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Presenters 2005

Keynote Speakers:
  • Alakananda Ma, MB, BS, is a British trained physician who graduated from St. Bartholomew's Hospital medical college in England in 1975. After working in a rural hospital in England, she traveled to India in 1980 to study with Father Bede Griffiths at Shantivanam. In India she met her guru, Raghudas Maharaj and Dr. Vasant Lad, her first teacher of Ayurveda. Among the first western physicians to take up Ayurveda, she has been studying Ayurveda for 24 years and practicing and teaching for 16 years. She is principal of Alandi School of Ayurveda, a traditional Gurukula, and is known for her insightful articles on Ayurveda.


  • Palitha Serasinghe, BAMS, Phd. Dr. Palitha Serasinghe graduated as a Physician of Ayurveda in 1982 from the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He later graduated from Toyama Medical And Pharmaceutical University in Japan with a PhD in Medicine and Pharmacology and then practiced with some of the most eminent healing masters of Traditional Ayurveda and Kerala panchakarma. In 2000, a visiting Academic Research Fellowship from the Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme, enabled him to carry out postdoctoral Ayurveda medical research at Kings College London. Dr. Serasinghe is currently Assistant Director and the Principal Lecturer at the College of Ayurveda (UK) where he continues to teach and research the subject of Ayurdeva.


  • David Simon, MD has had a life-long interest in healing. At the University of Minnesota, he majored in anthropology with primary focus on the role of the healer in non-Western cultures. Dr. Simon studied medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, training in internal medicine and neurology. He has given numerous presentations to health care providers, the media, and the general public. He is instrumental in developing several courses with Dr. Deepak Chopra and is co-author of the book The Wisdom of Healing. As Medical Director of the Chopra Center, Dr. Simon has primary responsibility for its numerous scientific research programs, including studies on the role of mind-body approaches in prenatal care, heart disease, and cancer. He is the recipient of a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Alternative Medicine, to study the potential benefits of a mind-body medicine program on improving health and reducing medical costs.


  • Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D. is the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Lecturing and teaching worldwide for more than a quarter of a century, he is a regular contributor to Yoga International magazine, and the author of twelve books, including the best-selling, At the Eleventh Hour: The Biography of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Pandit Tigunait holds two doctorates: one in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad in India, and another in Oriental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Family tradition gave Pandit Tigunait access to a vast range of spiritual wisdom preserved in both the written and oral traditions. In 1976, Swami Rama ordained Pandit Tigunait into the 5,000-year-old lineage of the Himalayan masters.
Special Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call



Special Saturday Evening Concert Performance
Shafaatullah Khan, master of the tabla and sitar, accompanied by Sandip Thanki



Featured Presenters:
  • Jay Apte, BAMS is an Ayurvedic Doctor from India with an integrated degree in Ayurvedic and Conventional medicine. She also has an MS in Pharmacology from University of North Texas. Currently, Dr. Apte is on the Board of Directors of California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. She is a director and founder of Ayurveda Institute of America with branches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit, and in Kauai. From her clinic in Foster City, CA she does Ayurvedic Health counseling, Panchakarma, and many other Ayurvedic therapies. She offers seminars and lecture series in many hospitals, business places, and conferences.


  • Bhaswati Bhattacharya, M.P.H., M.D., M.A., is an public health specialist and primary care clinician who practices holistic medicine in New York City. She received the 1998 National Award by the American Holistic Medical Association and was appointed to the NIH Advisory Panel on Medical & Nursing Education in Complementary Medicine in 1996. Currently, she directs the Division of Complementary and Alternative Medicines and serves as the Director of Research in  the Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, one of the Cornell Medical College community hospitals.


  • Partap Chauhan, BAMS, is among the few Ayurvedic experts who has studied and now practices Ayurveda in its original form. One of those rare Ayurvedic physicians he is qualified through formal university degree and has also been apprenticed to a guru. He belongs to an original Ayurvedic lineage. He is the author of Eternal Health and has traveled to more than 25 countries to share the knowledge of Ayurveda. He set up the Jiva Ayurvedic Center for Incurable Diseases in India. He was recently awarded the "Best Ayurvedic Physician" in India and was invited to meet the President of India.


  • Mary Jo Cravatta, DC, began her study of Ayurveda in 1979. In more than 25 years of study with Indian Vaidyas and experience in helping thousands of people, she has become highly skilled in the delicate art of pulse diagnosis. Through taking more than 20,000 pulses she has been able to tap into a more complete understanding of her patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Dr. Cravatta does phone consultations with clients all over the world. She teaches classes in Berkeley and in Grass Valley. .


  • Jay Glaser, MD is board-certified in Internal Medicine and medical director of the Lancaster Ayurveda Medical Centers based in Sterling, MA. In 1972 he discovered Vedic medicine while doing research in India during his medical studies at the University of Colorado, and apprenticed in Ayurvedic surgery at Benares Hindu University. He has made Vedic medicine an integral part of his practice ever since. He has published numerous original research articles dealing with meditation, panchakarma and Ayurvedic herbs.


  • Tara Grodjesk, President of Tara Spa Therapy, Inc. Certified Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Educator and Ayurvedic Practitioner, has spent the last 24 years promoting wellness. She began her studies in Ayurvedic Medicine with Dr. Vasant Lad. Since 1989, Tara has been introducing Ayurveda to world-class hotel, resort and days spas. She has trained over 2,000 massage therapists, aestheticians and spa professionals in spa treatments derived from Ayurvedic principles and philosophy and using Ayurvedic herbs. Tara has written articles and given interviews for prominent spa industry magazines.


  • Patricia Hansen is a certified Ayurvedic Consultant, has been teaching for 34 years. She is a founding member and past president of Yoga Teachers of Colorado, Unity in Yoga International, former President Emeritus of the Yoga Alliance, founding member of International Association of Yoga Therapists. She is a faculty member of Metropolitan State College and she taught at University of Denver where she developed the first accredited curriculum and instruction for Yoga. Patricia wrote her master's thesis on Ayurveda; A Theory for Human Wholeness and Health at University of Denver. She is co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda and member of National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the American Ayurvedic Association.


  • Bri. Joan Shivarpita Harrigan, PhD. Having practiced, studied and taught Raja yoga and Advaita Vedanta for over twenty years, Joan has been tutored in Traditional Kundalini Science since being initiated as a brahmacharini (monastic) in the Shankaracharya tradition in 1987. She is the designated successor in the lineage of Kundalini specialists represented by Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati and is the author of Kundalini Vidya, The Science of Spiritual Transformation. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the effects of Hatha yoga asanas and diaphragmatic breath awareness on stress. Her doctoral dissertation was presented to the Pennsylvania State University in counselor education.


  • VR Karupathy, MD is a Board Certified I Anesthesiology and pain medicine. He is currently Assisstant Professor in the department of Anesthesiology at the University of Iowa hospitals and clinics. He has 22 years of clinical experience in these fields and has recognized the frustrations of chronic pain management. He is certified in Acupuncture from UCLA and has extensive experience in Alternative medicine. He has published and given presentations nationally and internationally in the field of pain medicine. Currently the faculty and research coordinator for an international Yoga foundation which is a renowned research institute for studies on yoga and modern medicine; he is also a research advisor for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Dr. Karupathy is dedicated to developing a comprehensive and complete integrative model for pain management.


  • Rucha Kelkar, BAMS, Director of Ayurbliss, is a dedicated and classically trained Ayurvedic practitioner, educator, and lecturer. She began course work for the BAMS degree at the age of 17 and graduated from the prestigious University of Pune, India. After practical training under the guidance of renowned Ayurvedic physicians in India she continued working as an Ayurvedic and Panchakarma Consultant developing in depth experience in the fields of Panchakarma, diet-lifestyle consultations and herbal medicines. Dr. Kelkar is based in Orange County, CA and offers Ayurvedic health consultations, panchakarma therapy and workshops. She serves as a remote consultant for Integrative medicine of Northern Virginia and is a faculty member of Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America.


  • Angela Hope-Murray, D.O. is a practitioner of complementary medicine for over 30 years. She has trained extensively in Ayurveda with Dr. Vasant Lad and has been a close colleague of Dr. Robert Svoboda. She continues her training and teaching thru the UK College of Ayurveda with Drs. Serasinghe and Athique. She has earned a Doctor of Osteopathy degree from the UK College of Osteopathy. A much sought after lecturer, known for her in-depth presentations on chosen topics, Dr. Hope-Murray is an avid world traveler. She is a dedicated proponent of meditation and the Vedic tradition.


  • John Kepner, MA, MBA. Executive Director of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). John is a practicing Yoga teacher and therapist with a professional background in economics, finance and non-profit management. He has traveled widely on the Yoga path, having practiced Yoga in several meditative and âsana-based traditions over three decades. John holds teacher and therapist certifications from Gary Kraftsow and the American Viniyoga Institution in Hawai'i, and a teaching certification from AG Mohan in Chennai, India. He often lectures on Yoga and Yoga therapy for allopathic institutions and co-taught the course on Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Arkansas Medical School for two years. His work for IAYT and his writings for the International Journal of Yoga Therapy often have an economic and public policy perspective.


  • Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc brings a wealth of experience to the United States. His academic and practical training includes the study of Western and traditional Ayurvedic medicine. He has been teaching Ayurveda in the United States since 1979. He is the Director of The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, which he founded in 1984. He teaches a program in India as well as the Ayurvedic Studies Program and Gurukula Program at the Institute. A prolific author, Dr. Lad's most recent book, The Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles, is the first of a four volume set. He travels throughout the world, consulting privately and giving Ayurvedic seminars. Dr. Lad is a member of the NAMA Advisory Board on Ayurveda.


  • Jaisri Lambert is an Ayurvedic practitioner, consultant and teacher trained mostly by Vaidya Vasant D. Lad during a twelve-year classical apprenticeship from 1989 to 2001. Jaisri developed a deep knowledge of herbal formulations, individualized wellness programs, bodywork techniques, pulse assessment, Ayurvedic herbology and panchakarma. She developed ŒTuriya Therapy¹ from Polarity Therapy and its parent science of Ayurveda. She teaches Ayurvedic topics internationally to delighted students of all levels.


  • Rama Kant Mishra, BAMS, GAMS, DSc is an Ayurvedic practitioner, dermatologist, product formulator, researcher and educator. He was born into a family of Raj Vaidyas with a 5,000 year history of healing. A graduate of the Ayurvedic College of Medicine in 1974, he completed an intensive, 7-year training with his father, renowned Vaidya Kameshwar. In the early 1980's he began researching Ayurvedic transdermal applications. After relocating to the U.S. in 1996, he further refined his transdermal formulations developing the "Transdermal Marma System." TMS is the result of more than 2 decades of research and development in India, Europe and the United States.


  • Sebastian Pole is trained in Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western Herbalism. Sebastian is Herbal Director of Pukka Herbs, pioneers in the organic Ayurvedic field. With extensive experience gained as a Head Gardener, he also oversees the growing and cultivation in Sri Lanka of the organic herbs used by Pukka Herbs. Sebastian has a degree in Hindi and Indian Religion from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He is fluent in Hindi, can read Sanskrit, and has gained extensive clinical expertise from working not only with indigenous 'barefoot' doctors in India but also in clinics and hospitals in Pune and Jamnagar, specialising in 'panchkarma' or detoxification.


  • Virender Sodhi, MD (Ayurveda), ND was the first Ayurvedic and Naturopathic physician in the United States. He received his MD in Ayurveda in India in 1980, and subsequently served on the faculty for six years. In 1986, he came to the West to share Ayurveda as part of a cultural exchange program. In 1988, he graduated from Bastyr University with a degree in Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Sodhi treats thousands of patients from the United States and around the world. He lectures extensively throughout the U.S. and other countries, as well as conducting classes and seminars in Ayurvedic Medicine.


  • Jennifer Workman, M.S., R.D., has been incorporating Ayurveda, Yoga, and integrative/complementary nutrition into her practice since 1996. She has achieved tremendous success in helping her clients, maximize health, digestion, and energy, balance cravings, lose body fat, and maximize sports performance. Jennifer Workman has been approved by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to teach Registered Dietitians and other Fitness Professionals.



NAMA Board Members:
  • Aparna Bapat, BAMS was a merit student at Pune University where she completed her Ayurvedic education 14 years ago.Since then she has maintained an Ayurvedic practice, lectured at Ayurvedic colleges in the U. S. and Europe, and has presented workshops internationally. Her areas of expertise include Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis, panchakarma and diet. She is the editor of the NAMA newsletter.


  • Kumar Batra, PhD, author of several scientific and research publications, is a licensed Clinical Laboratory Toxicologist in California. He has served as the Director of Toxicology and Drug Analysis Laboratory and as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of California Davis Medical Center. He is a founding director and the recent past President of NAMA. Dr. Batra has a passionate desire to integrate Ayurveda with western medicine.


  • Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD, RYT500, holds graduate degrees in biology and anthropology. She has practiced yoga since 1973 and studied extensively all aspects of Yoga and meditation with her spiritual teacher, Baba Hari Dass since 1976. She is a yogic renunciate in the Vairagi Order of North India. She trained in Ayurvedic medicine with Dr. R.P. Trivedi at Benares Hindu University. She is academic director and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda in Boulder, Colorado. She has maintained an Ayurvedic Medicine and Yoga Therapy practice since 1987.


  • William E. Celentano, DO, is an Osteopathic physician, board certified in Family Medicine and practicing in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to his work as a staff physician with the University Medical Center, he is the director of the Las Vegas Institute of Ayurveda. LVIA is dedicated to strengthening the bridge of understanding between Ayurvedic and western medicine.


  • Cynthia Copple, an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1983, is one of the first American practitioners of Ayurveda and a founding Board Member of NAMA. She is the current President of the NAMA Board. Her Ayurvedic training of over 2,000 hours and internship were with Dr. R. P. Trivedi. She also studied with Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Sunil Joshi, and Dr. Pankaj Naram. She is the Director of Lotus Holistic Health Institute in Capitola, CA. A former war correspondent, she has published articles on Ayurveda for over 20 years. She teaches at Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts and Mt. Madonna Center.


  • John Douillard, DC, PhD, is the author of four books on Ayurveda, Body, Mind and Sport. He received his Ayurvedic training in India and his PhD from Open International University (Sri Lanka). John co-directed Deepak Chopra's Center for eight years and is the former Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball team. He currently runs an Ayurvedic/Chiropractic Health Center and Ayurvedic School in Boulder, Colorado where he lives with his wife and six children. Dr. Douillard has been teaching Ayurveda for 17 years.


  • Light Miller, ND, has over 30 years experience in natural healthcare. Light's Ayurvedic heritage connects her to her roots of Indian philosophy and healing. She is the only female practitioner of Kaya Kalpa (spiritual bodywork) in the world, and has published three books. Light is co-owner of the Ayurvedic Center for Well Being and Administrator of the Sarasota Branch of the Florida Vedic College which provides college degrees in Ayurveda and Aromatherapy.


  • Jennifer Rioux, PhD is an Ayurvedic practitioner, educator and researcher. Dr. Rioux's specialty is studying Ayurvedic practice in the U.S. and its relationship to the Integrative Medicine movement. She focuses on clarifying the connections between credentialing and licensure, curriculum development and accreditation of schools, and training health care professionals to participate in expanding the research data on Ayurvedic treatment outcomes


  • Vivek Shanbhag, ND, MD(Ayu), BAMS, has 19 years of teaching, clinical and research experience. He is the Director of Ayurvedic Academy & Natural Medicine Clinic in Seattle. He is a faculty member of Bastyr University in Seattle. Dr. Shanbhag serves on the NAMA Board of Directors and the Editorial Board of Light on Ayurveda Journal. He was the head of the Institute of Research in Ayurveda, Poona, India


  • Jeff Turner is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Jyotishi. Together with his wife Susan he operates Living AyurvedaTM, a full service Ayurvedic clinic in Pacific Grove, California that provides both Ayurvedic and conventional medical health care. Jeff is a graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute and is certified in Applied Kinesiology. He brings legal, marketing, and political expertise to NAMA, particularly in the area of licensure


  • Wynn Werner is the Administrator of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. He is a founding Board Member of NAMA and currently Treasurer. He has a degree in biology from the University of California and graduated from the Ayurvedic Institute. Wynn has managed the operations of the Institute since 1991 and is dedicated to supporting its mission to bring Ayurveda to the West and Ayurveda's contributions to modern medicine.