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The new students joined the continuing students, many of whom had just returned from India after attending the 4th World Ayurveda Congress, seeing Ayurvedic institutes and projects around Bengaluru, and experiencing weeks of Ayurveda's amazing purifying treatments - a time they turned into a spiritually rich retreat. They filled the early mornings with sandhya vandam and meditation, studied Vedanta with Vedika's Acharya Shunya in the evenings, and spent hours each day in silent reflection. So they returned glowing with health in body, mind and spirit.
Vaidya Mahesh Sabade has returned to Vedika with his knowledge and healing smile for another season of teaching. You can see him speaking about ghee on YouTube. After six weeks of studying some basic principles and practices of Ayurveda and learning how to take them home and into their daily life, one teaching at a time, the students of the introductory course are already reporting positive shifts in health and awareness, such as improved digestion, putting an end to chronic insomnia, and experiencing a fresh and positive attitude to life. May the sacred science of Ayurveda bring you abundant blessings,
Shri Daya Prakash Sinha, affectionately known as Tataji, is a celebrated playwright, a former Indian government officer and foreign diplomat, a leader in the field of the arts in contemporary India, and a deeply cultured person with a passionate grasp of world history. Tataji, Shunya's father, grew up in a home where spiritual values, Ayurvedic principles, love of knowledge and dedication to service were at the forefront. Vedika's students are deriving much inspiration from sitting with such a wise and cultured elder.
With his wide and nuanced knowledge of Indian history, Tataji painted a picture of the birth, flourishing, retreat, and modern resurgence of Ayurveda on the moving canvas of the cultural, political, social and economic history of the Indian sub-continent. We watched a deeply spiritual and knowledge-loving society where vaidyas performed complex surgeries a thousand years ago and where the “scientists” of Ayurveda had perceived and articulated a highly sophisticated understanding of human life and health without the aid of technology or machines. We witnessed the impact of invaders with their own agendas and their own diseases. He painted images of young Buddhist monks carrying texts of Ayurveda across Asia, Greeks carrying them westward, scholars in Baghdad translating them into Arabic. We could understand in this way how this highly developed knowledge of health and healing that had flourished across South Asia had later been forced into submission along with the people who were sustained by it. And we saw how its renaissance is imminent in the hands of India's bright youth who take pride in their cultural and intellectual heritage, in partnership with students around the world. Inspired by these classes, a Vedika student Atma Jyoti Marcus wrote: “Last night's class reminded me yet again that the truth cannot be stopped, broken, hushed or destroyed. Neither colonization, nor forgetfulness, nor death, nor darkness, nor destruction, nor ignorance... not even time can break this everlasting thread that weaves its way through time and space, across continents and oceans. Only the truth has the power to penetrate cultural and linguistic barriers. It is alive in the aakash, vayu, tej, aap and prithvi. What is this force that is so vital, so timeless, so universal that it is connecting us, in a room in California in 2011 to the banks of the Saraswati river in 2000 BC and beyond...May we have the deep faith required to continue walking this path in courage, love, illumination, and the unstoppable desire to uplift all beings.”
Vedika's free public Ayurveda Sanghas are a lively expression of our commitment to igniting a community healing and wellness movement. The February Sangha focused how to experience the health-promoting benefits of Shishira Ritu, the late winter season. Community members learned that this is the time to turn new year's health resolutions not to salads and fruit juices but to nourishing foods and an active lifestyle. They learned that this is the time of year when the digestive fire is naturally stronger, so it is a prime time to nourish our core and promote a foundation for strength and immunity throughout the year. They were shown how to cook a seasonal sweet dish made with roasted wheat, almonds, ghee and warm spices, and discussed good seasonal breakfast options.
The Sangha also began a series of interactive sessions with Vedika's Acharya, Shunya Pratichi Mathur, on Purushartha, the four essential goals of life, and understanding their balanced pursuit as natural sources of happiness and health. People contemplated their own lives and aspirations in the mirror of these classical goals of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, which are as central both to the philosophy of the Vedas and the sages of Ayurveda, and shared their own insights.
1st AYU World Conference on Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy and Unani systems of Indian Medicine; “Indian Systems of Medicine for All” To find out more about Vedika Global, Inc. and its activities,
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At the 10th International Seminar on Evidence Based Ayurveda held in Pune in December 2010, Vedika's Founder & Acharya Smt. Shunya Pratichi Mathur was awarded the Padmavati Aai (Mother Padmavati) International Ayurveda Award for her outstanding work in founding and propagating the Gurukula system of education in CA, USA. The award was presented by. Dr. P. H. Kulkarni, the Founder and Editor in Chief Deerghayu International and Founder Director Institute of Indian Medicine. In presenting the award, he commended her on developing an education platform infused with the spirituality that is so central to classical Ayurveda, yet rarely given proper emphasis nowadays. Dr. P. H. Kulkarni himself embodies a lifetime of accomplishments and untiring service to Ayurveda, as an international teacher, practitioner, promoter, researcher and author. He has been instrumental in founding Ayurveda centers in every continent. For four generations, his family has been devoted to Ayurveda, and this award in the name of his mother reflects his deep respect for the praiseworthy women who keep the flame of Ayurveda bright.
The Indian Institute of Medicine was founded by Dr. Kulkarni thirty years ago. As a recognized Ayurveda research institute, IIM has produced several PhD's and over 300 fellows of IIM (FIIM) who are working across the globe in the promotion of Ayurveda. IIM has organized 50 international and 60 domestic Ayurveda conferences till date, published 185 books on Ayurveda by various authors from India and abroad, and is successfully publishing “Deerghayu International” a quarterly journal for the last 28 years.
Dr. R. H. Singh, Prof. Emeritus of Benares Hindu University's Dept. of Ayurveda, and an esteemed elder amongst educators in the field, visited Vedika Gurukula in February 2011, with support from the Dept. of AYUSH. Dr. Singh's love for Ayurveda's truly holistic healing for body, mind and spirit resonates meaningfully with Vedika's students.
In teaching Kaya Chikitsa to the third year students, Dr. Singh emphasized to them that classical Ayurveda is not at all confined to Yukti Vyapashraya chikitsa, the logical material science of Ayurveda. Echoing the approach that is emphasized in Vedika Gurukula's education, Dr. Singh highlighted to students that Sattwa Vajaya chikitsa, Ayurvedic psychology to heal and strengthen the mind, and Daiva Vyapashraya chikitsa, ideals and practices to heal the non material, intangible element of soul: these are also of prime importance in Ayurveda's approach to healing. He told students that while Yukti Vyapashraya chikitsa has received the greatest attention over the past 75 years, Sattwa Vajaya chikitsa should be a part of how every patient is treated.
Dr. Singh said his own belief is that Daiva Vyapashraya chikitsa, the foundation of Ayurveda in the era of the Atharva Veda, will not only see a resurgence now but is likely again to become a primary and widely revered line of treatment. He suggested that just as the Vedic scientists explored the subtle realms of human life and witnessed the efficacy of this subtle form of healing, in modern times scientists may come to understand this as quantum healing. So while engaging students in a clear understanding of Ayurveda's brilliant material science, Dr. Singh urged them to absorb simultaneously the holistic and subtle aspects of Ayurveda that are central in Vedika's approach.
When asked to participate as a thought leader at the the 4th World Ayurveda Congress, Vedika's Founder emphasized the need to revive the lived practice of Ayurveda in homes, not just in doctor's offices. Her perspectives were subsequently published in the current issue of Tathaastu magazine: “Ayurveda's Swasthavrtta Wisdom – Crafting a Paradigm Shift in Global Medicine.” We were heartened that this no longer seemed like a message getting lost amongst other themes, but that a number of leaders in the field were also highlighting the importance of Ayurveda's lived practices, it's Swasthavrtta, public health for body, mind and spirit. The following are a few glimpses of what highly respected leaders said on this subject, including Padmabhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Dr. G. G. Gangadharan and Dr. Darshan Shankar of I-AIM-FRLHT Bengaluru, Dr. A. V. Balasubramanian, Director of the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems in Chennai, and Prof. Gerard Bodeker of Oxford University and Columbia University's Public Health department. It was encouraging to see practitioners and students nodding in agreement.
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 now 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. The current edition includes an article by Vedika's Founder titled: “Activate Health, Prevent Disease: Ayurveda's Swasthavrtta Wisdom – Crafting a Paradigm Shift in Global Medicine.”
Vedika students' study group while on retreat at Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Patanjalipuri (top); While in Bengaluru, the Vedika group was invited to visit the factory of Shree Dhootapapeshwar Ltd, a highly respected manufacturer of Ayurvedic medicine for several generations, to see how healing herbs are transformed into medicines (bottom). |
Shakti Namaste
Namaste. On Makar Sankranti, January 14, a fresh group of students began their studies at Vedika Gurukula by worshiping and connecting with the Sun, the great source of healing energy, and making offerings to nourish the health of people in need.
History Classes
AAPNA conference: “Ayurveda for Women's Health”
“The preventative health recommendations in Ayurveda are encapsulated in an entire branch of this medicine called Swasthavrtta which literally means the regimens followed to keep one healthy. At the individual level, Swasthavrtta resets our biorhythms to be in sync with nature. Due to additionally accrued psychological, social and spiritual benefits, the follower of Ayurveda’s preventative protocol experiences non-tangible well-being, inner flow and happiness. While these parameters cannot be accounted for statistically, they make all the difference in the quality of our lives.” 
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. |