Rising with the sun, beginning the day with cleansing treatments such as oil pulling, practising meditation and gratitude, having your main meal at midday, and winding down in the evening on time as the sun sets, creates a simultaneous hormonal rhythm in your body. The morning light stirs the cortisol response (the stress hormone), the kind you need to begin the day, along with a complementary metabolic awakening as you consume foods and work out.
Throughout the day, you work at the required capacity with a promise of wrap-up as the sun starts to set, and this is when the melatonin (hormone of darkness) release naturally kicks in. There will be great days where you follow the dincharya (Ayurveda’s recommended daily schedule) ritual and find your sleep quality, HRV parameters, and energy levels.
While it is not always possible to follow an ideal routine day in and day out, remember your north pole, and as you track your days getting closer to a healthy dincharya, you will notice the inflammatory biomarkers reducing, productivity soaring and a pervading sense of spiritual calm.
4. Eat as per your Dosha
Your Dosha is simply your constituency and when you learn to eat to replenish current needs and imbalances, you are not just healing your gut; you are also spiritually feeding your mind through the gut-brain axis. Let me elaborate: Ayurvedic dietary principles recommend eating warm, varied, grounding foods in a Vata-dominant system; cooling, calming, less spicy foods for a Pitta dominance; and light, warm, stimulating foods for a Kapha dominance. These are anti-inflammatory foods, which, along with prescribed herbs as supplements assist digestion, nourish gut microbiomes, improve sleep and steady the energy.
When consuming unique foods for the body type, one learns to work with the physiology rather than against it. A diet is not always about aping others but instead working with personal needs and replenishments. Lo and behold, your hack will successfully manifest in improved blood panels, lowered inflammation, improved moods (more than 90% of the mood hormone serotonin is produced in the gut) and a healthier emotional spectrum!
A concluding reminder: Today, research has confirmed that these ancient Indian modalities, when combined with modern biohacks of cold plunges, cacao ceremonies and frequency healing, radically revamp stress biomarkers, enhance mindfulness and improve inner alignment, making these inevitable spiritual biohacks within the wellness space. There’s nothing stopping you from taking the evolved path forward into biohacking as you embrace age-old wisdom that also brings you measurable outcomes!
All image credits: FreePik
