Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Ancient texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and The Yoga Sutras focus very little on physical yoga postures (asana practice), and in fact, when Maharishi Patanjali speaks of ‘asana’ he is not at all referring to headstand or warrior or downward dog; he’s talking about the position you choose to sit in while meditating your asana - 'seat'. The second chapter of the sutras is generally considered the one most focused on “practice” of the yogic philosophy and lifestyle; there Maharishi Patanjali details the eight limbs of yoga - known as ashtanga yoga.  The five Yamas (social ethics) and five Niyamas (personal observances) are two of these eight limbs. Ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (abstinence), aparigraha (non-accumulation) constitute the five yamas, whereas soucha (internal and external cleanliness), santosha (being happy and content), tapas (penance), swadhyaya (self-study) and ishvarapranidhana (surrender to the higher power...

Every tree starts with a seed. Imagine what might grow out of the one small, kind thing you can contribute even if it is a motivational thoughts / post / blog / anything life learnable valuables. Am a strong believer of human value system and every human have their strong values that they believe, follow and live for. When you struggle to find an answer, you’ll understand it much better than if the answer is simply handed to you.  When you debate with yourself or others about what to do, you’ll reach a more complete understanding of why you’re doing it. Knowing what to do is valuable. Yet grasping the concept behind it will make you extraordinarily more creative and flexible. You’ll spend a little more time upfront to learn the concept rather than just learning the procedure. Yet that investment in your own understanding will pay for itself many times over. Know the concept, and you can transfer success in one situation to success in a radically different situation.  Know the ...

In a training session, the trainer asked the audience "knowledge is power, how many of you agree" almost everyone agreed, the trainer said "not true, knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power". No matter what we learn, the ultimate test of our knowledge is in our experience. Theoretical knowledge is of no use unless it is backed by practical experience. That is the essence of education. Apart from languages, human beings are capable of articulating their feelings and ideas through complex condensation of symbols. But, there may arise the question : where was the necessity of evolving symbols, when already language was there to express their ideas? If language evolved out of man's practical necessity to communicate experience, symbols were evolved to communicate experiences which could not be communicated through language alone. the term experience has different shades of meaning. The way we experience life, the heat of the sun, the coolness of the breez...

Acharya Sushrut is known as the father of surgery and author of Sushrut Samhita. Circa 5 - 4th century BCE. He is credited with performing the world's first rhinoplasty, using anesthesia and plastic surgery. He used surgical instruments - many of them look similar to instruments used today; and discussed more than 300 types of surgical operations. In his treatise Sushrut Samhita, he has described over 300 surgical procedures and 125 surgical instruments, including scalpels, lancets, needles, catheters and rectal speculums; mostly designed from the jaws of animals and birds. He has also described a number of stitching methods; the use of horse’s hair as thread and fibers of bark. His research was pioneering not only in the field of plastic surgery but he also made some groundbreaking contributions to the field of anesthesia. Interestingly, even before Hippocrates, he had prescribed an ethical code for medical practitioners. A statue dedicated to Sushruta at Haridwar. One of the Ayur...

Our physical body has a field of energy around it commonly known as Aura. The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place; emotional, mental, and spiritual levels form an energy field around the body known as the aura. As far as auras are concerned; a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature, viewed by mystics, spiritualists, and some practitioners of complementary medicine as the essence of the individual, and allegedly discernible by people with special sensibilities. Auras are thought of as the unseen field of energy surrounding a person's physical body. This aura represents your physical, mental, emotional as well as spiritual energies. The aura is often seen a mix of fine coloured frequencies where each colour define its own individual nature and characteristics.  The vibration of this aura is very fine and subtle so we need very fine instruments to detect it or perhaps we can use our in...