Vara Healing Arts

AYU Faculty

	Dr. Vivek Shanbhag, ND(USA), MD(Ayurved, India), BAMS President, Ayurvedic Wellness Center. E-mail: drs@ayurvedaonline.com 26 years of Clinical, Teaching and Research experience (1992-Present) Medical Director of a Six-practitioner team at AYU Natural Medicine Clinic, Seattle Member, Board of Directors, National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), USA Member, Editorial Board, Light On Ayurveda Journal, USA (1991-96) Chairman of Ayurvedic Department at Bastyr University, Seattle, USA (1985-88) Head of Institute for Research in Ayurveda, Poona, India Author of Beginner’s Introduction to Ayurveda by Keats Publishing 5 ½ years Ayurvedic Training-B.A.M.S. degree, Karnataka University, India 4 years Post-Graduation -M.D.,(Ayurved), Poona University, India 4 ½ years Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine-ND, Bastyr University, Seattle, USA
Dr. Dhaval Dhru, MD, Clinic & Academy Director, Ayurvedic Wellness Center Dhaval Dhru , MD is currently Clinic and Academy Director at Ayu Academy and Wellness center. He studied Ayurveda with Dr. Lad at The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque , New Mexico between 2003 and 2006, successfully completing Level I, level II and the Gurukula Program. Previously he practiced Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery for over 20 years. He is Board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery as well as by the Canadian Royal College of Surgeons. He underwent medical and postgraduate training in India . He is very much interested in integrating Ayurvedic and Western medicine. He is a certified Yoga teacher, having undergone Intensive Yoga Teacher’s training at White Lotus Foundation, Santa Barbara , CA as well as Yoga teacher’s training offered at The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque , NM . He has conducted Ayur Yoga workshops at several places.
Dr. Aparna Bapat, BAMS, Ayurvedic Consultant, Ayurveda Center, New York City. She is a member of the Board of Directors, National Ayurvedic Medical Association(NAMA). She is the Editor of the NAMA Newsletter. She studied Ayurvedic medicine at the University of Pune, Faculty of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery. She was a Senior Lecturer at the College of Ayurveda (London, U.K.) Dr. Bapat is the author of numerous articles on Ayurvedic medicine and related themes, has made multiple television appearances, and is one of the premiere lecturers, scholars and practitioners of Ayurveda in the West today.
Dr. Subhash Ranade, PhD, DSc, FNAIM, FISCA, Chairman, International Academy of Ayurveda, Pune, India. He is former Prof. and Head of the Department of Ayurveda, Pune University. Dr. Ranade worked as the Principal of Ashtang Ayurveda College in Pune, India. He has written more than 70 books on Ayurveda. He is a visiting Prof. to various Institutes in USA, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Australia.
Dr. Light Miller, ND Dr. Light Miller has 25 years experience in the use of essential oils and herbal products for skin care. She has trained over 700 people in the field of massage. She travels extensively, teaching aromatherapy, Ayurveda, natural menopause, herbology and tantra. She is a member of the Board of Directors, National Ayurvedic Medical Association(NAMA).
Dr. Avinash Lele, MD (Ayurved, India) Dr. Avinash Lele is an Ayurvedic Physician from India and the Medical Director of the Panchakarma Hospital and Clinic in Poona, India. He has an M.A.Sc. in Ayurvedic surgery. He is a visiting professor in many Universities around the world.
Gayathri Shanbhag, MS Gayathri is a consultant in Ayurvedic Nutrition & Diet Therapy at the Ayurveda Natural Medicine Clinic, Seattle. She graduated with a Masters in Nutrition from the Bastyr University, Seattle. She teaches Nutrition and Healthy Cooking courses at the Bastyr University and Puget Consumer’s Co-op (PCC).
Dr. Bharati Lele, BAMS, MD(Ayurved, India) Dr. Bharati Lele is a faculty member of the Ayurvedic College, Pune. She is a visiting professor for Ayurvedic colleges in Japan, Italy and USA. Dr. Lele is a consultant to several Ayurvedic hospitals in India. She specializes in Panchakarma and Ayurvedic cooking.
Dr. Sunanda Ranade, BAMS Dr. Sunanda Ranade is in the Ayurvedic field for more than 30 years. She has written hundreds of articles in newspapers and journals and is an author of several books on Ayurveda and Yoga. She has taught in universities in India and abroad.
Board of Advisors
Dr. Robert Svoboda, BAMS Dr. Svoboda is a world renowned scholar in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish & Tantra. He is a graduate of Ayurvedic Medicine from Pune University, India. He travels extensively around the world, lecturing and conducting workshops on Ayurveda and allied subjects. He has authored thirteen books thus far, including six on Ayurveda and two on Jyotish.
Dr. Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr., N.D. Appointed in December 2000 to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. Dr. Pizzorno is one of the world’s leading authorities on science-based natural medicine. A physician, educator, researcher and expert spokesperson, Dr. Pizzorno is cofounder and founding president of Bastyr University, the first fully accredited, multidisciplinary university of natural medicine in the United States. Dr. Pizzorno is the author of Total Wellness and co-author of the internationally acclaimed Textbook of Natural Medicine and best-selling Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
Dr. Naras Bhat, MD, FACP Dr. Bhat is a world-renowned expert on “Do-able Stress Control for the 21st Century”. Dr. Bhat is a board certified specialist in Internal Medicine. He is also a certified specialist in Stress Management Education. He is a professor of behavioral medicine at Rosebridge College of Integrative Psychology and teaches at UC Berkeley. He is the author of the internationally known book: How to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer.
Dr. Hari Sharma, MD, FRCPC Hari Sharma is professor emeritus and former director of Cancer Prevention and Natural Products Research at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He has published over 130 research papers, has authored over 200 abstracts and presentations, and has written four books, mainly on subjects related to Ayurveda.
Dr. Issac Mathai MD (HOM.), M.R.C.H (LOND.) Dr. Mathai hails from a family having a tradition of Homeopathic practice spanning four decades. He graduated from the A.N.S.S. Medical College in Kerala, India, and took his MD. (Homeopathy) from the Hahnemann Postgraduate Institute of Homeopathy, London. Following this, he took his M.R.C.H. (London) and joined as a physician at Europe‘s first and largest Holistic Health Care clinic over 10 years. He studied Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and Acupuncture at the W.H.O. Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanking, China. He has also undergone the Mind-Body Medicine training program at the Harvard Medical School, USA.

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