Ep 43 - Ayurveda's Deeper Purpose & the Story of Dhanvantari with Kaya Mindlin

Hi, and welcome to the Lean on Ayurveda podcast.

Here we explore how the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda can help us gain a deeper understanding of our body and open the gateway to finally feeling better.

Hello, and welcome to episode 43.

My name is Vitote.

I'm your host.

And today you're in for a treat.

There are a few important dates coming up in the world of Ayurveda.

So there is the International Day of Ayurveda, which is celebrated on the 23rd of September, so very soon.

And by the way, how interesting that the International Day of Ayurveda is celebrated so close to the fall equinox or the spring equinox, depending on where you are.

But globally, it is that threshold when the two opposing forces are being balanced.

Right.

So I just think that's interesting.

And the second date that's coming up is Danteras which is a celebration of the lord of Ayurveda whose name is Danvantari.

If you have not heard of Danvantari before don't worry by the end of the episode you'll be more familiar with him.

So Danteras is celebrated on the 6th of November.

So this is the season where Ayurveda is honored and I have been thinking about this for quite a few months now that I really wanted to do something very special through my podcast this year for this occasion and so I was overjoyed when my teacher Kaya Mindlin agreed to come onto this podcast and share an episode with me and and my listeners that would be dedicated to honoring the tradition of Ayurveda, unpacking what it is all about, and also introducing my listeners to a very special form of teaching, which is Vedic storytelling.

Kaya has been teaching for more than two decades and her teachings draw from her tantric and Vedanta lineages.

And she teaches on a variety of subjects, including yoga, Sanskrit, Vedic ritual, Vedic calendar, and Jyotish, which is Vedic astrology and astronomy.

And Kaya also has a background as an Ayurvedic practitioner.

So Ayurveda has always been weaved into her teachings in some way.

And it's so beautiful to witness how all of these disciplines are actually fitting together to support each other.

Kaya is just such a wealth of wisdom.

And this conversation is too.

I think it's a conversation that I will definitely be going back to because it ended up being so, so rich.

We discuss what is the purpose of Ayurveda? So why do we actually want good health and longevity? We also talk about the aims of a human life and what the tradition has to say about that.

how does having good health and a long life serve us of different goals that we might have such as the goal of duty the goal of security or happiness and the different kinds of happiness that we might be seeking kaya also shares with us the very first signs that one might be ready to seek the kind of happiness that lasts, that liberation from psychological dependencies, as she calls it.

And we also discuss why our health and our spiritual pursuits cannot, in fact, be separated and how that is built into into this tradition.

And I think one of the biggest treats of this episode for the listeners will be experiencing how Vedic teachings can come alive in a form of a story.

And she will share with us the birth story of Dhanvantari, who is the lord of Ayurveda.

And as she tells it, she will also unpack the the wisdom that is encoded in the story.

And we'll discuss some of these teachings towards the end of the episode.

And finally, we will talk about the different stages of life of a human being and how, depending on where we find ourselves in these stages of life, we might be wanting to direct our energy towards towards different pursuits.

It was such an immense pleasure for me to listen to Kaya during the interview and I can't wait for you to tune in and to really

soak it all up.

I hope you enjoy.

Hi, and welcome to the Lean on Ayurveda podcast.

Here we explore how the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda can help us gain a deeper understanding of our body and open the gateway to finally feeling better.

Hello, and welcome to episode 43.

My name is Vitote.

I'm your host.

And today you're in for a treat.

There are a few important dates coming up in the world of Ayurveda.

So there is the International Day of Ayurveda, which is celebrated on the 23rd of September, so very soon.

And by the way, how interesting that the International Day of Ayurveda is celebrated so close to the fall equinox or the spring equinox, depending on where you are.

But globally, it is that threshold when the two opposing forces are being balanced.

Right.

So I just think that's interesting.

And the second date that's coming up is Danteras which is a celebration of the lord of Ayurveda whose name is Danvantari.

If you have not heard of Danvantari before don't worry by the end of the episode you'll be more familiar with him.

So Danteras is celebrated on the 6th of November.

So this is the season where Ayurveda is honored and I have been thinking about this for quite a few months now that I really wanted to do something very special through my podcast this year for this occasion and so I was overjoyed when my teacher Kaya Mindlin agreed to come onto this podcast and share an episode with me and and my listeners that would be dedicated to honoring the tradition of Ayurveda, unpacking what it is all about, and also introducing my listeners to a very special form of teaching, which is Vedic storytelling.

Kaya has been teaching for more than two decades and her teachings draw from her tantric and Vedanta lineages.

And she teaches on a variety of subjects, including yoga, Sanskrit, Vedic ritual, Vedic calendar, and Jyotish, which is Vedic astrology and astronomy.

And Kaya also has a background as an Ayurvedic practitioner.

So Ayurveda has always been weaved into her teachings in some way.

And it's so beautiful to witness how all of these disciplines are actually fitting together to support each other.

Kaya is just such a wealth of wisdom.

And this conversation is too.

I think it's a conversation that I will definitely be going back to because it ended up being so, so rich.

We discuss what is the purpose of Ayurveda? So why do we actually want good health and longevity? We also talk about the aims of a human life and what the tradition has to say about that.

how does having good health and a long life serve us of different goals that we might have such as the goal of duty the goal of security or happiness and the different kinds of happiness that we might be seeking kaya also shares with us the very first signs that one might be ready to seek the kind of happiness that lasts, that liberation from psychological dependencies, as she calls it.

And we also discuss why our health and our spiritual pursuits cannot, in fact, be separated and how that is built into into this tradition.

And I think one of the biggest treats of this episode for the listeners will be experiencing how Vedic teachings can come alive in a form of a story.

And she will share with us the birth story of Dhanvantari, who is the lord of Ayurveda.

And as she tells it, she will also unpack the the wisdom that is encoded in the story.

And we'll discuss some of these teachings towards the end of the episode.

And finally, we will talk about the different stages of life of a human being and how, depending on where we find ourselves in these stages of life, we might be wanting to direct our energy towards towards different pursuits.

It was such an immense pleasure for me to listen to Kaya during the interview and I can't wait for you to tune in and to really

soak it all up.

I hope you enjoy.