There was a time when the word ‘wellness’ simply meant a weekend trip to a spa, a sad-looking and worse-tasting green juice or the latest fitness challenge. In 2026, everyone’s tracking sleep scores, measuring recovery, talking about gut health, nervous system regulation and longevity with the same enthusiasm once reserved for calorie counts.
Somewhere between the endless wellness hacks and wearable data, Mira Kapoor feels it’s become easy to lose sight of the most important indicator of all: how we actually feel. The founder of Dhun Wellness — an in-city urban wellness retreat she opened in 2025 — says the answer now lies in bringing us back to ourselves.
In this conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kapoor talks about why she believes recovery is modern wellness’s most overlooked pillar, and why true health has far less to do with appearances than social media would have us believe.
Edited excerpts from the conversation.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER INDIA: What kickstarted your wellness journey?
MIRA KAPOOR: Motherhood was definitely a turning point. When I wanted to do one of my regular gut restoration programmes after my son was born, I realised I had to leave Mumbai because there wasn’t a place offering an integrated wellness experience within the city. That was the moment the idea for Dhun Wellness really took shape. My journey has never been about chasing aesthetics or trends. It’s been about understanding how to have more energy, sleep better, recover faster and build long-term health.
THR INDIA: What first pulled you towards Ayurveda?
KAPOOR: Ayurveda made me see the body as a unified whole rather than a collection of separate organs or symptoms. Everything is interconnected through the balance of the three doshas (foundational energies) — vata, pitta and kapha — which are reflected not just in our bodies, but in the seasons, the food we eat, our emotions and even the way disease manifests.
THR INDIA: What’s one Ayurvedic ritual you swear by?
KAPOOR: Applying a little ghee to the soles of my feet before bed. I find it deeply grounding and it helps me sleep more soundly. In Ayurveda, ghee is considered the closest substance to Ojas — the vital essence that supports resilience, immunity and vitality. It helps to calm excess vata, which is often responsible for restlessness, overthinking and disturbed sleep. It’s one of those small rituals that reminds me how powerful consistent daily practices can be.
THR INDIA: Do you think modern wellness has overcomplicated healing?
KAPOOR: I think we’ve become so reliant on data that we’ve forgotten to stay intuitive and ask ourselves simple questions: How do I feel when I wake up? How does this food make me feel? How does my body respond to different environments? Data is valuable, but it shouldn’t replace our relationship with our own bodies. We’re constantly searching for the next hack, supplement or wellness trend, when in reality the body is incredibly intelligent — if we only create the right conditions for it to recover.
Recovery is probably the most underrated pillar of modern wellness. Quality sleep, reducing inflammation, regulating the nervous system and supporting cellular health are what ultimately determine how well we feel and how well we age. Wellness shouldn’t feel exhausting.
THR INDIA: What did gut detoxes change for you?
KAPOOR: I do a structured gut restoration programme twice a year. Each time I’m reminded of just how much the gut influences overall health. I sleep better, my energy is more stable, my digestion improves, and I feel much clearer, mentally.
THR INDIA: Do you think people today confuse wellness with aesthetics?
KAPOOR: I think it’s very easy to. Social media has made wellness look incredibly visual, but looking healthy isn’t always the same as being healthy. Are you sleeping well? Is your body recovering properly? Are your energy levels stable? Are your hormones and metabolism functioning well? Those are the markers that really matter because they’re the foundations of long-term health.
What’s happening internally almost always reflects externally. Hormonal imbalances can show up as acne, poor circulation as dark circles, nutritional deficiencies as brittle hair and nails, and excess dryness or inflammation can affect the quality of your skin.
THR INDIA: You say wellness should fit city life — what does that look like for you?
KAPOOR: Most of us aren’t going to spend two weeks at a wellness retreat every few months, and honestly, we shouldn’t have to. Urban wellness is about making recovery part of everyday life. You should be able to finish a demanding workday and access therapies that genuinely help your body recover. Wellness should fit into your schedule, not compete with it.
THR INDIA: Is that the gap you are trying to fill with Dhun Wellness?
KAPOOR: Today’s consumers are interested in metabolic health, recovery, nervous system regulation, cellular health and longevity. At Dhun Wellness, we combine personalised consultations with recovery-led technologies like Intermittent Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Training (IHHT), cryotherapy, infrared sauna, red light therapy and lymphatic drainage, alongside Ayurvedic healing and our wellness programmes.
It’s all designed to optimise how the body functions at a cellular level, not simply help someone relax for an hour. To me, longevity isn’t about living forever. It’s about maintaining energy, resilience and quality of life for as long as possible. That’s the future we’re building at Dhun Wellness.
THR INDIA: What’s the one wellness myth you wish people would stop believing?
KAPOOR: That there’s one formula that works for everyone. Our biology, lifestyles and goals are all different. The future of wellness is personalisation, not prescription. The best routine is the one that’s designed around your body and that you can sustain consistently.