President’s Letter to Members
Dear NAMA Members,
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the current president of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. I first heard about Ayurveda 13 years ago, when I was working in product development for a health insurance company and teaching yoga on the side. I thought: Ayurveda makes complete sense. Why doesn’t anyone know about it? I didn’t know whether I would be able to have a career in Ayurveda, but I studied it anyway. Then, I discovered a group of people who were working to spread Ayurveda nationally in the United States (NAMA). I started volunteering with NAMA 10 years ago and have served on NAMA’s Board of Directors for five years now. Professionally, I’m a product of the system supported by NAMA and its partners to carry forward the lineages of Ayurveda into the USA. I’ve used Ayurveda to improve my own health, and to help my clients, readers and listeners. And I’ve seen this industry grow and change during this time.
In 24 years of operations, NAMA has solidly and comprehensively advanced Ayurveda in the USA. First and foremost, we have built an amazing community of individuals who love Ayurveda and demonstrate their commitment to the field in different ways. Together, we have created:
Twenty years of national conferences, events, meetings and seminars that inspire, and where lifelong connections are made.
A professional membership organization.
Three scopes of clinical practice.
A certification board for consistent and ethical professional practice (NAMACB).
An accreditation commission to oversee academic Ayurveda programs, that has since inception become an independent entity, now known as the Ayurvedic Accreditation Commission, (AAC).
An 86-person volunteer network, productively collaborating in 16 committees and workgroups.
A vast and powerful network of passionate individuals with influence in the Ayurvedic field in the USA, including over 1,700 NAMA members, plus partnerships with 11 state organizations, several international organizations, associations of other complementary medicine fields, and celebrated sponsor groups.
NAMA attracts a wide range of people as members, from Vaidyas and board-certified professionals practicing Ayurveda clinically to individuals who learn about it for their own self-care. Our members are influencers in their communities and families. All of us are unified by our love of Ayurveda and our desire for more people to know about it and practice it in the USA.
As a recent highlight, NAMA became a member of the NIH-National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Coalition for Whole-Person Health, with NAMA Board Member and Co-Chair of NAMA’s Research Committee Julia Arnold, PhD, MS as the lead representative to NCCIH. We are committed to our participation in the NCCIH, and thus public health in the USA, through this collaborative effort.
As an emerging traditional medicine, Ayurveda has its share of challenges and opportunities in the USA, and I believe we have come to a critical time. Our industry is at an inflection point.
A Vision for the Future
My vision as current president is for NAMA to be grounded in a shared commitment to advancing the practice of Ayurveda in the USA, reflecting its ancient roots, multifaceted traditions, and the needs of our contemporary world. I will focus on several key areas that I believe will empower and guide us toward a brighter future.
1. Unity and Collaboration: I am committed to fostering an environment where people within the Ayurvedic community see how they are connected and are working together in service of our shared goals, and to support the growth and credibility of Ayurveda across the USA.
2. Creating Career Pathways: With the foundations for program accreditation and professional development already set, it is time to focus on the exciting phase of creating sustainable career pathways for Ayurvedic professionals in the USA. We look forward to working with partners toward expanding opportunities for employment, practice, and collaboration within the healthcare system and beyond.
3. Public Awareness and Advocacy: Still much work remains to deepen the public understanding of Ayurveda’s benefits and potential. NAMA will continue to advocate for Ayurveda with the general public on various fronts to raise awareness of the value and efficacy of Ayurvedic medicine as a preventive and holistic approach to wellness. It’s time to create visibility for the success of the practice, striving to communicate Ayurveda's transformative potential across communities nationwide.
4. Sustainability and Integrity: As NAMA, we look forward to continuing to display the values of balance and harmony, championing authentic, effective practices, maintaining the integrity of Ayurvedic medicine and knowledge in an ever-changing landscape, and upholding the highest professional and ethical standards. This will ensure that Ayurveda remains a trusted and respected modality in healthcare. And like in every healthcare field, we will support refinements to the scope and standards for Ayurvedic practice in the USA, guided by both tradition and real-world experience, and input from both USA- and internationally trained experts.
Moving Forward Together
Your collective energy and dedication inspire me. Together, we have the power to create lasting change—both for the practice of Ayurveda and for the health and well-being of individuals across the USA. I encourage each of you to stay engaged, share your ideas, and continue your important work. Your voices and your contributions are essential as we work to shape the future of Ayurveda in the USA.
Thank you for your trust in NAMA. We’ll be sharing much more about what our community is working on in the coming months. I look forward to working alongside each of you to turn our vision into reality.
With deep respect and gratitude,
Heather Grzych
President, National Ayurvedic Medical Association