030. Jayarajan Kodikannath on Bringing Ayurveda from India to the US

Mar 26, 2021

Listen to Dr. Jayarajan Kodikannath, Vice President and Director of Kerala Ayurveda Academy, discuss what is similar and different about practicing Ayurveda in India and the United States. Dr. Jay shares how he grew up in Kerala and came from an Ayurvedic family, where his grandfather was an Ayurvedic vaidya. He explains to Heather his mission to spread Ayurveda, and why Nature’s garden is the best medicine cabinet. A great listen for anyone interested in learning about doshas, as well as seasoned vaidyas moving to the US.

In this episode, Heather and Dr. Jay discuss: 

• The importance of counseling people to develop a healthy lifestyle in the United States
• The use of leeches in India for raktamokshana, or bloodletting, which is one of the Ayurvedic cleansing processes
• Why the absence of symptoms is not the same as health, where you are a physically, mentally and emotionally balanced human being
• The importance of restoring the affected organs and rejuvenate the whole system when an individual gets sick or has surgery
• Growing up in a family of vaidyas, and the single-herb medicine his maternal grandfather had for migraines
• How long it takes to study Ayurveda to get a decent understanding of it
• The real meaning of the word dosha
• Dr. Jay’s experience moving from India to the United States, and the advice he has for Ayurvedic doctors following in his footsteps
• Dr. Jay’s beginner book recommendation, Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution by Robert Svoboda

Jayarajan Kodikannath is a visionary, researcher, author, and accomplished teacher of Ayurveda, currently working as the Vice President and Academy Director of Kerala Ayurveda (USA), Chief Ayurveda Consultant of Kerala Ayurveda Wellness Centres in the USA. He represents a lineage of Ayurvedic Practitioners in India. He is also on the Board of Directors of National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) in USA with a mission to propagate Ayurveda and make it a credible profession in the Western world. He is conducting various professional education programs in Ayurveda approved by the State of California and the State of Washington. He was on the Curriculum Board of Bastyr University, Washington to create the Masters in Ayurveda program and served as the Board of Director of California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM).

Heather Grzych is the author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility and the host of the Wisdom of the Body podcast. A board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner, she bridges the worlds of conventional and alternative medicine to help women and men heal their physical and emotional lives. Heather is on the board of directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and has consulted with doctors, governments, and insurance companies. She offers virtual consultations and programs worldwide. www.heathergrzych.com  

Connect with Heather:

Instagram.com/heathergrzych

Facebook.com/grzychheather

 

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only.