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September 2010 |
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May the sacred science of Ayurveda bring you abundant blessings,
An evening with Dr. R. H. Singh and special guest Dr. Ram Karan Sharma Vedika hosted a public presentation by Vaidya Ram Harsh Singh. Dr. Singh is Professor Emeritus at Banaras Hindu University, and an Advisor to Vedika Gurukula. Dr. Singh was at Vedika Gurukula as Visiting Faculty, offering his lifetime of knowledge in classes and mentoring students.
Glowing with good health himself, cultivated through a life of Ayurveda, Dr. Singh explained how this renowned “anti-aging” science of nourishment and rejuvenation is carefully cultivated at multiple levels for longevity, immunity, heightened mental and intellectual competence, and the luster of youthfulness. He explained the role of nutrition and herbs found locally, as well as legendary herbs and techniques more readily available in India. He also presented the initial findings of research projects he is involved with in India that explore the impact of Rasayana treatments on both the prevention and treatment of stress, types of cancer and neuro-degeneration. The finale of the evening was offered by the renowned Sanskrit scholar Dr. Ram Karan Sharma, an Advisor to Vedika Gurukula, who is a dear friend of Dr. Singh, and author of a book on the science of Rasayana. Throughout the evening, Dr. Sharma and his wife Annapurna Devi, both in their eighties, radiated the fruits of living by the science of Rasayana. With passionate delight, Dr. Sharma quoted from sage Charaka on Achara Rasayana which describes the mental and spiritual attitudes and disciplines that are the ultimate enhancers of rejuvenation: A person who always strives to speak the truth and refrain from anger and arrogance, who cultivates peacefulness, courage, generosity, purity, perseverance and non-violence; who speaks sweetly, practices japa, and serves wise people and elders with respect; who sleeps and arises at the proper time, consumes milk and ghee every day, understands how to live in harmony with the seasons and the locale; who continually refines their conduct and way of thinking, studies spiritual texts, has faith in the Divine and in the sages, and devotes themselves to love and compassion: such a person will be endowed with the qualities of rejuvenation. In them, herbs will give remarkable and lasting results.
Introducing the Science and Philosophy of the Living Tradition of Ayurveda: Fall Preview Lecture Series for All Levels led by Vedika’s Ayurveda Acharya, Shunya Pratichi Mathur Friday, Sept 10th, 6-9pm : Friday,Sept 17th, 6-9pm : Friday, Oct 1st, 6-9pm : Friday, Oct 15th, 6-9pm : Saturday, Oct 30th, 2-5pm : Saturday, Nov 13th, 2-5pm : Cost per class is $30, or enroll in all 6 for $150. To sign up in advance call Ishani at 877.708.3342 ext 14 or email registrar@vedikaglobal.org Or simply drop in on the day of class. Cash, check or credit card accepted. All are welcome. No prior knowledge of Ayurveda necessary. Join any one or all classes. Admission Open for 2011 - Classes Begin January 14 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 Dr. R. H. Singh, Dr. Subhash Ranade, Dr. V. Nampoothiri, Dr. Abhijit Jinde and Dr. Mahesh Sabade.
For more information: email info@vedikaglobal.org and join Vedika's online Sangha on facebook for up to date event notifications.
Congratulations to Vedika's media partner Tathaastu magazine. In the universal spirit of embracing a healthy, spiritual way of life and leading it with peace, harmony and dignity, Tathaastu: So Be It will be available not only in the US, Canada, and India, but also in Denmark, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and more. In the current issue: Self-Care in Summer: Wisdom Teachings from the Ayurveda Tradition edible EAST BAY
She highlights Vedika's dedication to igniting the desire for health: According to Abhijit Jinde, a visiting teacher at Vedika, “Biological health depends on honoring the central role of the digestive fire, feeding it food with balanced qualities, cooking with ghee and spices to regulate food qualities and potencies, and attending to environmental factors such as seasonal variation, lifestyle choices, and mental stress.” He adds, “In Indian philosophy the inner biological fire is a reflection of the divine fire that also has a hunger to be satiated with great respect. Conscious feeding of the body becomes an act of devotion that fulfills the psycho-spiritual practice of acknowledging the divine consciousness that underlies all creation.” |
Vedika's monthly open-house Ayurveda Sanghas offer both practical and inspirational knowledge. They are an open forum for empowering the community with gems of health-promoting knowledge from classical Ayurveda. In our June Sangha, Dr. R. H. Singh, visiting faculty from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, spoke movingly of the contemporary relevance of Ayurveda and the importance of maintaining its full body, mind and spirit scope. Dr. Abhijit Jinde, Vedika Faculty Member, gave a lively presentation of his case studies and research on diabetes, and in particular the role of diet as both cause and treatment. In July, Vedika's Acharya Shunya took participants on a fascinating exploration of dairy products. Beginning with a refreshing glass of sweet buttermilk (and the recipe on a card), the afternoon moved on to senior students sharing the health benefits they and their families had experienced from drinking slowly cooked spiced milk prepared from organic whole milk, churning buttermilk with digestive spices, and cooking with home-made ghee.
Shunya explained how India’s Vedic culture revolves around cows, who offer a wealth of nourishment and medicine, fuel and fertilizers, building materials and air purification. Ayurveda alone has more than 5,000 verses about cows and their products which are optimum super foods and medicine. In the West we tend to go for cheese and flavored yoghurt, whereas Ayurveda focuses on whole milk, ghee, buttermilk and home-made yoghurt. But the bounty of cows goes further: cow's urine is an antiseptic that heals wounds and many other diseases. Cow dung is famous for its anti-fungal properties and is used in village homes as a coating on floors to keep away insects and germs. Both cow dung and ghee are burned as offerings in Vedic yajna, fire ceremonies, filling the air with their eco-friendly, purifying gases and micro-organisms.
Participants recognized that the reverence given to cows in India is not based so much on religious belief as on extensive knowledge of the life-sustaining gifts of cows. They could understand why the Atharva Veda says that our lives are sustained by cows and their products, and how they can benefit from this understanding today. Upcoming Free Ayurveda Sanghas: September 12 (Sunday): October 16 (Saturday): from 2:00 - 6:00PM For more information contact 1.877. 708.3342 ext 14 or Guru Purnima is the full moon day in July when one's own teacher and the lineage of sadhus are honored. At Vedika Gurukula, students had the opportunity to draw immense inspiration from learning more about the lineage of learned sadhus, scholars and healers whose vision and wisdom Shunya Pratichi Mathur carries forward as Vedika's Acharya, and the organizations they founded in the 1800's in India from which Vedika Global has emerged here in California in the 21st century.
Shunyaji's grandfather and teacher, known as Baba Ayodhya Nath, expanded his father's community work, offering regular satsangas, personal mentoring and physical seva, to promote health and healing at all levels of being. He was widely known not only as an Ayurvedic healer but also as scholar of Advaita Vedanta. He was an expert in the Vedic sciences and how they work together to assist individual and community healing. In later years, Baba Ayodhya Nath addressed conventions and gatherings on Traditional Healing Systems and Spirituality organized by the Government of India in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. World Ayurveda Congress:
Vedika Global is pleased to be associated with the 4th World Ayurveda Congress, a huge international gathering organized in partnership with the Indian Central Government's Dept. of AYUSH, and leading Ayurveda organizations. It is the largest and most authentic event in the sector and promises to be an opportunity to hear and interact with living legends of Ayurveda who don't travel outside India, traditional teachers and practitioners who embody rare knowledge and skills. The conference includes a gathering of traditional Ayurveda gurus and students, a 2-day forum on the preservation of endangered medicinal trees, a gathering of healers from the tribal regions, and special sessions devoted to Ayurvedic veterinary & plant medicine, education, mental health and public health. The core of the conference will be 4 days of presentations by leading Ayurvedic researchers, practitioners, scholars, and authors, plus a giant Ayurveda Health Expo. A group of Vedika teachers and students will be attending the conference at the start of a four week Ayurveda immersion experience in South India. For more information about the conference, contact Ishani at Vedika: registrar@vedikaglobal.org (877) 708-3342 AAPNA: Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America
This 3-day conference will feature more than 15 international presentations by accomplished Ayurvedic doctors, integrative medicine doctors and researchers on the theme of "Anti-Aging and Rejuvenation Through Ayurveda". Chief guests of the conference are Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh State, India who is a keen student of Ayurveda, international spiritual guru Devkrisnananda Avadhut, and a guest appearance by Ricky Williams Dolphins Running Back. The conference will include panel discussions, case studies, and a question & answer session. For information and registration, please visit www.aapna.org To find out more about Vedika Global, Inc. and its activities,
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Shakti Namaste
Namaste. In the tradition of Gurukula education, the ongoing formal and informal learning that students pursue with their primary teacher is typically supplemented by studies with visiting scholars and sadhus invited by the Acharya. In this spirit, fall studies at Vedika Gurukula will include visiting Faculty members Shri N. V. Raghuram, Chairman of Yoga Bharati and international teacher of yoga practice and philosophy from Swami Vivekananda Yoga University in Bengaluru; Dr. M.R.V. Nampoothiri, a senior teacher and researcher in Ayurveda who is now Kerala State Program Manager for the Department of AYUSH; and Vedika anchor teach Dr. Abhijit Jinde who teaches and practices Panchakarma in Pune.
In Ayurveda, the seasons and their impact on the human body have been studied carefully, and an elaborate scientific food and lifestyle protocol has been developed in response for each season. The summer protocol, Grishma Ritucharya, advises specialized dietary food and lifestyle measures such as counteracting the dry heat of summer with moist, sweet and cooling liquids; flowing and slightly fatty, fragrant foods; and adapting cooling lifestyle practices such as Sheetali Pranayama, exposure to moonlight, etc. 
Edible East Bay is a magazine that celebrates the abundance of local foods, season by season. The current issue carries an article by Vedika student Suzanne Saucy: Cooking with Fire. 
December 9 – 13, 2010
October 8 – 10, 2010
Vedika Global, Inc. 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 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%% |