Building Professional Satsang in Ayurveda and Yoga Research and Learning

April 30, 2018

Mount Madonna Institute Hosts First Annual Ayurveda and Yoga Research Symposium

Mount Madonna Institute (MMI) hosted its first annual Ayurveda and Yoga research symposium on April 28, 2018. The symposium brought together a diverse array of community members and healthcare professionals—from research scientists to physicians practicing in hospital settings to integrative/holistic wellness practitioners to recently graduated Ayurveda masters’ students from MMI’s master’s program—interested in exploring how Yoga and Ayurveda can and already do interface with western medicine and mainstream medical research.

The day featured presentations from five leading scientists in integrative medicine from India and the United States, who shared seminal research on interventions utilizing Ayurveda and Yoga. The presenters addressed the need for more Ayurvedic research and the specific challenges of conducting it, especially in regards to conducting rigorous research in Ayurveda that also honors its holistic ethos. In addition, given Ayurveda’s highly individualized treatment plans; conducting research that seeks to establish the widespread success of any specific treatment component is challenging. “The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence,” said Dr. Patwardhan. The day’s conversations also addressed the question of how practitioners measure the efficacy of their treatment approaches and methods while still honoring Ayurveda’s deeply personalized healing regimens. The symposium also explored how conventional standards of medicine can and should be applied to Ayurveda and Yoga.

In the evening, students from MMI’s masters Ayuveda program engaged the vibrant professional satsang with poster presentations. MMI CEO, Savita Brownfield, says that the Institute is excited about and deeply committed to helping develop professional standards and research practices through conversation and presentations like the research symposium. Most importantly, the symposium held space for scientists, healthcare professionals and students to engage in conversation with one another and contribute meaningfully to the professional body of research and knowledge. The second annual Ayurvedic and Yoga research symposium is already scheduled for October 12-13, 2019. Stay tuned!

Presenter Names, Research Topics and Professional Websites

DR. BHUSHAN PATWARDHAN

Integrative Approaches for Health: Ayurveda, Yoga, and Biomedicine

https://www.researchgate.net/p...

DR. ANAND DHRUVA

Ayurveda Pariksha: Exploring the Why and How of Conducting Research on Ayurveda

https://www.osher.ucsf.edu/pat...

DR. DIANA LURIE

The role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders and pain: Ayurvedic approaches that can help.

http://health.umt.edu/biomed/p...

DR. SUDHA PRATHIKANTI

Body, Breath, and Psyche: A Review of Yoga Therapies for Depression