History of Ayurveda

“Ayurveda has gone through several stages of development in its long history. (In the first millennia of the common era)…it spread east along with Indian culture into Indonesia and Indochina, and to the west to the Greeks, who developed a similar form of natural medicine. Buddhists added many new insights to Ayurveda and took it along with their religion to may different lands. Ayurveda became the basis of the healing traditions of Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Burma, and also influenced Chinese medicine….Ayurveda therefore is a rich tradition, adaptable to many different cultures and climates.” (Frawley, 1989, p.XV)

From around 1000 AD on Ayurveda suffered first from multiple Mogul invasions and then the British Empire which actively suppressed Ayurvedic practice. “During centuries of colonial rule, Ayurvedic institutions were not officially supported and often, in fact, were actively suppressed. Much important clinical and theoretical knowledge was lost. Experts in the various approaches of Ayurveda—specialists in herbal medicines, purifications procedures, diagnosis and many other modalities—lost contact with each other and even began to conflict with one another. Most significantly, the central role of consciousness, of meditation and other mental techniques, was temporarily eclipsed.” (Sharma & Clark, 1998, p2)

“When India became politically independent in 1947, Ayurveda was in disarray, with widely varying standards of quality and conflicts of opinion. A new spirit of national pride stimulated its revival. In 1971, Ayurveda was made part of India’s official state healthcare system, which had until then been exclusively Western. Still, Ayurvedic experts felt that Ayurveda was not what it once had been. Some areas of Ayurveda recorded in ancient texts were essentially unavailable.” (Sharma & Clark, 1998, p2)

Since then many groups have worked to restore the knowledge and practice of Ayurveda. The following timeline documents key moments in this progress:

Ayurveda in America **

Timeline

 

1895 – Swami Vivekanada at the Congress of World Religions in Chicago delivered speeches that gave Americans a first introduction to Vedic thought. 1978 – Mount Madonna Institute offers first introductory courses in Ayurveda 1979 – Vasant Lad, BAMS, Ma Sc., first toured the US. 1980 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi began a collaboration with several leading Vaidyas with the mission to restore Ayurveda to its full value. Maharishi’s main collaborators were Dr B.D. Triguna, the late Dr V.M. Dwivedi, and Dr Balraj Maharishi. (Sharma & Clark, 1998, p2) Robert Svoboda, BAMS, became the first American to graduate with a BAMS degree. He graduated from Poona University. 1982 – The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine (NIAM) founded by Scott Gerson, MD, PhD Ayurveda. 1984 – The Ayurvedic Institute, Vasant Lad’s 2 year Ayurvedic Academy founded in Santa Fe and moved to Albuquerque in 1986.  The Science of Self Healing by Vasant Lad 2nd Edition published. 1985 – Maharishi Ayurveda Panchakarma Center founded in Lancaster Massachusetts. Run by Deepak Chopra, MD and John Douilliard, DC, from ? to ?. 1986 – Vasant Lad and David Frawley published, The Yoga of Herbs. 1988 – First edition of Robert Svoboda’s introductory Ayurveda book, Prakriti published.  First Issue of Vasant Lad’s newsletter, Ayurveda Today printed. 1989 – David Frawley published his first introductory book on Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Healing. 1993 – The Raj – Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa opened its doors to the public. 1994 – Dr Vivek Shanbhag Launched AYU Natural Medicine Clinic, Products and Academy in Edmonds. 1996 - Banyan Herbs founded.  Chopra Center for Wellbeing founded in LaJolie California. 1997 – Maharishi University of Management begins offering Bachelors degrees in Maharishi Ayurveda.  – AYU Natural Medicine Clinic opened at the 65th St and Roosevelt Address. 1998 - Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha published one of the first advanced American-written books on Ayurveda, The Ayurveda Encyclopedia. 1999 – Jay Apte opened her academy, Ayurveda Institute of America. 2000 - NAMA founded by Cynthia Copple, Marc Halpern, ?  - AYU Ayurvedic Academy trained First Group of Certified Ayurvedic Practitioners 2002 – First issue of Light on Ayurveda Journal published by Genevieve Ryder et al..  First Vasant Lad advanced book on Ayurveda, The Textbook of Ayurveda Volume I published. 2003 – The first annual NAMA conference was held in ? and was organized by ?  Founding of AAPNA (Association of Ayurvedic Physicians of North America).  Life in Balance opened in Freemont by Sarah Kruse and Kael Balizer. 2004 – NAMA conference in ? 2005 – NAMA conference in Las Vegas; organized by Bill Celentano, DO. 2005? – The Kripalu Institute offers first Ayurvedic Training classes. 2006 – NAMA conference in New York; organized by Aparna Bapat, BAMS.  Kerala Ayurveda of India bought AYU Natural Medicine Clinic, Products and Academies in Seattle, New York, Miami and Toronto as well as other Ayurvedic Facilities around the US. 2007 – NAMA conference in Albuquerque, NM; organized by the Ayurvedic Institute.  Fern Life Center opened in Issaquah by Keesha Morris, ARNP 2008 - NAMA conference in Chicago. It seeks to make more connections of Yoga and Jyotish with Ayurveda. Dates that need to be filled in:

 

 California College of Ayurveda founded by Marc Halpern  The Sodhis opened the Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Medical Clinic in Bellevue  MAPI herbs founded  Tattva’s herbs founded Other outstanding questions:

 

Who were founders of NAMA other than Cynthia Copple and Marc Halpern? 2003 – The first annual NAMA conference was held in ?, organized by ? 2004 – NAMA conference in ?, organized by? 2005? – The Kripalu Institute offers first Ayurvedic Training classes. Is this the correct year? 1985 – Maharishi Ayurveda Panchakarma Center founded in Lancaster Massachusetts. Run by Deepak Chopra, MD and John Douilliard, DC, from ? to ?.

**Disclaimer. This history favors the development of Ayurveda in Washington State. We apologize in advance and invite corrections regarding any incorrect information or exclusions of important events. Please email Travis.

References

  • Frawley, David, (1989). Ayurvedic Healing. Salt Lake City: Passage Press.
  • Sharma, Hari, & Clark, Chris, (1998). Contemporary Ayurveda. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone.