New York, Oct 7: The ancient Hindu healing methods of Yoga and Ayurveda have found an increasing number of Americans learning the Indian practices.
Numerous Yoga and Ayurveda centres now dot New York City, which offer meditation and exercise sessions.
The Prana Mandir, a yoga studio in New York, is just one of the several centres that are mushrooming in the city and offers it clients’, classes in the principles of Ayurveda and also different forms of Yoga, which include Kundalini Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and also meditation.
Bhaswati Bhattacharya, a Yoga and Ayurveda instructor, at the Prana Mandir said the response has been tremendous.
“We do find them to be receptive and they do come to the classes wanting to learn about Ayurveda, wanting to learn about natural and holistic health and wanting to learn how to better their own practise and how to take care of themselves,” she said.
While Ayurveda (“ayu” means life and “veda” knowledge in Sanskrit) is an ancient Indian system of holistic healing with herbs, metals and minerals that are believed to have therapeutic benefits, Yoga – which literally means the union of body and mind – is an ancient school of Hindu philosophy that prescribes physical and mental disciplines for attaining oneness with the ‘Supreme Being.’
“I think Yoga can be tremendously helpful because no matter who you are, you are very flexible person, yoga will help you. If you are not very flexible, yoga will still help you and will develop a lot of health. Same thing for stress levels in New York City and other cities in America. It is actually very easy to relate to the postures of yoga,” Leo Kraemer, another Yoga Instructor at the centre said.
James Halper, a medical doctor and a student at the centre said he is learning the methods, as he is interested in integrating this natural healing with modern medical science to counter the side effects of the latter.
“That is why I am so lucky it is being taught here. Its obviously much easier for me to learn it in this country,” he said.
Ayurveda declined in India with the growth of modern medicine during the British rule but it is thriving again, particularly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south where home medicine chests contain ayurvedic pain balms and digestives alongside modern medications.
