THE DOCTOR FROM INDIA - SYNOPSIS
THE DOCTOR FROM INDIA is a meditative and immersive portrait of the life and work of Dr. Vasant Lad, the holistic health pioneer who first brought the ancient medical practice of Ayurveda from India to the west in the late 1970s. Integrating his gifts as both a healer and a mystic, Dr. Lad has dedicated his life to sharing what is considered the oldest healthcare system on earth in the complex medical landscape of the United States. This is the beautiful and inspiring story of a man who has for decades been quietly at the center of a revolutionary movement to change the way we care for our bodies and our spirits. Directed by Jeremy Frindel (One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das) with an elegant musical score by Rachel Grimes, and featuring Deepak Chopra, Robert Svoboda, David Frawley, and Claudia Welch.
FEATURED CAST BIOGRAPHIES
VASANT LAD is considered one of the preeminent Ayurvedic practitioners and teachers in the world. In 1984, he founded the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, the first Ayurveda school in the US. He has written numerous books, including Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing considered a classic in the field and one of the most widely read books on Ayurveda. He is currently based in both Albuquerque, New Mexico and Pune, India.
DEEPAK CHOPRA is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is board certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, and metabolism. He is the author of more than 85 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers.
ROBERT SVOBODA is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.
DAVID FRAWLEY is an American Hindu teacher and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India, the United States and around the world.
CLAUDIA WELCH is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, an Ayurvedic practitioner and international speaker and author. She explores how ideas in Eastern medicine apply to women's health, and today's reality in general.
THE BRIEFEST AYURVEDA OVERVIEW adapted from the writings of DR. VASANT LAD
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible.
Ayurveda is the art of daily living in harmony with the laws of nature. The aims and objectives of this science are to maintain the health of a healthy person and to heal the disease of an unhealthy person. Both prevention (maintenance of good health) and healing are carried out by entirely natural means. According to Ayurveda, health is a state of balance among the body’s three fundamental energies, or doshas. Vata – quality of movement, pitta – quality of transformation, and kapha – building block materials. And an equally vital balance among body, mind and consciousness.
We all have a unique constitution, our genetic makeup, which Ayurveda refers to as our prakriti, that does not change throughout life. It is our own unique pattern of energy, our combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics and predispositions. Though the underlying structure of our prakriti remains a fixed reality, our home base, or essential individuality, it is constantly bombarded by numerous forces. Changes in age and in our external environment, our endlessly shifting thoughts, feelings and emotions, and the quality and quantity of the food we eat continuously affect us. Unhealthy diet, excess stress, insufficient rest or exercise, and repressed emotions all disturb our doshic balance.
As the internal and external conditions of our lives change, if we are going to remain healthy we need to constantly adjust in order to maintain equilibrium. Some of this adjustment takes place automatically due to the beautiful wisdom and intelligence with which our bodies have been designed. But much demands conscious choice.
To maintain health and balance, we have to juggle with the three doshas, taking action to increase or decrease vata, pitta, or kapha as conditions demand. This requires moment-to-moment awareness. Thus healing – healthy, balanced, conscious living in the fullness of the present moment – is really a way of life. Ayurveda is not a passive therapy but rather asks each individual to take responsibility for his or her own daily living. Through our diet, our relationships, our job, our numerous responsibilities and our daily life as a whole, we can take simple actions for prevention, self-healing, wholeness, and growth towards fulfillment.
For more info: https://www.ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide
FEATURED CAST BIOGRAPHIES
VASANT LAD is considered one of the preeminent Ayurvedic practitioners and teachers in the world. In 1984, he founded the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, the first Ayurveda school in the US. He has written numerous books, including Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing considered a classic in the field and one of the most widely read books on Ayurveda. He is currently based in both Albuquerque, New Mexico and Pune, India.
DEEPAK CHOPRA is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is board certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, and metabolism. He is the author of more than 85 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers.
ROBERT SVOBODA is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.
DAVID FRAWLEY is an American Hindu teacher and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India, the United States and around the world.
CLAUDIA WELCH is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, an Ayurvedic practitioner and international speaker and author. She explores how ideas in Eastern medicine apply to women's health, and today's reality in general.
THE BRIEFEST AYURVEDA OVERVIEW adapted from the writings of DR. VASANT LAD
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible.
Ayurveda is the art of daily living in harmony with the laws of nature. The aims and objectives of this science are to maintain the health of a healthy person and to heal the disease of an unhealthy person. Both prevention (maintenance of good health) and healing are carried out by entirely natural means. According to Ayurveda, health is a state of balance among the body’s three fundamental energies, or doshas. Vata – quality of movement, pitta – quality of transformation, and kapha – building block materials. And an equally vital balance among body, mind and consciousness.
We all have a unique constitution, our genetic makeup, which Ayurveda refers to as our prakriti, that does not change throughout life. It is our own unique pattern of energy, our combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics and predispositions. Though the underlying structure of our prakriti remains a fixed reality, our home base, or essential individuality, it is constantly bombarded by numerous forces. Changes in age and in our external environment, our endlessly shifting thoughts, feelings and emotions, and the quality and quantity of the food we eat continuously affect us. Unhealthy diet, excess stress, insufficient rest or exercise, and repressed emotions all disturb our doshic balance.
As the internal and external conditions of our lives change, if we are going to remain healthy we need to constantly adjust in order to maintain equilibrium. Some of this adjustment takes place automatically due to the beautiful wisdom and intelligence with which our bodies have been designed. But much demands conscious choice.
To maintain health and balance, we have to juggle with the three doshas, taking action to increase or decrease vata, pitta, or kapha as conditions demand. This requires moment-to-moment awareness. Thus healing – healthy, balanced, conscious living in the fullness of the present moment – is really a way of life. Ayurveda is not a passive therapy but rather asks each individual to take responsibility for his or her own daily living. Through our diet, our relationships, our job, our numerous responsibilities and our daily life as a whole, we can take simple actions for prevention, self-healing, wholeness, and growth towards fulfillment.
For more info: https://www.ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide