Healing Burnout Through Breath | Rubina Chadha | Podmasana

In this episode of Podmasana, discover how burnout recovery connects to nervous system regulation with Inner Design founder Rubina Chadha. This Podmasana conversation reveals stress as a nervous system state. Learn breath awareness without fixing, interoception practices for emotional regulation, and somatic awareness as gateway to embodied mindfulness. Understand creativity as perceptual function dependent on regulation. Find tools for burnout recovery through embodied mindfulness and listen to Rubina discuss how motherhood refined her embodiment practice.

Key Topics:

• Rubina's journey from corporate burnout to founding Inner Design, a body-based mindfulness method rooted in nervous system awareness
• Understanding stress as a nervous system state rather than cognitive issue, requiring somatic rather than purely mental solutions
• Learning to observe breath patterns and physical sensations without interference to allow the nervous system to update outdated predictions
• Creativity as a perceptual and cognitive function dependent on nervous system regulation, not artistic talent or output
• How motherhood refined Inner Design by stripping away performative elements and demanding real-time embodied presence

Episode recorded March 19, 2026

Chapters

• (00:00:14) - How to Heal From Burnout With Inner Design
• (00:06:48) - How I Learned Mindfulness
• (00:09:50) - The Moment of Deep Stillness at 8
• (00:12:02) - In the Elevator With Stillness
• (00:15:39) - Inventing Creativity Through Photography
• (00:20:55) - How High-Performance Environments Are Distilling Creativity
• (00:25:07) - What Does Burnout Really Feel Like?
• (00:29:09) - How to Stop Thinking Your Way Out of Stress
• (00:33:47) - How to Notice Your Natural Breath
• (00:39:30) - The Best Thing We Can Say to Our Loved Ones
• (00:43:01) - Can Regulation of Breathing Unlock Creativity?
• (00:46:42) - How to Restore Creative Vitality
• (00:50:23) - Motherhood and Authenticity
• (00:53:00) - How to Regulate Your Own Leadership
• (00:55:12) - In the Age of Presence-based Leadership
• (00:56:11) - How to Design Your Life With Responsibility
• (00:57:58) - How to Listen To Yourself (

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