I have been studying and practicing Ayurveda with Dr Gupta for over twenty years. He has taught me, and many other students, much about self healing routines that have enabled me to be mindful of what I am doing to and with my body, to monitor how my body responds, to make the necessary adjustments to maintain a healthy balance within my body, my mind and my consciousness and with all three as a unity and to take responsibility for looking after my own health.
I now find I do the self-healing routines automatically as part of my everyday life – like teeth brushing is for most of us. The morning routine is my favorite and something I look forward to doing. It brings structure to my morning and cleanses and nourishes my physical and spiritual being, in preparation for the day. When teaching the self healing practice Dr Gupta suggests students begin by following just 10% of the routine. Then once we notice benefits from our practice add another 10%. With this wise advice students can slowly introduce the practice into their everyday life without stress or guilt so it can become an integral part of life.
Dr Gupta teaches in a light-hearted, humble and humorous way. He has a deep knowledge, understanding and practice of Ayurveda and teaches Ayurveda “as it is” – often reciting the Vedic text in Sanskrit before translating it for us. Dr Gupta is a 4th generation Ayurvedic doctor so the Ayurvedic knowledge and practices are second nature to him and “in his blood”.
As part of the self healing routines and Ayurvedic theories Dr Gupta teaches us about food – how, when, what, where, why and for whom to eat. Together we have cooked (and eaten) many delicious meals. We still cook these recipes at home, benefit from them, share them with others and enjoy eating them.
Dr Gupta would say “take what makes sense to you and put it into practice. If you notice some positive effects then take another look at the notes and do whatever else makes sense.”
The key is to apply the Ayurvedic teachings not just learn them.