Over the past few decades, I have witnessed the tiny seed of Ayurveda from India being planted and watered in the fertile soil of America. I have watched that soil be cultivated with the fertilizer of hungry American hearts and minds whose journeys of healing and transformation led them to become students; those inspired students stepping up to become teachers; those teachers building schools all over the country; and, more recently, state organizations forming to advance the profession. I have also seen Ayurvedic wisdom proliferating rapidly through multitudes of books, informative courses, ingenious products, and versatile companies.
I have observed the American soil being enriched with the fertilizer of vaidyas that continue to arrive from India with their rich wisdom and seen the cross-pollination that occurs between Indian and American Ayurvedic professionals. Both fertilizers are necessary and contribute in their own unique ways allowing this living Vidya to grow and evolve, which is its eternal nature.
Back in 1997, I started my Ayurvedic journey before NAMA existed and have watched NAMA grow by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2000.
Ultimately, an organization is only as strong as its membership; its voice only as strong as the voice of its members. We have heard the expression “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Similarly, I see many Ayurvedic professionals remain on the fringe, avoiding active involvement, and subsequently their voices go unheard. The profession suffers as a result, missing out on the diversity of perspectives and voices that are needed to enrich the soil further.
When an organization honors its members and sees them as a vital part of the collective, it grows stronger. Having a robust and active membership adds value, energy, drive, perspective, motivation, and creativity and breeds cross-pollination. We not only grow stronger together, we realize there is no way for us to grow without each other. This is the beauty of Ayurveda – seeing the interconnections between all the facets of Life.
A healthy organization is similar to a healthy individual. We know Ayurveda teaches that everything that exists in the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm. A tridoshic organization has a balance of vata, pitta, and kapha members that support and enrich each other, allowing one dosha’s strengths to mitigate another dosha’s weaknesses. As NAMA continues to grow, we need every vata, pitta, and kapha individual to come forward and contribute in the way that only their dosha can.
Just as the love of Ayurveda has bloomed in each of our hearts, it overflows naturally to bloom in our communities. These communities are the microcosm that supports the bigger macrocosm of Ayurveda in this country. NAMA needs the microcosm of state organizations to work to advance the profession in each state so it can be recognized, as it is a state’s community that will eventually decide if it wants to pursue the battle for licensing. This battle can only be won with robust membership and engagement at every level contributing to a unified collective voice. I have participated in NAMA’s state meetings where the heads of various state organizations come together, share ideas and struggles, and support each other.
Our vata members bring constant inspiration, a never-ending burst of creative ideas, a whirlwind of brainstorming. They always think outside of the box, and that etheric energy of believing the sky is the limit allows them to push boundaries, reach for the stars, and innovate in a way that no one else can. They give clarity and vision to move the organization forward. We love their spontaneity, enthusiasm, flexibility, and dynamic energy! We can forgive them when they get too restless and ungrounded, because they are a great influence on the kapha individuals who might get lethargic, unmotivated, or resistant to change.
Our pitta members can take those creative vata ideas and properly execute them. They are sharp, strategic, methodical, and precise. We need their bright intelligence and problem-solving abilities. With their focus, discipline, and goal-setting and planning abilities, they drive transformation in an organization. Their fiery energy infuses our efforts with the intensity that is essential to getting results. We can forgive them when they get too impatient, frustrated, or angry, because they give the group the confidence and courage to move forward.
Our kapha members are consistent with follow-through and know how to stay the course. They provide the necessary structure and stability that grounds vata and stabilizes pitta with their earthy energy. They are dependable, loyal, committed – the heart of every organization. Their compassion, cheerfulness, and stable disposition constitute the sustenance that keeps the organization steady. Being generous with their time, energy, and input makes them invaluable. Vatas and pittas love kaphas for being laid-back, tolerant, and going with the flow. We can forgive them for getting too rigid or stubborn at times, because they provide stability that ensures the organization stays grounded as it moves forward.
We know each dosha has its challenges but the support of the other two doshas always brings out the best in all. The balance of all three doshas is the Ayurvedic recipe for a successful organization, the essential ingredients for a cohesive team, and the ideal collaboration. We need the clarity of space, the momentum of air, the transformation of fire, the fluidity of water, and the foundation of earth to create harmony among these five elements within each of us and within our organization.
I became President of the Ayurveda Association of Florida (AAF) in 2020 because I felt it was important to give back to the Vidya that has given so much to me and enriched my life in countless ways. Even though AAF is still in its infancy, I have seen how each new member brings a fresh dynamic energy and perspective. Our focus has been on growing our membership through our annual Ayurveda day events, publishing e-book to showcase our Florida Ayurveda talent, and enriching meetings with Ayurvedic speakers. Our members are entrepreneurs, yogis, chefs, moms, writers, and teachers. The vision is to sustain a robust membership whose voice is loud and strong enough to win licensure for the Ayurvedic profession in our state.
Participating, whether with our time, energy, financial contribution, or all three, is the way we all move forward together. When we create awareness in the microcosm, that awareness spreads into the macrocosm. Both of these realms nourish each other and promote cross-fertilization between individuals and the larger Ayurvedic community as well as between our community and the world as a whole. I believe each of us who has felt the call of Ayurveda needs to offer our voice to our state organization and NAMA.
Ayurveda has already grown deep roots and is here to stay but we are at a turning point in our profession. We have the chance to grow all of these sprouts of Ayurveda around the country into a formidable garden where wellness can truly flourish. The Vidya of Ayurveda has been tended and cultivated with love and compassion for the past few decades by so many warriors of wisdom. It is ready to grow and spread into the hearts and minds of so many others who feel neglected by the Western medical model of healthcare and are ready for transformation.
What this sacred wisdom needs in order to fully blossom is for every one of us who has been touched by Ayurveda to give back, to water the sprouts in our own communities and neighborhoods. Through our individual contributions, each of us can help bring our shared vision of the future to fruition. This achievement will take vata vision and creativity, pitta strategy and execution, and kapha stability and nourishment. It will require each and every one of us to share our voice, join our state associations, and participate at every level of NAMA. The power of this Vidya moves through us – to touch our lives, touch our hearts, touch our communities. It calls on us now to step forward into creating a collective voice of wisdom so that Ayurveda can flourish even more now in the West.
Thank you for being a NAMA member. I encourage you to join and support your local state Ayurvedic association’s efforts in addition to supporting NAMA's. There are other states that are working on establishing, but have not yet formed, their own Ayurvedic associations. To build the path to their goal, they need support from their local community. If you would like to be part of the leadership working to create a state association, please email nama@ayurvedanama.org.
California California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine
Colorado Colorado Ayurvedic Medical Association
Florida Ayurveda Association of Florida
Minnesota Minnesota Ayurveda Association
Oregon Oregon Yoga and Ayurveda Association
Wisconsin Ayurveda Association of Wisconsin
