|
"That science is
called Ayurveda which addresses the questions of what promotes and does
not promote health and happiness, what is beneficial and what is
detrimental to life, and what is the measure of life" |
|
 Dr. Vasant Lad before his evening lecture at The Ayurvedic Institute |
|
|
|
|
Dr. Robert Svoboda
Ayurveda is the world’s oldest organized medical system. The Sanskrit word, Ayurveda, is the combination of two words-Ayur, meaning life, and Veda, which means knowledge. Ayurveda, then, means the knowledge of life.
"Ayurveda is beyond
beginning and ending. A science of eternal healing, it is compared to a
vast ocean, and studying Ayurveda to swimming across. A true teacher can
teach one how to swim, but the swimming is up to the student; ... it is a
lifelong journey."
-Charaka Samhita
 Dr. Svoboda demonstrating nadi pariksa (pulse diagnosis) |
|
Ayurveda is indigenous to and widely practiced in India. Health is approached from the perspective of an individual’s constitution and combined holistic therapies including herbal medicines, diet modification, massage, Yoga practices, and lifestyle/routine reassessment are employed in order to re-establish balance and maintain wellness. John Coon is available, by appointment, for Ayurvedic consultations. Dr. Robert Svoboda conducts seasonal assessments quarterly.
Dr. Svoboda remembering his Aghori roots.
"I pay
reverence to the unparalleled physician who has destroyed, without any remnant,
all diseases beginning with RAGA, that are constantly inherent and associated
with and spread all over the bodies... leading to things like anxiety, delusion,
and dis-ease."
-Ashtanga Hridayam, Chapter 1, Verse 1
Dr. Robert Svoboda, a 1980 graduate of Tilak Ayurveda College of The University of Pune, was the first Westerner ever to become a licensed Ayurvedic physician (Vaidya). He travels extensively, lecturing and conducting workshops on Ayurveda. He is on the staff of the Ayurvedic Institute, New Mexico, and divides his time principally between North America, Hawaii, and India. In India, where he has lived for more than twenty years, he continues his research into Ayurveda and other ancient sciences. Among his writings are ten published texts addressing Ayurveda, Yoga, Tantra, and Jyotish (Indian Astrology).
My friendship with Dr. Robert Svoboda reaches back almost fifteen years. It began six years after the loss of his beloved Mentor, the Aghori, Vimalananda. The journey has been an interesting one, to say the least.
Once, someone asked what I felt was the most important thing that I had learned from Dr. Svoboda. I paused to consider the vast experience in Ayurveda and Tantra that Ravi has, so generously shared. My reply was, "He has given me a remarkable gift.... allowing me to view the ordinary world from an extraordinary perspective."
The human skull, an excellent reminder NOT
to put off our spiritual aspirations.
"It's all a journey, this process of
trying to help sick people. Current medicine drives quickly, but only on roads
it has built. Herbal therapies travel on horseback; poorly on the roads, best
across the countryside where the cars can't go. The great evils of
medicine are that it claims to be scientific (it is an art using science as a
tool) and that it denies other modalities (using the standards of science, not
art)."
-Moore
Yogi tea is a delicious beverage that offers therapeutic benefits from the tradition of Ayurveda. It is most often consumed hot and is considered helpful in cold and flu season.
Ingredients:
2 gallons water
12 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 heaping teaspoon hulled cardamom seeds
1/2 cup sliced fresh ginger*
Bring all ingredients to a slow boil for 30 minutes in a large non-aluminum soup pot. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 4 full hours. Turn off heat and add one heaping teaspoon black tea. Allow to cool, and store in an airtight, non-metallic container in the refrigerator.
For each cup use two parts Yogi Tea to one part milk,
bring to a boil... remove from heat, and add honey to sweeten in Winter... or
maple syrup to sweeten in Summer.
*Ginger
is an important food for Yogis according to Sri Krishnamacharya.
Okra Curry |
|
Okra (ladies finger) - 1/2
kg., salt - 1/2 tsp, red chili powder* - 1
tsp, oil - 5 tsp. *Sri
Krishnamacharya said that Okra was among the foods that all practicing
Yogis should eat. |
Kari Masala Powder |
|
Coriander seeds - 1 cup |
1st Step: Soak 1/2
cup whole mung beans overnight.
2nd Step: ( the following morning)
1/4 cup Basmati rice
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbs. ghee
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. rock salt
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1 pinch asafetida (hing)
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 cups water
1. Measure the rice. Rinse the
soaked beans and rice 3 times together.
2. Melt the ghee in a pressure cooker on low heat.
3. Add rock salt, asafetida, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and fennel. Sauté
these herbs over medium heat for about 30 seconds, until they bubble gently. Be
careful, they burn easily.
4. Add turmeric and stir for 15 seconds more.
5. Add the beans and rice, stirring until coated with spice mixture.
6. Add water and stir. Place the lid and steam weight on pressure cooker and
turn heat to high.
7. When pressure cooker gives off steady sound and steam for about 30 seconds,
turn off heat but leave cooker on the burner.
8. Wait until the excess pressure is released (approx. 1 hour) before opening
the lid.
9. Garnish, according to your constitution, with fresh cilantro, black salt,
chopped ginger root, fresh lime juice, extra Basmati rice, and cooked
vegetables. This recipe is excellent with whole wheat toast.
This recipe makes about 4 cups. Remember,
leftovers lack prana, so we
suggest that you make fresh kitchari daily.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup neem powder
1/4 cup tulasi powder
1/4 cup multani mitti clay
1/4 cup sandalwool powder
1/4 cup rose petal powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
plain yogurt
fresh lime juice
Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients and store in an
airtight glass container. For application, mix 2-3
tablespoons of the mixture with the juice of one small lime and enough plain
yogurt to form a medium thick paste. Apply evenly to the face and allow to dry.
Rinse away with warm water. This facial may be used once a week for oily and
blemish-prone skin.
Class Schedule
Ayurveda With
My Guru Fond Memories
The Instructor Home
Links
Yoga Center of Houston
713.524.4572
Send mail to
john@yogacenter.com with questions or comments about this web site.
All Web site design, text, graphics, the selection and arrangement thereof, and all software Copyright © 1988-2002, The Yoga Center of Houston, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials on this Web site--including reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication--without the prior written permission of The Yoga Center of Houston, Inc. is strictly prohibited.
All media files on the www.yogacenter.com website are protected by copyright laws. You may not, under any circumstances, reproduce, record, publish, publicly exhibit, or distribute any media files (including, but not limited to, .ra or .rm files, .wav files) made available for playback on the www.yogacenter.com website without The Yoga Center of Houston's express written consent. You are forbidden, by law, to "pass-off" any of www.yogacenter.com's content as your own work.
Designed by computer consultant Andrew Bartelt.
