Happy Dhanvantari Day!

This is a special day in Ayurveda celebrating the birthday of the “Lord of Ayurveda” - Dhanvantari. We have chosen this day to launch our very first fundraising campaign for the NAMA Accreditation Council and the future of Ayurveda. We have recognized that fundraising campaigns like this are a necessary requirement for nonprofits. Without the generosity of donors, we’ll be unable to offer timely support for the growth of happy and healthy communities through wider access to Ayurvedic professionals who can respond to the acute need for alternative healthcare solutions in the United States. 

Help Us Advance Ayurveda Through Accreditation!

Now that so many Americans are seeking to manage rising healthcare costs and improve their overall well-being by integrating holistic medicines and practices into their lifestyle, the opportunity to foster the growth of Ayurveda in the U.S. has never been greater. Help us forward our work and help to create broader and more natural healthcare options for American citizens while establishing this ancient healthcare system to its rightful place in the market through accreditation.

Why is accreditation important for the Ayurvedic profession?

• To build the foundation needed for state licensure

• Ensuring that students receive quality education

• Ensure the future success of Ayurvedic medicine

• Acceptance of our field as a viable profession

Celebrate Dhanvantari Day By Donating!

2019 Conference Registration is Open!

Each year our board, committee, staff, and volunteers work diligently to bring an annual event that delivers an abundance of valuable tools and education to NAMA members and the community at large. Last year’s event was a significant achievement, with the highest number of attendees to date. Join us in 2019 for an event brimming with educational experiences and community spirit in a retreat-like setting among the redwoods.

1440 Multiversity is a 75-acre campus with redwood trails, copper-adorned buildings with majestic views and decks built around sky-high trunks keep you wrapped in nature during your stay. Part wellness resort, part Ted-talk auditorium, part conference center, the campus features state-of-the-art classrooms, meeting spaces, and accommodations tucked away in a lush forest between Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley. With locally sourced meals, holistic-health classes, Fitness Center, infinity-edge hot tub, and more, your stay at 1440 is designed to nurture, educate, and inspire.

Hosting our conference at a location like 1440 is new to us! We are excited to offer our attendees with an experience like no other. Because 1440 is an all-inclusive retreat setting, all meals are included in the nightly or daily fee that 1440 charges. Our conference tickets only include the conference presentations, discussions and events. 1440 offers a variety of accessible accommodations, ranging from suites to shared dorms. See their all-inclusive NAMA group accommodations options here. If you happen to call 1440 please be sure to mention you are with the NAMA conference. *All day pass and commuter pass registrations will be open to purchase April 1st, 2019.
 

October PACE Updates!

We have decided to discontinue the use of the PACE Provider Badge because viewers could misinterpret it as an indication that every course a PACE Provider offers is PACE approved, which often is not the case. A newly created identifier, the PACE Approved Listing Badge, will be issued to PACE Providers to replace their PACE Provider Badge. The new badge is solely for use with Providers’ PACE Approved Listings on their websites and marketing materials. The PACE Approved Listing Badge will help NAMA Professional Members and the public identify which listings are PACE approved.

Starting October 1, 2018, there will be a $50 PACE listing application fee for each listing submission. The PACE program is growing, and NAMA has chosen to devote more attention and resources to this arm of the organization’s work. We have created a dedicated position and a subcommittee to help improve the visibility and searchability of your PACE Approved Listings, communicate these wonderful options more clearly, and help target the needs of the professional community. 

Build Your Practice with a Powerful Online Presence!

NAMA wants to see your practice flourish—and NAMA's professional directory is just one way we can help you do that. Your listing in NAMA's online professional directory serves as free marketing for your practice. This public professional directory gives you an opportunity to appear in searches by anyone who is looking for an Ayurvedic provider. Published by the largest Ayurvedic professional organization in the United States, the NAMA professional directory is a well-known resource that empowers you to not only maximize your visibility and attract clients but also connect with potential business partners and with other NAMA members who can help you build a community in your area. 

So how do you build a  distinctive and appealing online listing? First, keep the needs and desires of your audience uppermost in your mind: Provide a short introduction or bio that describes your services and your areas of expertise. As a purveyor of healing, you need to present yourself as not only a credible professional, but also a warm and caring person whom clients will be eager to invite into their lives. 

Make sure your sentences are short and simple and get right to the point. Remember that readers have to sort through numerous listings and may become frustrated with those that overburden them with long, wordy paragraphs and too much information. Include links to your website, testimonials, and social media pages to make it easy for readers to learn more about you.

You may also want to mention any community service and volunteer work that you do. Evidence of your commitment to your community and the people who live there will resonate with local clients and with people who value a sense of social responsibility. 

Don’t forget to include your picture. Choose one that captures you as you are in the current moment. We have all heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”— a photo can capture your essence more effectively than words on a page and goes a long way towards personalizing your listing.

Finally, ask a neutral party to review your listing. Choose someone outside the Ayurvedic profession who knows you and understands your value and who will provide honest feedback. 

To access and update your listing, log in to your member profile here.

Have Your Registered Yet to Become a 2019 Conference Sponsor or Exhibitor?

We are all buzzing with excitement about our upcoming event at 1440 Multiversity. We feel it’s a perfect match for this year’s topic, Ayurveda and the Mind. The retreat-like setting promises to provide an experience like no other, not only for our attendees but also for our sponsors and exhibitors. 

Each year our board, committee, staff, and volunteers work diligently to bring an annual event that delivers an abundance of valuable tools and education to NAMA members and the community at large. Last year’s event was a significant achievement, with the highest number of attendees to date. 

At this time, we invite you to join us as a sponsor or exhibitor at an event brimming with educational experiences and community spirit in a retreat-like setting among the redwoods. We have options to assist you in finding the right level for your budget and business goals. Keep in mind that space fills up quickly, so register soon!

Thank you, 
Kathy Jo Staheli, AD
NAMA Communications, Sponsors & Exhibitors 

Welcome, New Board Members!

We want to thank all that participated in our Board election this year and are so happy to welcome back two current Board members – Wynn Werner and Margrit Mikulis for another three-year cycle and welcome our two newest Board members – Arun Deva and Monica Groover to the team. The new board members officially start on November 1, 2018.

We also want to thank Suhas Kshirsagar for his service to NAMA as a Board member, committee member and an overall supporter of our work. Suhas will be finishing his term on our board as of October 31st. We wish him the absolute best in all his work and endeavors moving forward.

In addition to new board members, we have had a steady stream of new volunteers on committee’s and subcommittee's bringing great energy and ideas to all our ongoing projects. Community involvement is so important to us at NAMA and we encourage those that are interested in volunteering to reach out to our Membership Mgr, Jolynne Flores, anytime. jolynne@ayurvedanama.org

We are finalizing our list of presenters for the 2019 conference by early September and are very excited about how things are shaping up. We want to let you all know that we have a robust pre-conference day with four three hour practicums worth 5 PACE credits each. We will be getting all the details up on the website by the end of September and before our October Early Bird rates begin. STAY POSTED and check your emails and website regularly. 

Last Day to Vote!

The slate for NAMA's 2018 Board of Directors election has nine candidates and just four openings. Cast your vote today! Voting ends Tuesday, July 31, 2018, at 6:00 pm Pacific.

Submit an Ayurvedic Paper

Global Advances in Health and Medicine invites researchers, clinicians, educators, and policy-makers to contribute to this Special Collection by submitting manuscripts that inform the current and potential roles that Ayurveda serve in promoting health and wellness, treating or managing clinical conditions, or reversing chronic disease in different cultures and within various healthcare delivery systems across the world.

The deadline to submit your manuscript is November 30, 2018.
If you are interested in publishing with us, please review the submission guidelines.  
 

A Note From Our Executive Director

Happy summer and belated July 4th to all!

Well, once again, it is time to select your NAMA Board of Directors. We would not be where we are today without this dedicated volunteer board. Each year four seats on the board open up as we rotate one-third of its membership. This year, we have nine wonderful nominees. All of them have taken the time to serve on various committees and have proven themselves as strong candidates and supporters of NAMA’s work. We are so lucky to have them all.

The strength of this year’s nominees will make it hard to decide which four are your top choices for a role on our board, so take time to review their statements before you vote. You can view this information by clicking on a link in an email that we will send to everyone who was listed as an active member as of May 31, 2018. We will send along a few reminders about the election throughout the month. A minimum voter turnout of 25 percent, or 375, of our members, is required for a valid election. We will announce the election results in mid-August, and the newly elected board members will assume their posts as of November 1, 2018. PLEASE VOTE TODAY, AND REMIND OTHER MEMBERS TO DO SO AS WELL. VOTING ENDS JULY 31ST!

Thank you,

Hilary Garivaltis, AP 
Executive Director

AHCs & APs: Please Take Note Regarding Your Next Dues Payment

The message below only affects AHCs and APs on automatic dues renewal (which is the overwhelming majority of AHCs and APs).
 
On July 1, dues were raised for Ayurvedic Health Counselors and Ayurvedic Practitioners. Most of you “have”—or now more accurately, “had” your next dues invoice automatically generated. We apologize, but on July 1, for those of you on auto-renew, we had to delete your automatically generated next invoice because it was generated from the old $150 dues level.

If you have not already paid your dues since July 1, when your dues are next due, whether it’s due 7/31/2018, 12/31/2018, or 5/31/2019, we will need you to manually go into your account and pay your dues at that time because at the moment your dues are no longer automatically paid/renewed. You will still get emails reminding you that your dues date is coming up (30-days prior and 7-days prior), but unlike your last dues payment, we will need you to manually go into your account and pay with your credit card. Once you do, your account will reset and begin on auto-renew again with the card you just used.
 
We apologize for the inconvenience. We triple-checked, but our database provider said these steps are needed.