Understanding the Mind through Charaka Samhita

Join Ayurveda physician A. R. Ramadas for this focused exploration of the wisdom of Ayurveda as recorded in the Charaka Samhitā.

Next Batch: May 2, 2023 – April 30, 2024

Ayurveda has long held that mental activity and emotions such as desire, hatred and delusion (rāga, dvesha and moha) are the root cause of many diseases. Interestingly, the World Health Organization recently announced that many diseases plaguing modern society are psychosomatic in nature. We might all agree that to relieve suffering and prevent the development of disease in this modern age, we would be wise to understand how to work with the mind.

Ayurveda offers a profound and nuanced understanding of the mind and its effect on the body, identifying concepts that are not named in allopathic psychiatry. In this course, we will explore what the Charaka Samhitā teaches us about the nature of the mind and how to use the mind to support our own healing and that of our clients/patients.

We will begin by deepening our understanding of many foundational principles of Ayurveda as expounded by Charaka in the first chapter of the Sūtrastānam. We will then explore selected chapters to learn what the text offers regarding the mind, its role in disease manifestation, optimal attitudes/beliefs for health, and how we may support the mind overall. Each week, we will discuss a small number of sutra-s, translating line by line to draw out the full meaning of the Sanskrit and apply it to current practice. Drawing on his decades of experience caring for patients and his classical education and training, Dr. Ramadas will share his unique insight on this ancient text.

* Please note:
Students should have a basic understanding of Ayurveda concepts already, as this is not an introductory course.
This course is intended for both Ayurveda practitioners/counselors and for those who want to use the information for self-healing.

Dr. Ramadas will reference the free resource Charaka Samhitā Online:

https://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/

Vaidya A.R.Ramadas, B.A.M.S., M.S. is a classically trained Ayurveda physician. Hailing from Trichur, the cultural capital of Kerala in southern India, he inherits a strong family line of Ayurveda practitioners, serving the sick for more than half a century.

Dr. Ramadas completed his B.A.M.S. (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) from Ayurveda College in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, then underwent 3 years’ training in Nethra Chikitsa/Ophthalmology under the guidance of Manakunnath Gopalan Vaidyar. He then trained under the well-known pediatrician C.N.S. Gangadharan Vaidyar. He also has an M.S. in Psychotherapy and Counseling from Institute of Behavioral and Management Sciences in Chittur, Andhra Pradesh. In 1992, he joined as consultant physician in his family firm Rajendra Pharmacy and R.P.M. Ayurvedic Nursing Home, which he headed for a while. He also managed the first overseas center of Punarnava in Vietnam in 2007.

In more than 3 decades of practice, he has treated over 50,000 patients from various parts of India and abroad for conditions relating to neuro-musculo-skeletal, endocrine, skin, gastro-intestinal, respiratory, cardiac, psychiatric and reproductive health systems. One of his patients describes him as, “a soft and kind soul, full of compassion and an inborn healing ability.”

• Date: May 2, 2023 – April 30, 2024 (12 months)
• Mode: Live Online Class via Zoom: Tuesdays
• Time: 7:15-8:30am PDT USA / 10:15-11:30am EDT USA / 3:15-4:30pm London BST / 7:45-9pm India Time
• Classes: 48 weekly classes (No classes on following dates: July 4, Aug. 1, Aug. 8, Dec 26, Jan. 2, 2024)
• All classes will be video recorded, in case you must miss one live.
• Students will have access to videos while currently enrolled and then for 6 months after the course ends.
• Important Note: India does not observe Daylight Savings Time – thus when DST ends in autumn, the course time will stay the same in India and will shift one hour earlier in areas that observe DST (https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html)
• Accreditation: Approved for NAMA Continuing Education PACE Credits
• 10% Discount offered to NAMA members.
• For those who want to receive a certificate of completion (such as is needed to submit for PACE continuing education credits from NAMA), you will have to pass a final quiz.

• 12 monthly installments of $50 USD per month ($600 USD) or save $50 and pay in one installment of $550 USD
• 100% of proceeds benefit the charity projects of Vaidyagrama Community Trust and Punarnava Community Trust, such as free food programs and medical camps in villages outside Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.