In this episode of The Human Upgrade, Dave Asprey sits down with Ayurvedic expert and celebrity wellness advisor Mona Sharma to reveal the ancient healing techniques that are transforming modern health. They explore how 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic medicine aligns with today’s best biohacking tools for nervous system regulation, stress resilience, and high performance. You’ll learn how Mona healed her own heart condition after failed surgeries, how she guides clients like Will Smith, and how ancient rituals like ghee detox, sun salutations, and breathwork now hold clinical value for optimizing mitochondria, emotional stability, and longevity.
This episode reveals the ancient health protocols Western medicine forgot, and how they are now being used to heal stress, rewire the nervous system, and radically improve human performance.
Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:
https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Mona Sharma, a renowned Ayurvedic practitioner, celebrity wellness expert, and functional medicine advocate who grew up in a Canadian ashram. Mona combines ancient Vedic practices with cutting-edge science to help her clients, including Will Smith and other high-profile figures, achieve high performance, emotional resilience, and deep-rooted healing. She translates the 5,000-year-old system of Ayurveda into practical strategies anyone can use to optimize health in today’s chaotic world.
Together, they explore how Ayurvedic biohacking techniques like breathwork, circadian alignment, detoxification, and herbal medicine are now being validated by data in neuroscience, mitochondrial biology, and functional medicine. They also dive into trauma, stress rewiring, nervous system resilience, and how to build your own modern “ashram” for healing and longevity.
You’ll learn how to shift from hypervigilance into calm, how to optimize vagal tone, and how ancient practices like tongue scraping and ghee detox intersect with modern tools like cold therapy, nootropics, sleep optimization, and self-quantification.
If you care about biohacking, neurohacking, longevity, or want to understand how emotional states shape mitochondrial function, this episode is packed with grounded insight and powerful takeaways. It offers a masterclass in approaching health through both spiritual and systems biology perspectives, while avoiding burnout and noise.
You’ll also hear how Mona:
This is essential listening for anyone exploring Smarter Not Harder protocols, blending functional medicine with high-level biohacking, and finding sustainable ways to enhance vitality without relying on pharmaceuticals or performance fads.
Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee (now the Founder of Danger Coffee), and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.
Episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday, where Dave asks the questions no one else dares and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.
SPONSORS:
-Calroy | Head to https://calroy.com/dave for an exclusive discount.
-ARMRA | Go to https://tryarmra.com/ and use the code DAVE to get 15% off your first order.
A quick preview of what you’ll learn in this episode about ancient healing and nervous system mastery.
Host Dave Asprey sets the stage for a powerful conversation with Mona Sharma.
Mona shares how her heart condition and surgeries led her back to Ayurvedic roots.
A concise breakdown of Ayurveda as a whole-body healing system and “the original biohacking.”
How simple breath practices and sun salutations activate healing and resilience.
Why conventional approaches ignored the root cause of Mona’s condition.
How meditation, chanting, and herbs helped restore balance and health.
The science of vagal tone, trauma, and how to build true resilience.
Mona’s techniques for emotional reprogramming and nervous system retraining.
Behind the scenes of Mona’s work with the Smith family and high-profile cases.
How ultra-visible clients manage pressure, identity, and well-being.
Why knowing how you want to feel daily is foundational to healing.
How to remove silent stressors from your environment and body.
Combining functional medicine data with spiritual and emotional work.
How Ayurvedic constitutions influence your physical and emotional health.
How ancient practices adapt to modern lifestyles, toxins, and stress.
Mona and Dave wrap up with a call to simplify, tune in, and reclaim your biology.
Resources:
“Follow” or “subscribe” to The Human Upgrade™ with Dave Asprey on your favorite podcast platform.
Go to Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave a (hopefully) 5-star rating and a creative review.
Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form!
Follow @thehumanupgradepodcast on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn directly from Dave Asprey alongside others in a membership group: ourupgradecollective.com.
Smarter Not Harder: The Biohacker’s Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want is about helping you to become the best version of yourself by embracing laziness while increasing your energy and optimizing your biology.
Subscribe to become an “Insider”, and receive weekly biohacking tips and tech directly from Dave to start hacking your way to stronger mental performance and physical results.
Receive weekly biohacking tips and tech by becoming a Dave Asprey insider.