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Vedika had a memorable joint satsang with UC San Francisco's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine led by Dr. Anand Dhruva , with special guest speaker Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan. Dr. Patwardhan is a visionary thought leader, scientist and lover of Ayurveda, who is Vice-Chancellor of Symbiosis International University, Pune and founding Director of I-AIM Bangalore. He spoke on Shastra for Science and the Vaidya Scientists who are researching why these timeless principles of Ayurveda are so effective, using the technology of modern science, and how their findings are attracting attention at the highest levels in the science community. Vasant Ritu began at Vedika with a retreat day which included a creative presentations by students. One group performed a rap song they created to describe agni bala, the strength of digestive power. We welcomed our newest visiting faculty member, Dr. Sanjay Kadlimatti Ph.D. Ayurveda from Karnataka and benefited from his bright engaging teaching style and knowledge. The finale of Vasant Ritu was a moving talk by our visiting faculty Shri Daya Prakash Sinha on ten important aspects of Dharma for a student of Ayurveda. May the sacred science of Ayurveda bring you abundant blessings,
Introducing the concept of Vedika's Ayurveda Sanghas, Founder and Acharya Shunya Pratichi Mathur said: Sangha is mobilizing and connecting people to talk about how we can be healthy, happy and whole. The way we will look at each other, the ways in which we will connect, this is what will make us a vital, healthy community. I grew up in the constant company of a person who was drunk with the joy of the knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta, and in a family that initiated community Sanghas at a time when Indians had lost touch with their heritage and their birthright to be healthy. Similarly today, we want to move away from our kusangha with diseases and cultivate our satsangha with wise people, knowledge and with nature. Each Sangha includes discussion of the current season and how it affects our health. This includes a wealth of detail on foods and exercise patterns that promote good health, how to prepare simple home remedies using herbs that are easy to grow or obtain locally, how to cook a season-friendly recipe, and enriching contemplations from the Vedic tradition. The aim is to help our community members have the tools, inspiration and support to stay healthy.
Our memorable joint sangha with UCSF's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine's Sangha for Ayurveda Practitioners and research brought together representatives of the tradition of Ayurveda, the height of science of Ayurveda, the university community, and practitioners of Ayurveda in a unique opportunity for conversation.
Dr. Anand Dhruva leads the Osher Center's Ayurveda Sangha, is on the Hematology-Oncology faculty at UCSF. He is a graduate of the Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona and has also studied Ayurveda, bringing this knowledge to his clinical practice and research. He explained that his inspiration to live an ayurvedic lifestyle came from watching his grandmother as he was growing up. He quoted an editorial in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, about a traditional method that his grandmother's generation knew for cooking rice and the importance of diet in Ayurvedic healing. Dr. Dhruva has received a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study Ayurveda as a whole system for post-treatment rejuvenation of cancer patients using Ayurvedic nutrition, lifestyle and yoga. He spoke about this work, about the importance of studying traditional practice without deconstructing it, and about translating the ideas in the shastras for the situations we face in the modern era.
1st AYU World Conference on Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy and Unani systems of Indian Medicine; “Indian Systems of Medicine for All”
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Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan is a visionary thought leader, a scientist and educator with a deep respect for the Shastras, the brilliant texts of the early sages of Ayurveda. He is the founding director of the Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine Bangalore (I-AIM), where he recently launched IAIM's flagship Vaidya-Scientist program. This is a rigorous fellowship program designed to create a new cadre of young Vaidyas who are both strongly rooted in the Shastra and also fully understand the relationship between the systemic theories of shastra and structural theories of science, and will therefore be capable of bringing recognition, honor and acceptance to Ayurveda Shastra in the scientific world. Fellows are mentored by the topmost scholars of Shastra and Science, including Vedika Faculty and Adviser Dr. R. H. Singh.
Dr. Patwardhan is now Vice-chancellor of the Symbiosis International University, an institute built on the Vedic vision of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, the World as One Family. There he will launch a new research center for shastra-science projects. He is driven by a passionate belief that historically Ayurveda has been progressive, dynamic and inclusive, building on great scientific, logical and philosophical foundations, but today it is in need of a renaissance to resuscitate its historic expansion and research orientation. Addressing the community at this joint Sangha, Dr. Patwardhan said: I am so happy to see here on a Sunday afternoon such a large number of people, showing respect to the great science and tradition of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a fantastic knowledge bank. This knowledge is not bound. It is always evolving, integrative, dynamic, and borderless. It is for people. It is the science of life for people. There are two streams of this knowledge system. One is the scholarly or sanskrit stream which is defined by the shastras, the great classics of Ayurveda. The other is the community or prakrit stream, which is what we see lived in traditional homes and communities. Both are interconnected and keep learning from each other. When I was growing up, my grandfather used to take care of first aid in my family. Whenever I had a deep wound or if a nail or thorn had pierced deep under the skin, my grandfather would squeeze the juice of a particular fruit into the wound then cover the wound with the fruit. The pain of that wound would be relieved very quickly, there would be no inflammation, and the wound would heal quickly. So when I was a graduate student I thought I must research the properties of this fruit in the laboratory. Logic told me it is preventing tetanus. So we grew tetanus bacteria in the laboratory and we were able to show that the ingredients in that fruit killed clostridium tetani, the causative bacteria for tetanus, at the nanogram level. This made me feel: Wow! What I saw in my home I can see in the laboratory. This is the shastra-science interface. Based on such experiences and experiments, we started believing that the Ayurveda shastras can guide future science. The basic principles are shashvata or unchanging. What Pratichiji explained about what to do and what not to do in this season belongs to these basic principles. They have stood the test of time, generation after generation. But their practical application can change. Pratichiji may recommend something that is available locally here in the US which is not specifically described in the shastras. But she does this based on the unchanging basic principles. The manner in which a healthy individual is transformed step by step into a diseased individual is described best in Ayurveda. It is called shatkriyakala, the six stages of progression of any disease. It's a platform technology. The concepts of prakriti and shatkriyakala are going to contribute very significantly to mainstream medicine. Because we have been able to show some proof of concept in our laboratories using the most advanced technologies available today, the highest level of the science community is now looking at these principles seriously.
Believe me, the holistic way that Ayurveda teaches you to look at a human being is absolutely important. This is what will be practiced in future health and medicine. This is tomorrow's health. This is tomorrow's medicine. What you are learning here is the future of health care. Therefore I want to congratulate you for opening your minds. I really want to congratulate Vedika Global's entire group for undertaking this initiative, for allowing all of you to get some glimpses of this knowledge tree of Ayurveda. Read full text | Watch on YouTube NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medicine Association) held it's 8th annual conference in Cherry Hill, NJ in April 2011. It was an energized national gathering of Ayurvedic practitioners, students, teachers, promoters, and entrepreneurs. In the spirit of unity in diversity, participants benefited not only from the many learning sessions and practicums, but also from getting to know one another and sharing their experiences of practicing Ayurveda in the US today.
Vedika Gurukula students had once again prepared wheat and gum resin laddus rich in ghee and spices, to share with all the travel-weary conference participants in the spirit of sangha. People returned each day to Vedika's table at the conference to relish these nourishing sweets infused with such conscious good intentions. Vedika's President Hema Patankar is on the Board of NAMA and spoke at the annual membership meeting about the revised Ayurveda training standards that are being developed by NAMA's Standards Committee, for which she serves as Chair. To find out more about Vedika Global, Inc. and its activities,
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Shakti Namaste
Namaste. At Vedika we are walking consciously, step by step through the seasons, examining and putting into practice Ayurveda's principles and practical advice on how to adjust our diet and lifestyle so we stay attuned to nature's cycles and remain healthy. Through our free Ayurveda Sanghas and the Vedika Annam spring cooking class, we shared the opportunities, challenges and recipes of 
Sanghas
AAPNA conference: “Ayurveda for Women's Health”
Vedika's media partner Tathaastu magazine continues to expand its reach. In the universal spirit of embracing a healthy, spiritual way of life and leading it with peace, harmony and dignity, Tathaastu: So Be It is available not only in North America and India, but also in countries throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia.
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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 infused with Yoga and Vedanta. 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. |