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From the NITYANANDA INSTITUTE NEWS Fall 2003

Ayurvedic Expert Dr. K. P. Balagopalan Visits Portland

by Pamela Rico

We were most pleased to have Dr. K.P Balagopalan (Vaithyar) and his son, Balraj Kunnath as our recent guests in Portland. Swamiji and Vaithyar met twelve years ago in Madras on the southeastern coast of India, where Vaithyar has lived for many years. Vaithyar is a master practitioner of ayurveda and has visited Swamiji in Nepal. This was his first trip to the United States.

Vaithyar is a highly accomplished practitioner who trained in one of the purest traditional training systems existing in India fifty years ago. Vaithyar began his training at the age of 14 and studied until the age of 22 when he began his practice as an ayurvedic physician. He has been practicing ever since, for well over forty years. Ten years ago, Vaithyar opened his own ayurvedic clinic in Mandaveli, Madras (now known as Chennai), where he sees patients from 4:30 am until 8:00 pm, seven days a week.

Ayurveda is a holistic health care modality that originated in India and was first documented in the ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas. The practice of ayurveda utilizes the pulse and various observation techniques for determining proper treatments which focus on diet, herbs and lifestyle recommendations, as well as Pancha Karma (five action) treatments, which are designed to cleanse and restore balance to body, mind and spirit.

We have been talking with Vaithyar about establishing an ayurvedic teaching program at the Institute next year. It is one of the many exciting prospects on the horizon for the Institute community.

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