May the sacred science of Ayurveda bring you abundant blessings, |
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Shakti Namaste
Namaste. May the new year bring you abundant blessings. The highlights of Hemant Ritu - early winter - at Vedika Gurukula were the year end retreat for all students and a journey to India to attend the 4th World Ayurveda Congress in Bengaluru. 
The 4th World Ayurveda Congress held at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru from 7th to 13th December on “Ayurveda for All” was the largest Ayurveda event held in modern times and signaled the growth of an international Ayurveda movement. Organized by Vijnana Bharati and the Dept. of AYUSH in partnership with the Health Ministry of Karnataka, and attended by 4,500 delegates, the Congress was a knowledge mela, bringing together extraordinary teachers, thought leaders, practitioners and passionate students. Plenary sessions were addressed by 38 national and international Ayurveda experts, and breakout sessions included 257 technical papers. The Congress featured the largest ever Arogya expo, organized by Shri. Ranjit Puranik, CEO of Dhootapapeshwar Ltd. Almost 10,000 people visited the breathtaking displays and information on the science of Ayurveda, and the 400 stalls featuring products and plants, services and literature.
Vedika Global's delegation of teachers and students were a significant international presence. Vedika Faculty members Shunya Pratichi Mathur, Shri. R. H. Singh, Shri. Subhash Ranade, Shri. M. Sahu, and Shri. M. V. Nampoothiri all addressed plenary sessions of the Congress. Vedika's President Hema Patankar was a Guest of Honor at the inauguration, where she touched numerous hearts with her Sanskrit recitation invoking Saraswati, the goddess of learning.
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An International Delegates Assembly was held at the beautiful ashram of Sri Sri Ravishankar and attended by almost 300 key stakeholders from 28 countries. Vedika's Founder Shunya Pratichi Mathur gave a moving address as the US spokesperson on education, drawing attention to swasthavritta, Ayurveda's science of promotive health, which is the need of the hour – a theme that was later echoed in the main congress. The need for contemporary data and case studies reaffirming the efficacy of this wealth of foundational knowledge was the theme of her address in the plenary session on education and research at the main conference.
From research findings to Ayurvedic plant and veterinary care, from mental health treatment to meetings of students with senior vaidyas, from modern validations of the scientific brilliance of the rishis of Ayurveda to a traditional Ayurveda debate, the Congress was one of the defining Ayurveda events of our times. (Further details about the conference will appear in next issue.) |
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Shri. N. V. Nampoothiri, the Kerala State Program Director for the Indian Central Govt. Dept. of AYUSH which co-ordinates and promotes India's traditional medicine systems, came to Vedika for two weeks of teaching with the blessings of this department. He is one of the most seasoned educators in his field and embodies the sweetness and sharp-mindedness of one who has been immersed for a lifetime in this healing science. Shri. Nampoothiri gave two public lectures on the value of Ayurveda's Panchakarma, with special focus on treatments for joints and low back pain. He stressed that many of these treatments are quite inexpensive yet highly effective when administered repeatedly according to the classical texts.
The Deputy Consul General of India for San Francisco, Shri. Tuhin Kumar, was the Special Guest for one of the lectures, since Shri. Nampoothiri had come with the blessings of the Dept. of AYUSH in Delhi. Shri. Tuhin Kumar reiterated the immense value of Ayurveda and expressed his appreciation to Vedika for bringing such esteemed teachers and creating an environment of dedication to studying and living Ayurveda, and preserving its values. Staying at Vedika Gurukula, reading chapters of Ashtanga Hridayam verse by verse with students, observing the care with which students prepared food according to the ritu and other parameters of ahara vijnana, Shri. Nampoothiri was reminded of a pivotal time in his own studies. Post graduation he went to a small village in Kerala for 6 months to apprentice with the legendary Ashtavaidya Narayana Mooss, who was over 90 years old at that time. He would see a large number of patients every day, and serving as his apprentice, observing each and every case with close attention was an invaluable time in Shri. Nampoothiri's own development as a Vaidya and teacher. Vaidyaratna Mooss was himself a product of Ayurveda's glorious Gurukula system, and the living leader of an Ayurveda lineage in Kerala. Since Shri. Nampoothiri loses no occasion to speak about the value of pure ghee to promote health, he was interested to see a US dairy, especially having grown up in a traditional home with cows, and observed some modern dairies in Kerala. When he visited one of the Strauss group of organic dairies just north of San Francisco, he was impressed by the dairy farmer's affection for each and every cow in a herd of over 200, his passion for keeping such a large herd close to nature, healthy and happy, as one would in a traditional home with cows. He was also very pleased to see people so dedicated to producing milk that not only meets organic standards but which is the richest, most delicious, and naturally nutritious milk they can produce. He was also pleased to discover that a commercial version of a traditional Ayurvedic veterinary formula was being used to treat cows with mastitis.
Vedika Gurukula Courses for 2011: 2 Month Introductory Course 1 Year Certificate Course 3 Year Diploma Course 5 Year Degree Course Classes taught by traditional Ayurveda teacher Shunya Pratichi Mathur and experts from India including Shri. R. H. Singh, Shri. Subhash Ranade, Shri. V. Nampoothiri, Shri. Abhijit Jinde and Shri. Mahesh Sabade, and other esteemed teachers. For more information: email info@vedikaglobal.org and join Vedika's online Sangha on facebook for up to date event notifications.
The current issue carries a feature by Vedika's Founder Shunya Pratichi Mathur titled “Ayurveda on Environment and Dharma.” Shunya writes that Charaka, Ayurvedic sage and scholar, advises human beings on the management of the environment and therefore health by inquiring into the quality of air, water, land and time. Abnormal conditions of stars, planets, moon, sun, air, fire and the environment in turn derange the seasons and ultimately disturb the quality of food and herbs and their medicinal properties. Equally disturbing are man made conditions, such as when land is polluted by the attitude and values of the humans who reside there. |
by Vedika student Geetanjali Chakraborty Introducing the Three Doshas Vedika's Acharya Shunya gave a talk at East West Bookstore in Mountain View, introducing newcomers to Ayurveda's foundational principle of the three doshas. The audience particularly appreciated a story she told them about how her grandfather and teacher had introduced this concept to her when she was a young girl. It was raining heavily and she asked him inquisitively what would happen if it never stopped. He turned the question to her to describe, so she answered that first everything would get soaking wet, and then the streets and houses and trees would be under water. He asked her to imagine what would it would be like if this water were inside her body, and explained that the moisture in the body is Kapha. Then he asked her how the excessive water from the rain gets dried up. She answered that the sun comes out its rays make us feel warm, and slowly the puddles and paths dry out. The sun, her grandfather explained, represents Pitta in our bodies, which is essential for digestion and metabolism throughout the body. Then he asked what happens if the sun is too hot, if there is no rain at all, and the wind blows? She answered that the fields would get dry, the trees would get thirsty, and the wind would blow dust into their home. Imagine this in your body, her grandfather explained. This dryness and wind represents Vata. To counter this, we again need moisture. So we need to keep all three doshas in balance within us or they can cause a havoc in our body. At the end of the session ended, Shunyaji introduced one of our favorite drinks in the Gurukula, spiced milk. Spiced milk is an age old Ayurvedic recipe, where whole milk is cooked slowly with healing spices like turmeric, saffron, ginger powder, black pepper and nutmeg. Since it's my favorite drink, I had brought a thermosful along for people to try. Although each person had only a few sips, so many people said it was the most delicious milk they had ever had.
Spiced Milk Experience That gave me a chance to tell them my story. Vedika Gurukula has changed my life at many levels and one of them is my relationship with milk. Growing up I hated even the word milk. I was made to have a glassful of milk every morning. I would gulp it down in a single breath and take a couple of sips of water to take the taste away. And then I would throw up. That whole experience was traumatizing. After I was introduced to spiced milk, that changed completely. I have never had to gulp milk down, in fact I enjoy every sip of it. In the initial 2 month Ayurveda course, I never missed a cup of spiced milk and felt a sense of rejuvenation every time I drank it. I thought why not gift this to others in my community? So I made spiced-milk kits that would make about hundred cups of milk, and gave these kits whenever we visited friends. None of the recipients were aware of Ayurveda and that’s why it became more fascinating. I would love it when they would write to me saying that "me and my husband just love this." Or "my 1-year old is loving the taste and actually drinking milk." This is my biggest reward.
Vedika's vision of igniting a community Swasthavritta movement to empower people with Ayurveda's beautiful wisdom for staying healthy through diet and lifestyle, is taking strength through our monthly free Ayurveda Sanghas. The final Sangha of the year focused on understanding and tasting pathya and apathya foods – those which are beneficial for health and those which are not. Living in a rushed society where stocking the pantry and refrigerator with processed, preservative-laden, packaged foods has become the norm, participants were given a fresh look at how to make their own kitchen the starting point for health. Participants were each served a small bowl of packaged, preserved dal, along with a bowl of the same kind of dal freshly prepared. People were astonished at the stark difference: how dull and heavy the packaged food tasted and how pleasing and full of life the fresh food was. Shunya explained that processed food is not only harder to digest and lacking in prana, but also that the effort spent in preparing fresh food is much less than the effort required later on to deal with the chronic illnesses than result from eating unnatural processed foods. Vaidya Abhijit Jinde helped participants understand some of the bad food combinations that are common nowadays, which unknowingly undermine health and lead to conditions like skin diseases and infertility when consumed regularly. He focused on the negative impact of eating milk with fruits (except mango and dates), or eating milk products with anything salty, particularly with fish or meat dishes. Participants reflected on the impact of popular foods -- fruit salad with ice-cream, fruit smoothies, pasta and other main courses in cream sauce– and left clear about how to make better choices. Vedika Ayurveda Sanghas are held on the last Sunday of each month from 2:00 – 6:00PM at Vedika Gurukula: 8th Annual NAMA Conference ”Healthy Body, Healthy Brain, Higher Consciousness Through Ayurveda”
AAPNA conference: “Ayurveda for Women's Health”
To find out more about Vedika Global, Inc. and its activities,
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Shri. N. V. Nampoothiri 
April 14-17, 2011
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Vedika Global is a 501(c )(3) not-for-profit organization, dedicated to igniting a community healing and wellness movement with classical Ayurveda. Vedika's core program is a school offering transformative, lived education – Sadhana -- in the science and spirituality of Ayurveda, including unique wisdom from the Gurukula tradition. Located in the Emeryville/Berkeley area of California, Vedika Gurukula offers authentic education in Ayurveda's oral tradition integrated with the contemporary academic standards for Ayurvedic education in India. Vedika's culture is rooted in the spirit of service -- Seva -- and community upliftment – Sangha. The school includes a teaching clinic and open events to empower the broader community with the wisdom of Ayurveda. Vedika Global, Inc. %%PLUGIN_UNSUBSCRIBE: 174376-UNSUBSCRIBE%% |