A Four-Day Residential Intensive Educational Experience   September 11-14, 2008

Introduction

This program is our response.... Our response to the many requests we have received over the years, mainly from physicians, who know some basic principles of Ayurveda and now desire a more in depth and practical Ayurvedic education.

This powerful four-day residential workshop is a clear and comprehensive presentation of the theoretical foundations and the practical application of Ayurveda, the natural system of healing which originated in ancient India. This workshop is open to students of all levels but is most suitable for those already having a grasp of the basic principles of Ayurveda and are now searching for more advanced knowledge.

Guided by Scott Gerson, M.D., Ph.D. (Ayurveda), participants will be immersed an eight-part learning and natural experiential process that explores how ancient teachings and modern scientific knowledge can be integrated into a genuine program for mind-body wellness. Founded on the Ayurvedic principle that "health is the harmonious functioning of our consciousness, mind, body, and environment", this Ayurvedic Healing workshop will teach how to practically apply these enduring healing principles and practices into your daily life. Room, board, daily yoga and meditation, and a unique 50-page syllabus are included.

How This Course is Structured

Ayurveda means “knowledge of life”. This is not only a name of a medical tradition, but to those familiar with the Veda, is a precise signpost to its true method of study and understanding. For the Vedic Way to study and understand Ayurveda is the same Vedic Way one takes to study life itself. The Vedas describe life as a series of experiences. Each experience can be seen as the fundamental unit of life. It may be overwhelming to try to understand life as a whole, but by understanding each experience, one can, therefore, understand life itself. Every experience has three components: an experiencer, an object of experience, and the experience itself.

• --The experiencer is you.
• --The object of the experience can be any stimulus or environmental influence, e.g. a sight, a sound, a material object, a circumstance, a situation, a person, etc.
• --The experience is the interaction between the experiencer and the object.

• Sravanam (receiving Truth)
• Mananam (contemplating Truth) and
• Nidhidhyasanam (absorbing Truth)

These are the three aspects of the study and understanding of Ayurveda. Sravanam can be achieved through exposure to the primary Ayurvedic scriptures or other numinous literature and through the teachings of knowledgeable professors. Mananam can be individual or through discussion and debate with other students of Ayurveda. Nidhidhyasanam can be approached through a specific form meditation, sometimes referred to as reflection, which allows the truthful understanding to become absorbed. Only by absorbing Truth, can one truly understand these principles and put them to use.

Workshop Objectives

The workshop, at The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine in Brewster, NY includes:

• a detailed explanation of the five elements and three doshas
• instruction in determining your personal mind-body constitution (dosha)
• introduction to Ayurvedic Pulse Interpretation (Nadi Pariksha)
• principles of sattvic nutrition
• instruction in Ayurvedic self-massage
• use of common marma points
• clinical use of common Ayurvedic herbal medicines
• instruction in the use of bija mantra
• a complete review of healthful daily and seasonal mind and body practices

As a complement to the nutritional wisdom taught, each day you will enjoy sumptuous Ayurvedic vegetarian meals prepared by Dr. Gerson´s longtime personal ayurvedic cook. Authentic Ayurvedic massage and steam treatment will also be available for a small additional cost (special workshop fee). You will be inspired, enlightened and delighted to have been a part of this weekend.

Faculty

Scott Gerson, M.D., Ph.D. is one of the country’s leading authorities and researchers in Ayurvedic Medicine. Dr. Gerson received his initial formal training in Ayurvedic Medicine at the Ayurvedic College in Trivandrum, India and subsequently earned his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Ayurveda at the prestigious Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya and the Pune University. He was awarded his Fellowship in Ayurveda from the Institute of Indian Medicine, also in Pune. He is now an Associate Professor at Pune University, Faculty of Ayurved. He received his conventional medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where he helped to establish that institution’s first course for medical students on alternative medical treatments. He has served as an advisor to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the NIH, the National Cancer Institute, and several other institutions. Dr. Gerson is also the executive director of The Foundation for Holistic Medical Research, a 501C-3 non-profit organization that objectively evaluates complementary medical therapies for safety and efficacy. Dr. Gerson sees private patients in both his NYC- and Brewster-based medical practice and is Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Community and Preventive Medicine, New York Medical College.

An Authentic Guide
To Physical, Mental,
And Spiritual
Well-Being

Developed and Presented by:
Scott Gerson, M.D.
M. Phil (Ayu), Ph.D. (Ayu)