Dr. David Frawley born 1950, is an American Hindu teacher and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India and in the United States. Dr. David Frawley, on January 26 2015, received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the government of India, one of the highest civilian awards granted in the country.
He says –
“I firmly believe that India with its great spiritual and yogic heritage should be the guru among nations, and is in the process of awakening to its great world mission that is crucial for the future of humanity.
When Yoga first came to the West and went global, Ayurveda did not come with it, perhaps owing to the fact that the British had closed down Ayurvedic schools during the colonial era, and Ayurveda was regarded as a backward and unscientific subject. Yet in recent decades Ayurveda has come back into the Yoga world because it is the physical counterpart of classical Yoga. It provides the basis of a complete medical system — in both theory and practice — that reflects yogic point of view. This is what the ancient sages of India did; they developed Yoga for realizing a higher consciousness and Ayurveda for health and well-being.
An Ayurvedic life-style implies Yoga or conscious living, and a yogic life-style implies Ayurveda and living in harmony both with nature and with one’s own nature. The two inherently go together. The purpose of Yoga and Ayurveda is not just mental harmony but bringing the mind to a tranquil condition so that the light of the higher Self can come through the mind.
The West today has a lot more psychological than physical suffering than it had earlier. Modern medicine has been relatively effective in alleviating many acute diseases, but emotional suffering has increased owing to various factors of our modern life that are out of harmony with nature. A revival of Ayurvedic philosophy and psychological intervention is an important consideration for the new global health. Its application in the western context of psychological unhappiness is vital. Ayurveda is not merely a medical system aimed at the treatment of diseases, but a healthy and natural way of living, and of developing one’s highest potential in life.
I have always tried to bring the psychological aspect of Ayurveda into my various books and course material, including the book ‘Ayurveda and the Mind’. Ayurveda, particularly in the West today, is largely a counselling based system of medicine. Much of its work consists of educating the patients how to change their lifestyle to prevent disease and optimize their health, as well as to treat specific diseases. Ayurvedic psychology takes us to self-examination and self-realization.
I would also like to direct the reader to the works of British/German psychologist Reinhard Kowalski who has done much work in this area, as in his book ‘The Only Way Out is In’. He is a good example of a psychologist, in his case working in the British Health Care System, who has been able to integrate Ayurveda into his practice”
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