Find out Keys of how you can find a Traditional Ayurvedic Practitioner.

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(i)Traditional Ayurveda and (ii)Spiritual Ayurveda 

How to Find an Authentic Ayurvedic Practitioner?

(c) Ved Kovid, Durgadas / Arogya Ayurvedic Health Ltd.

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Many today are going to India and gaining certifications in Ayurvedic Therapy and such and then returning to the West and setting up their clinics and practices, including those in various Yogas. However, traditionally, Yogis and Ayurvedic Practitioners took several decades of intense study and also disciple in order to teach people and they didn't simply do a course and then begin. These were also individuals who devoted their lives to such a cause and didn't do so simply due to a Pop-culture trend or a mid-life crises!

Traditional Ayurveda is about the study of the texts in the original Sanskrit also, not simply learning from a teacher who has repeated things, as well as observation and clinical practise and one's own awareness examining various herbs and elements, which requires a specific practise of Yoga in itself. 

There is also the New-Age Ayurveda, which mixes up things such as Chakra-balancing and Pranic Healing of which are actually a joke in traditional Yoga, as such things as chakras and healing people with the life-force require much more than a mere workshop or a month course!

~Advanced Yogis took years to even attain the higher realisations of the chakras - which on a physical level simply relate to internal organs, nothing else! Pranic Healing also requires one has a sattvic or pure life-force, cultivated from very young in order to heal others with their mere presence alone, not the waving on hands and such over people! 

It also takes years of intense sadhana and sattvic living to accomplish!~  
 

I have seen many Ayurvedic websites where individuals also copy things from other Ayurvedic websites rather than having their own words. This not only questions the integrity of such people but also shows their inability to grasp concepts of Ayurveda for themselves.

How can we really practise Ayurveda, or any science for that matter when we copy from others? These individuals break two rules of Yoga as asteya (not-stealing) and also satya (truthfulness) in taking articles and words of others and passing it off as their own.

The other side are those who come from Muslim, Christian, Hindu and other backgrounds in India and do the BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery), which ends up mixing allopathy with Ayurveda and dismissing the original concerns of Ayurveda and it's rich tradition. 

I was trained in the Vedic sciences since I was very young and practiced the original Vedic Yoga and Yajnas (sacrificial performances) and Poojas (religious offerings) also, which is part of the Hindu sense of growing up. Several other aspects of culture such as devotion to the deities and understanding the deeper aspects behind the six systems of Hindu philosophy are also only superficially understood today by most Yoga teachers, as they take them at face value and also haven't studied the texts and their knowledge of the Sanskrit language is also bad.

As such, here are some considerations for finding an authentic Ayurvedic and Yoga Practitioner:

Yoga and Ayurveda: 

Yoga today along with Ayurveda has been dressed-up to look "Ayurvedic", but its application has largely been (a) New Age and (b) Chiropractic in nature. It often fails to assess the deeper levels behind the individual, which requires knowledge of astrology and other Hindu sciences to properly ascertain. Ayurveda used along with Yoga itself requires much fine-tuning that few in India today can really do. One must explain the exact effects of mantras, breathing techniques and postures and also how to perform them relative to the individual, which requires a highly-specialised and sacred tradition and decades of study in itself. They cannot be used generically as per diseases and such.

Yoga today has become reduced down to exercise alone and many types of Yoga are seen as different, when they are simply complimentary.

I strongly object to those who teach Yoga, calling themselves "Yogis". A true Yogi is a Philosopher, a Vedic scholar and Ayurvedic Practitioner or Psychologist. They are a Seer (Rishi) and look at the needs of the community while performing the Vedic rituals, are masters of the Sanskrit language and shastras. They understand the depths of consciousness and the various systems of Philosophy as the Shad Darshanas (Six systems of philosophy)and the Vedangas (study-branches of the Vedas). These are not the simpleton female and males today teaching exercises and "alignment" Yoga in India and in the West; these are Ahankaris (ones with egos) nor Yogis. Yoga is about moving away from bodily and material fixations, not about embracing them as a means to an end!

Many of India's greatest Yogis - Rishi Yajnavalkya, Sri Krishna, Sri Nimbarkacharya, Patanjali Rishi, Shankaracharya, Sri Chand, Sri Chaitanya, Meerabai, Ramprasad Sen, Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramana Maharishi, Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda etc. never associated themselves with Yoga postures and the Hatha-Yoga system and such that has come to define Yoga today! They were masters of the mind, consciousness and shastras!

True Ayurvedic Practitioners and Yoga Teachers should also know all of the Classical Yoga and Ayurvedic works by memory in-depth and also in their original Sanskrit and be able to translate them. If they have simply generically read them or pretend that they're no longer of use today - such people are simply attempting to cover up for their own deficiencies of not learning traditional systems properly.

Sattvic Living:

A True Yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Practitioner should live a sattvic lifestyle - that is adhere to truthfulness, celibacy, avoidance of harming others in speech, body and mind and also adopt a pure vegetarian diet also.

The Practitioner should on a daily basis be engaged in much spiritual discipline and practice - not simply performing a few Yoga poses, mantras and breaths, but perform other rituals for the transformation of their psyche and also be aware of the elements in nature and have spent time connecting with them as a part of their training, which takes several years (or decades) to do. They should be connecting with the founding Deity of Ayurveda, Sri Dhanwantari, Lord Shiva and others on a daily basis and spend time contemplating the greater truths.

Tantric and Vedic Traditions:

Many today are using the terms Tantric and Vedic quite loosly. Vedic actually refers to the four Vedas of the Brahmins or priestly caste of the Hindus and their sacred texts, commentaries and rituals. It doesn't mean the later literature that is commonly deemed Vedic, and these older texts require a deeper knowledge of the original Vedic Sanskrit language also, and understanding their specific terms and the origin of Yoga and Ayurveda.

Tantra relates not to sexual rituals, but to the deeper worship of the deities and also the Goddess especially. It is about how these energies also connect to the individual in Yoga and Ayurveda. The Tantric Tradition is quite esoteric and employs several specific methods of worship and guidelines, which modern teachers and practitioners also ignore, although they pretend they belong to a "Traditional" Ayurvedic lineage, simply for a business tactic! Yet, their knowledge of traditional concerns and such are often not there and they also don't regard and respect the Hindu traditions nor have the knowledge of the Vedic texts and their sacred mantras and their specific applications, nor the true Vedic Yoga and system, which is passed down through generations in secrecy.

It also requires that one honour the Rishis, the ancient Seers of the Vedic traditions and the specific mantras they are related to also and gain their grace and work with their energies, as they are behind the sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda. This doesn't simply mean placing a pretty image in one's practice alone!

This also means they should know how to read and write in the ancient Sanskrit language and be fluent in the origins of the Sanskrit terminology in Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedic Astrology and Tantra. They should know the Vedic rituals also.

There are several important and specific rituals and mantras employed in the deeper system of Tantric Ayurveda as also working with various deities, on both a personal and a cosmic level, which includes reverence of directional deities, those governing aspects of the body, the cosmos and elements, the higher transcendental powers reflected in the cosmos and also planetary and local deities pertaining to this planet. Their functions must be understood, as also their various forms, rituals and processes of propitiation and timing etc.

Rasa-Shastra, the ancient of Mercurial (parada) and Alchemical preparations such as mercury, sulphur, copper, iron, lead, tin, calx, gemstones etc. is also a science under Tantra that purifies various base elements and heavy metals to make them non-toxic to the body. The same is done with toxic herbs in Ayurveda also, after which a small amount is used in preparations for benefit of the body. Examples are Loha Bhasma and Lohasava, which are iron preparations helpful for anaemia and related conditions. Others containing mercury such as Makardhwaja and some forms of Mahayogaraj Guggul help build up the body's resistance of disease. An understanding of these and effective purification is also useful.

Astrology, Karma and Yoga:

Without being a Jyotishi or Vedic Astrologer, one cannot really practice Ayurveda traditionally, as it requires an in-depth analysis of the individual's chart and also signs relative to their psychology and biology and the karmic causes behind these. Moreover, within Astrology exists several types beyond the Ayurvedic Types which help fine-tune these down and one can understand the biology and psychology of the individual on a deeper level. Most Practitioners working with simply the Doshic model for example do not do justice to their clients and are also not informed as per the traditional Ayurveda.

Timing of diseases and helping to reduce past-life karmas behind diseases - especially genetic factors come into Astrology also, which can help us time these, as per viewing the charts relating to one's subtle karmic past and activities. Various methods of karmic-reduction or prayaschitta (atonement) are prescribed, which include sacrifices, offerings, mantras, gemstones and breathing techniques etc. to limit the karmas or "subtle DNA" behind difficult and congenital disorders. We can see what period of one's life and as per planetary transits, wha to watch out for health-wise by what planets may cause our negative karma to attack the physical body as a consequence of past deeds and how to limit and work with these.

Psychological disturbances, as noted can also be seen in Astrological charts and again any congenital links can also be ascertained, along with physical examinations which reveal such features. Specific rather than generic herbal, dietary and karmic-reduction therapies can then be recommended for the person, specific to their case and category to reduce these subtle causes and thus help heal the physical body, which itself is impacted directly from the subtle. 

Without understanding the depth of Astrology and the ancient Vedic Astrology system and deities, which also comes under the broarder system of Tantra, we fail to be able to completely or fully heal clients. 

Ayurvedic Rituals:

There are several kinds of rituals and practices for healing, rejuvenation and also reducing Karma in Yoga and Ayurveda, and all true Ayurvedic Pratitioners and Yoga teachers should be able to perform these and recommend these to clients, based on their conditions and also constitutions etc. It requires a deeper analysis of the various astrological charts, deeper examination of the patient beyond the doshas or biological humors and beyond the simple mental constitutions.

There are also specific rituals that need to be done relative to various psychological issues and spiritual issues also including specific offerings, mantras and other performances that come as a part of Karmic Ayurveda. Simply stating that Karma exists is about all most Ayurvedic Practitioners today do, however the traditional Ayurveda knows the exact karmic nidanas (karmic causes) of diseases - their root and also how to uproot them, not simply by way of generic Yoga practices or generic mantras but specific ones.

These rituals require much study, practice and also traditional considerations in themselves and certain mantras require chanting in a certain manner, to specific Deities and considering the energies of the deities they are chanted to. Moreover, one cannot simply take up a mantra and Deity and begin worship and then pass it on to another as many Yoga Teachers and Ayurvedic Practitioners do, as it requires at least two decades of practice of these in order to even gain the "grace" of the deities and enegies behind the mantra and understand them on a deeply personal level, beyond the mechanical.

Otherwise these fail.


Traditional Ayurveda and Vedic Traditions:

Understanding Traditional Ayurveda requires that your Practitioner know all of the classical Ayurvedic texts, their modalities of treatment and also applying them on a clinical level, along with traditional teachings. This means a great deal of study and also knowledge of the Sanskrit language, preferably from the point of view of Indian languages, in order to really connect to the Sanskrit terminology.

They should also be able to assess the tradition of Yoga and Ayurveda from the perspective of the oldest Vedic texts and point to the deeper aspects of Ayurvedic history and concepts there also, as well as tailor mantras, dietary regimes and lifestyle regimes suited best for you, not simply a generic regime. This requires much skill and guidance over a long-term, with deeper explanations, relative to Tantric and Vedic traditions, deities, Yoga systems, Astrology and Psychological profiling and also the deeper assessment of your Prakriti or personal biology and also disease, beyond the Vata-Pitta-Kapha model.

If they cannot do this, then your Practitioner is simply a 'superficial' Practitioner who cannot do you justice. Vedic Ayurveda requires that one address more specific issues beyond the doshas, as also aspects of diagnosing and treating disease beyond the doshic levels also as well as addressing the needs for Ayurvedic surgery and Panchakarma and also the role of substances such as meats and mercurial preparations when required in specific conditions in Ayurveda also. 

There are many who want to go to India and learn Ayurveda and Yoga as it is part of the modern pop-culture, rather than an inner urge, springing from deeper Vedic traditions and upbringing of the Practitioner also, with a true genuine interest rather than just becoming famous! Ayurveda should be for them a way of life they were either brought up in, or have had decades in order to really understand the science themselves, as also the disease process and how it has helped them - not simply having done a course and decided to practice Ayurveda and teach others!

Living Ayurveda and working with it along with other concepts should be a life-long part of their own being for this so they can also understand all energies at play, as also their own experiences of working with deities on a deeper level than beyond modern forms of Pop-Yoga and claiming "tradition" of modern movements (as TM, Bikram Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Ashtanga etc.), which are not Traditional Yoga movements, but rather, watered-down aspects tailored to the (limited) scope of the Western mind and introductory at best.


Rare Western Examples:

While citing the information above, there are a few born into the West that have strong links with the inner and traditional culture of the Vedas, Ayurveda and Yoga and have been connected to them not simply by mere introduction, but from a life-long desire and interest or pull towards them from an early age, a consequence of past-life Yogic samskaras or traits that have come out in this life.

Such people are beyond ordinary examples and were past Gurus and Rishis or Seers of ancient Indian traditions that were often born in foreign lands, or travelled there to restore the traditional Vedic teachings and sciences in a traditional manner.

Examples in the West today are Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, the great authority and author on the Vedas, Indian History, Yoga, Vedanta, Ayurveda, Jyotisha and other Vedic sciences and systems as Tantra, who has faithfully restored the deeper traditional knowledge of Vedic India not only in the West, but globally into India as well. He is a rare gem of a teacher that reminds us of ancient Rishis of the Vedic period with their wit, expansive memories, vast knowledge and above all, deeper insight into all sciences and knowledge and proficiency in them. He shares a deeper knowledge of the Great Goddess that few have attained and continues the legacy of Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Vasishtha Ganapati Muni, a Telugu Brahmin who was Sri Ramana's chief disciple and was also connected to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. In many ways, Pandit Vamadeva Shastri reflects and mirrors the life of Sri Vasishtha Muni, in both his depth of teaching, wisdom and vast spiritual and mental powers!

Vamadeva was recently awarded the titles of 'Padma Bhushan' by the Indian Govt., a very rare title and also D. Litt from SVYASA in India for his deep knowledge and contribution to Vedic Sciences and knowledge by his decades of study, deep sadhana, research and training. 


The late Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami who founded the Saiva Siddhanta Church in the West was also the spiritual heir to this ancient movement of Natha Yogis and took the traditional aspects of Tantric Saivite Hinduism global and retained the traditional elements seen in it, as a part of the southern Tamil Saivite Natha movement. His various books reflect the deeper insight of the enigmatic Rishi of yore, as well as presents Hinduism in a manner of depth and yet simplistic accessibility without compromising the traditional nature of Saivite Hinduism and the greater Yoga tradition. He himself spent decades in intense sadhana or spiritual practice in Sri Lanka, India and the West and had several powerful visions and experiences.

Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) was a great Tantric scholar who wrote extensively on Hinduism, the Goddess (Shakti) and the Shakta Tantra tradition - but not from the viewpoint of a westerner, but that of a true Hindu sadhaka or spiritual aspirant. His deeper insight into the sciences contradicted the western view of Tantra as an aboriginal system and listed many Vedic references for Tantric practices, worship of the Goddess and Vedic origins of such. His depth and knowledge of the Goddess and her personalities and concepts within the greater Shakta tradition have been a great boon to many Tantric adepts and scholars today. His several books provide a traditional and deeper non-pasteurised insight into Shakta Tantra as it is.

While the works of these scholars is notable, it is futile however for others to emulate them without having undergone the deeper practices and study required, as these few rare individuals have, but the grace of their past-life samskaras or karmic traits which have enabled them to do so. We must keep that in mind also when selecting Ayurvedic Practitioners today and also healers in general. If it was so easy - everybody would be healed instantly and all would have deeper knowledge. Sadly however, this has, even historically, never been the case!



About the Author:

Durgadas:

Durgadas hails from an ancient Vedic lineage dating back to the earliest Vedic times. His Mother was a keen Horticulturalist who studied herbs and especially Ayurvedic herbs and preparations and had a great regard for tradition, which Durgadas also shares, having been brought up with since birth, as well as special practices that stem from age-old traditions relative to healing and spirituality in the Vedic-Hindu tradition, especially the Goddess (Shakti). This system masters all of the philosophies on Hinduism, rituals and Ayurveda and is a descendant of the great avatar, Sri Rama of the Solar Dynasty of ancient India.  

His lineage goes back to studying the Rig Veda, the oldest text of the Hindus along the lines of Yoga, Ayurveda and other Vedic sciences in its original spiritual forms and stems from a Vedic lineage dating back to time immemorial of the ancient Rishis of India.

He is a [formally certified] Ayurvedic Practitioner who is certified in all aspects of traditional Ayurveda including deeper Clinical Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Pharmacy, Clinical Ayurvedic Panchakarma techniques as well as being a Yoga and Ayurveda Teacher, Vedic Astrologer and also Veda Kovid - meaning proficient in all of the Vedic / Hindu sciences (Yoga, Vedanta, Tantra, Ayurveda, Jyotisha etc.) and their own respective sub-sciences and branches, a title given based on his years of practice, direct study and research of the Vedic sciences and classical texts and traditions.

He has also written over thirteen books on Ayurveda, Yoga and the Vedic Sciences and is currently working on two more, including his work translating the ancient Vedic texts in a Yogic and Ayurvedic light, from the original Vedic Sanskrit language.

Durgadas is the founder of the 'Vishwa Ayurveda Samaj', aimed at promoting a Traditional Ayurveda to the world and also the 'Academy of Traditional Ayurveda', sharing his teachings and those of tradition with students.

CLICK HERE to read more about Durgadas.

Related Links: (i) Traditional Ayurveda and (ii) Spiritual Ayurveda