Ayurveda and Yoga – Where Science Meets Consciousness

[Guest guest]

" Ayurveda and Yoga – Where Science Meets Consciousness " conference

(21-25 February 2008, Rishikesh, India) will bring some of the

world's most renowned practitioners of Ayurveda and Yoga together to

explore, in depth, the relationship between Ayurveda and the practice

of Yoga. Combining the wisdoms of Ayurveda, the Knowledge of Life,

and Yoga, the practice of which brings about the Union of Mind, Body

and Soul, enables us to come to a more profound understanding and

experience of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

 

This conference follows on from Punarnava's first international

conference Ayurveda & Yoga: Where Science Meets Consciousness, held

at Mahabalipuram in India, in 2006, which attracted over 600

registrants, and contributed to by world renowned speakers from 6

countries, including Drs. Deepak Chopra and Robert Svoboda. The

standard set at this first conference, and the richness of the

dialogue begun there invoked an overwhelming response, and it is in

this context that the discussion continues.

 

Ayurveda and Yoga have their origin in the Vedas, and thus share the

same fundamental philosophical aims. Ayurveda's predominant current

aim is the treatment of disease, whilst Yoga has aimed at spiritual

development. For communities following these lifestyles, the diet

and lifestyle regimen propounded by Ayurveda was, and to some extent

still is, the foundation for an all round sense of well-being. Yoga

too was traditionally practiced in the context of an Ayurveda

lifestyle. Today, these two sister knowledge systems have developed

their own identities and would seem to have gone their separate ways.

Thus, many practitioners of Yoga are unfamiliar with the principles

of Ayurveda, and likewise practitioners of Ayurveda fail to

appreciate the significance of integrating Yoga practice into their

treatment regimes. This conference brings experts and students of

both Yoga and Ayurveda together on a common platform.

 

The aims of this conference include:

 

To explore the traditional unity of Ayurveda and Yoga

To help students and practitioners of Ayurveda understand Yoga

To help students and practitioners of Yoga understand Ayurveda

To highlight the benefits of integrating Ayurveda and Yoga into a

comprehensive healing system

To explore Yoga therapy from an Ayurveda perspective

To show the relevance of Ayurveda in developing a comprehensive Yogic

system of medicine

To interact with and be inspired by the great teachers of Ayurveda

and Yoga, and

To heal ourselves and heal our planet

 

Keynote speakers

 

Sri Swamini Mayatitananda (Spiritual Head of Wise Earth School of

Ayurveda), Dr. Pooja Bharadwaj (Director of Ayurveda & Unani

Services, Uttarkhand State), Dr. David Frawley (Author,

internationally known speaker, scholar on the Vedas), Shri. Pattabhi

Jois (Internationally known Yoga teacher), Dr. H.R. Nagendra (Vice

Chancellor of Vivekananda Yoga Mahavidyapeetam), Dr. Hari Sharma

(Author, internationally recognized authority on Ayurveda), Dr.

Robert Svoboda (Author, internationally known speaker, scholar on the

Vedas), Dr. J.M. Sampath (Life Coach), Dr. N.V. Raghuram (Vivekananda

Yoga Mahavidyapeetam),

 

Other presenters

 

Ms. Betheyla Anuradha (Senior Yoga Teacher), Ms. Rose Baudin (Senior

Yoga teacher), Dr. N.Gopalakrishnan (Indian Institute of Scientific

Heritage), Ms. Shakta Kaur (Kundalini Yoga teacher and CEO of the

Yoga Alliance), Prof. P. H. Kulkarni (International speaker,

physician, author, teacher), Dr. K. P. Muraleedharan (Former

Principal, Jayendra Saraswathi Ayurveda College, Chennai), Shri.

Mukunda Stiles (Internationally known Yoga teacher), Prof. S. D.

Upadhyay (Author, Ex-Principal- State Ayurvedic College, Varanasi),

Shri. V. Vasudevan (Ayurveda practitioner, teacher), Dr. Rama Prasad

(Ayurveda physician), Dr. P. Ram Manohar (Ayurveda practitioner), Dr

Claudia Welch (Ayurveda practitioner, lecturer, author).

 

The Conference will comprise of daily Keynote sessions, lectures and

break-out sessions. The keynote sessions will enable delegates to

comprehend and be reminded of the overall sense of the conference.

Both the lectures and the break-out sessions will offer subject-

specialist knowledge. The break-out sessions will also be interactive

and some will be of a practical nature.

 

Other activities at the Conference will include:

 

Daily Yoga asana and meditation sessions

Daily Yoga Nidra sessions

Ayurveda Treatment Demonstrations

Consultations with Ayurveda Physicians and Yoga lifestyle therapists

Morning and evening Homams on the banks of the River Ganga (Ganges),

including a Dhanvantari Homam (An oblation ceremony for Lord

Dhanvantari – the God of Healing) and a Maha Mrityunjaya Homam ( An

oblation ceremony to invoke the healing powers of Lord Shiva)

Rudra Abhisheka (A special offering to Lord Shiva) on the banks of

the Ganga

Chanting of devotional songs and Mantras on the banks of the Ganga

Evening Arathi (worship), where oil lamps are floated on the Ganga.

Cultural programs in the evening on the banks of Holy Ganga.

 

Please see further details at

 

http://www.ayurvedaconference.com/