Our Community Comes from All Walks of Life. Be Inspired. Tune in to NAMA VEDAtalks.
For the first time during Annual Conference, NAMA spotlighted seven select members sharing their personal Ayurveda story about what inspires them to do the work that they do. The session was a great success, and the Conference Committee plans to make it an annual tradition.
VEDAtalks: Why We Do What We Do: Stories from Your Ayurvedic Colleagues
These short TED-style presentations inspired both on-site participants in Tucson and those joining the Virtual Conference Day event remotely. Now we are delighted to post the recording publicly to inspire many more. The presenters’ backgrounds and experience reflect the diversity our Ayurvedic community. We would like to introduce them to you.
Laila Jewayni, CAHC, MA, RYT-200, Maryland
Anjali Deva, CAP, California
Jeannine Rashidi, CAP, California
Kadiatou Sibi, CAP, California
Elizabeth Eisenberg, CAP; MSG, Arizona
Sisira Amarasinghe, PhD, Illinois
Naomi Uchida-Boas, CAP, California
watch the recording now
Presenter Bios and Topics
Laila Jewayni, CAHC, MA, RYT-200, of Maryland, is a NAMACB-certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Afghan-American holistic wellness educator, humanitarian, and writer. Over the last decade, she has worked in refugee resettlement and international development, lived in seven countries, and traveled to over 40, spending much of her time learning about the problems that the most vulnerable face.
In her presentation, “Refugees: The Challenge of Fleeing,” Laila spoke about her work with displaced persons and her plans to bring Ayurveda to this most vulnerable community. Refugees are forced to leave their country to stay alive. They often suffer deep trauma from the stress and pressure of settling in a foreign country without an opportunity to process loss and grief as they struggle to make a living. Laila has dedicated her career to serving this community and has heard hundreds of stories of why they left their homeland and the challenges they face. As a case worker without trauma-informed professional skills, she knew they needed support, but didn’t know how to give it. Now, based on what she has learned through Ayurveda, she has a solution. Studies have shown that the most effective support is based on a stress-reducing daily routine, proper diet and regular exercise, and herbal medicine. Now, imagine the power of Ayurveda to transform the lives of refugees.
Anjali Deva, CAP, of California, is a NAMACB-certified Ayurvedic Practitioner with her private practice, Rooted Rasa, specializing in an integrative and trauma-informed approach to Ayurveda. Anjali founded Mādhya Way, a school for Ayurveda. She is dedicated to sharing the wisdom of Ayurveda for the benefit of all living beings.
Her practice specializes in an integrative and trauma-informed approach to Ayurveda. After her formal education and many trips to India, she met an integrative psychiatrist and practiced within his integrative clinic for seven years. There they had patients struggling with various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Her work with these patients fired her interest in the potential of Ayurveda to improve mental health. She has since started a school, 600-hour counselor program that offers a trauma-informed and compassionate approach to Ayurveda. What is most exciting is that the school offers a community clinic that serves many unhoused people who otherwise would not receive care.
Jeannine Rashidi, CAP, of California, is a NAMACB-certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and founder of Goodbye Tension and an Ayurvedic Doctor student at Kerala Ayurveda Academy. She has been practicing for 19 years, guiding others toward physical, mental, emotional, and digestive relief. Her best-selling book, Abundance Beyond Trauma, showcases the EDHIR® process that she developed for Sattvavajaya Chikitsa (Ayurvedic psychotherapy).
Through her personal experiences of trauma, she discovered a pathway to the courage required for change and commitment to herself. Her mission now is to inspire a revolution in how we form a harmonious relationship between the heart and mind within ourselves and with others.
Kadiatou Sibi, CAP, of California, is a NAMACB-certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, a Reiki Practitioner, and the founder of Los Angeles-based AWOW, A Web of Wellness, a health and wellness practice that guides people to optimal well-being through the holistic principles that help her family thrive.
Kadi’s roots trace back to Julangel, The Gambia, West Africa, and their reach now extends all the way to the East and West Coasts of the United States. She is a single mother of three children, two of whom have special needs. Her lineage of healers originates with her family in Mauritania and Gambia, West Africa. Her journey to recovery from childhood trauma led to her formal study of Ayurveda and inspired her current efforts to codify Traditional African Medicine. She spoke about some of the underlying causes of the Black community’s mistrust of the mainstream healthcare system and highlighted alarming statistical disparities in healthcare outcomes between the BIPOC community and other racial and ethnic groups. Kadi presents many examples and ways in which we can all help raise awareness of this situation and create a more equitable and healthy future.
Elizabeth Eisenberg, CAP, MSG, of Arizona, is a NAMACB-certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and transformational healer. An Apprentice in Chinese Medicine, she is a seasoned healthcare practitioner. She blends evidence-based practice with an intuitive awareness of her clients’ needs that encompasses both the physical and emotional uniqueness of each individual. You can find her at leelaheisenberg.com.
Elizabeth specializes in helping professionals and healers heal themselves. She shares her story of personal health struggles over her 28+ years as an occupational therapist. Her life and path shifted after a transformative experience with panchakarma. Today, Elizabeth supports her clients in their journey to profound healing, dharma, and personal health and balance. She also maintains a beautiful group meditation practice.
Sisira Amarasinghe, PhD, of Illinois, is a Biomedical Engineering specialist heading up the development of next-generation robotics surgery software. A few decades ago, he became interested in Vedic astrology and was recently honored by American College of Vedic Astrology with the title of Jyotish Navaratana. He is pursuing his Ayurveda Practitioner education at Kerala Ayurveda Academy.
Originally from Sri Lanka, Sisira discovered his aptitude for technology and mathematics in high school. His determination to complete degrees in analytical sciences as quickly as possible led to several chronic health problems. Eventually, his symptoms were resolved with the support of a naturopathic doctor. Over the past several decades, Sisira has found his way back to his roots, as he recalls advice from his mother and continues his studies of Vedic astrology and Ayurveda and how spirituality can be integrated into the practice of modern medicine.
Naomi Uchida-Boas, CAP, of California, is a member of the clinical faculty at the Southern California University of Health Sciences, and the founder of HEAL Ayurveda. She is a NAMACB-certified Ayurveda Practitioner, Massage Therapist, Jyotisha Astrologer, Reiki Master, and Biomagnetic Therapy Practitioner. Naomi is passionate about empowering individuals to live optimally through Ayurveda, energy healing, and therapeutic body treatments.
Naomi found Ayurveda through her quest for solutions to personal health imbalances. After a discouraging prognosis from her ophthalmologist, Naomi discovered the power of Ayurveda and turned her life and health around. She believes that if we allow others to dictate our health and life outcomes, we give up our power. As she shares her journey from helplessness to empowerment, Naomi explains how the “Three B’s” (Build Yourself, Build Your Toolkit, and Build Trust) can help students and practitioners create thriving practices and businesses.
