AYURVEDIC PRANAYAMA
ECO-BIO-ENERGY CHANNELS |
MISSION
To enrich participants with practical skills, suggestive insights and traditional lore while firing their imagination with convivial new visions of life, health and community.
Besides intensive study sessions, hands-on workshops and field work, these tours will offer aesthetically lush experiences of two of the world's richest cultures.
PARTICIPANTS
We hope to attract spirited individuals who believe the celebration of life is inextricably linked to sensual wonder, societal empathy and the health of the greater whole. We shall keep the tours small and intimate (nine people max), so all participants may enjoy the maximum attention, interaction and personalized care.
BIG-MEDICINE'S 2006 ECO-SOMATIC
STUDY COURSES IN INDIA
OVERVIEW
Big Medicine is organizing two consecutive Eco-Somatic courses in India for 2006. Participants are welcome to take either course but are encouraged to take both. There is a 48-hour R&R break in Delhi between the two.
Our first course, "Health Care as if the Earth and Human Being Mattered," will be held at Bija Vidyapeeth, the International College for Sustainable Living, founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva in Dehradun, Uttaranchal. (See their website at
http://www.bijavidyapeeth.org/)
The second course, "Indian Traditional Medicine: Options for Public Health" will be held in collaboration with Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, a health, environment, & community development NGO that works with indigenous tribes around Udaipur, Rajasthan.
COURSE I:
HEALTH CARE AS IF THE EARTH & HUMAN BEING MATTERED
(February 26th - March 4th 2006)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will explore two vital concepts for
understanding and achieving "public health" in any
society:
- Health is not merely the absence of disease
but a
sense of total social, economic, political, physical
and spiritual well-being;
- We are inextricably linked to the web of
life on
this planet and are dependent on all aspects of its
health.
We will examine how current "globalized" corporate and
governmental activities in South Asia both ignore and
violate these insights, and study how they have
disrupted public health systems and the environment in
India (and throughout the world).
Led by public health advocate Dr. Mira Shiva, and
environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva, we will focus on
the various ways corporatized medical, health and
agricultural trends now dangerously contradict the
basic precepts of traditional health teachings from
India and China, as well as the World Health
Organization's Public Health Manifesto, all of which
affirm the inseparable organic unity of each human
being and the environmental surround. (This wisdom
will be dramatized by a brief review of Indian
cultural insights into body-environment
interdependence from music, art and literature.)
We will also consider the crushing impact accelerating
"globalization" has had on the weakest social sectors:
women, children and the poor. Most importantly, we
will survey the various Indian people's movements
working to shift to sustainable modes of health and
environmental care, as well as the economic and
societal promise of their approaches.
The teachers will consist of community health experts,
ecologists, organic farmers, an ayurvedic doctor, a
yoga teacher, and a classical vocalist trained in
India's spiritual music traditions. We will invite
participants to expand the scope of the discussions
with their own questions, insights, and personal
experiences. There will be sufficient time within the
day to form break-out groups to discuss specific
topics in greater depth. Participants will also have
frequent opportunities to practice yoga, meditation,
and shram dan (voluntary labor offerings) in the farm
fields and/or campus kitchen. The schedule offers a
variety of local cultural activities, but given the
imposing scenery, we also recommend long walks through
the rolling fields and farm villages, swimming in the
mountain streams, or simply bathing in the green air
and bird song at dawn and dusk.
SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY 26TH, SUNDAY
- Arrival at Bija Vidyapeeth
Campus
Morning:
"Trans-national economic agendas & impact on third
world food, seed and water security -- The Indian
Experience"
Lecture/discussion with Dr. Vandana Shiva, physicist, environmental activist
and founder of Navdanya and Bija-Vidyapeeth Research
and education institutes.
Afternoon:
"Health Care As If The Earth And Human Being Matter
-- Navdanya Solutions"
Lecture/discussion with Dr. Vandana Shiva
FEBRUARY 27TH, MONDAY
Morning:
"Ecology of the Body -- The Yogic View"
Lecture/discussion with Ms. Rani Sahay (Msc), Navdanya Research Scholar and Sivananda Ashram trained yoga teacher
Afternoon:
"The Human Body in Indian art, literature and song."
Lecture/discussion with Ms. Vidya Rao Indian Classical vocalist
FEBRUARY 28TH, TUESDAY
Morning & Afternoon:
"Ecology of the Body -- Perspectives of Ayurveda and
modern science"
Lecture/Discussion with Dr. Jyotsna, BAMS, MD (AY), co-founder/director, Arogya Kalp (organization dedicated to the spread of Ayurveda and holistic living).
MARCH 1ST, WEDNESDAY
Morning:
"The Global Pharmaceutical-Industrial Complex" --
Healthcare implications for the most vulnerable
populations"
Lecture/discussion with Dr. Mira Shiva senior Public Health advocate Voluntary
Health Association of India (VHAI)
Afternoon:
"Health Care As If the Earth and Human Being Matter
--
Emerging Grassroots Public Health Solutions"
Lecture/discussion with Dr. Mira Shiva
MARCH 2ND, THURSDAY
All day:
Field Trip on Shiv Ratri, festival of Lord Siva, to
meet with Navdanya project farmers and join in their
sacred festivities
MARCH 3RD, FRIDAY
Morning:
"From Seed to Table - Food Security and Food Safety"
Lecture/discussion with Maya, co-ordinator Navdanya's "Seed to Table" movement
and Bija Vidyapeeth director
Afternoon:
"Restoring Organic Agriculture for the Health of the
Earth"
Dr. Poonan Pande, Navdanya agronomist and researcher
MARCH 4TH, SATURDAY
Morning:
Wrap-up, closing ceremony & departure.
MARCH 5TH, SUNDAY: NEW DELHI
Morning:
Navdanya Organic Food Outlet at Delhi Haat
Navdanya Staff
Afternoon:
Navdanya Organic Food Cafe
Navdanya Staff
COURSE AKNOWLEDGEMENT
All tour members will receive formal Bijya Vidyapeeth
certificates recognizing their participation and
completion of the course.
BIJA VIDYAPEETH,
International College for Sustainable Living
Bija Vidyapeeth is the education wing of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva, world renowned ecologist and green activist. Its courses offer practical knowledge and training for community empowerment, eco-social health and sustainable living. This institute is leading the battle for comprehensive health, environment and democratization policies in India, and its staff will help us understand how ecological problems now impact the country's public health.
Dawn at Edge of BV Campus
Crew at 2002 BV Water Resources Seminar
PRIMARY INSTRUCTORS
Navdanya founder, Dr. Vandana Shiva is a celebrated scientist, progressive orator and director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. The Foundation is devoted to participatory research that intimately involves local people and a wide-ranging interdisciplinary approach that reflects the dynamic interconnections of the web of life.
Dr. Mira Shiva is an eminent physician and public health activist who has campaigned for decades in overlapping arenas of health care and human rights.
Vidya Rao is a sacred musicologist and renowned vocalist trained in India's thumri or "light classical" tradition. She is well known across the sub-continent for her electrifying performance of ancient songs of love, devotion and spiritual yearning.
Dr Jyotsna is an Ayurvedic physician and co-founder/director of Arogya Kalp, an institute dedicated to spreading Ayurvedic knowledge and medicine. In the past she worked in rural Rajasthan on water conservation, organic farming, holistic health and ayurveda. She works closely with the Navdanya Institute on intellectual property rights issues and advises the institute on the nutritional and medicinal properties of organically grown foods and herbs.
Ms. Rani Sahay, MSc, is a Navdanya researcher on water and agriculture issues as well as a Sivananda Ashram-trained Hatha Yoga instructor.
COURSE II:
TRADITIONAL MEDICINES -- OPTIONS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(7th March - 14th March 2006)
This course explores the holistic lifestyle,
philosophy, medicinal
practices and livelihood of the gunis or traditional
village healers. It covers the role Jagran Jan Vikas
Samiti's community workers have played since 1987 in
identifying, promoting and re-empowering the
traditional health practitioners.
The JJVS initiated traditional health movement has
spread from their local base in the Udaipur district
of Rajasthan to six other States in the country. We
will learn about the multi-tiered, interactive,
interdisciplinary, eco-sensitive plant-based health
education system that the institute employs to upgrade the
knowledge base of local gunis, ayurveds, botanists and
community workers. The strength of the JJVS Guni
Movement is evidenced by its flourishing growth
despite the fact that traditional healers still lack
formal recognition or support within India's public
health system.
The "National Guni Mission" recently drafted by JJVS,
its sister
organizations and guni networks in northern India
urges the Indian Health Ministry to recognize that
traditional healers actually
provide 60 to 80 percent of all rural health care at
nominal rates or no cost whatever. Their in-depth
knowledge of the medicinal plant world and its healing
applications make them the rightful experts in a
holistic, nature-based approach to health care. Their
reliance on botanical medicines makes them the natural
stewards of the forest and propagators of medicinal
plants. Honoring them and employing their medical
expertise and botanical knowledge within the nation's
public health and eco-restoration efforts would be
both wise and effective, and long overdue.
Immersed in the gentle, hospitable culture and
lifestyle of village Rajasthan, course participants
will gain a unique perspective on the dynamic, organic
societal relations that underlie rural democracy and
eco-social sustainability. One example of this is the
traditional healers' benevolent and graceful assurance
to their villages, "Health Care is for All."
SCHEDULE
March 7th Tuesday
Arrival at Udaipur Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti (JJVS)
Premises
MARCH 8TH, WEDNESDAY
Morning:
Location: JJVS office, VALI
Introduction of JJVS Health staff & selected Gunis ?
Pratapi-bai,
Udai Singh etc.
Presentation of National Guni Mission activities ?
origins, progress and current activities.
Bhanwar Dhabai, JJVS Founder & Co-Director
Presentation of Grassroots democracy and rural
development initiatives.
Ganesh Purohit, JJVS Founder & Co-Director
Afternoon:
Location: Guni Ashram, Kurabar
Welcome & cultural ceremony by traditional healers
Guni Ashram's activities - Medicinal plant garden /
Guni-run nursery and herbal manufacturing unit
Dr. GP Singh Jhala, JJVS Staff Botanist
MARCH 9TH, THURSDAY
Morning:
Location: Guni Clinic, Rodada
Discussion session with Guni Rodi-bai & interaction
with villagers and
patients about her traditional treatment practices.
Guni residence, Karakali
Guni Pratabi-bai's residence:
Cultural program of indigenous music and dance
followed by discussion with Guni Pratabi-bai, her
family members and neighbors regarding their work &
livelihoods. This includes information on the home
collection and preservation of herbs, indigenous
knowledge / technology, and social customs / rituals
for conservation of medicinal plants.
Vaidhya Jiyalal, JJVS staff Ayurved
Mr. Bhagwati Purohit, JJVS Staff Social Worker
Afternoon:
Location: JJVS Valli office
Panchkarma theory and massage -- Introduction &
demonstration
JJVS staff Ayurveds, Dr. R.K. Deshwal and
Dr. R.L. Choudary
(Massage therapy available for willing participants)
MARCH 10TH FRIDAY:
All Day:
Field Visit:
Banki Forest Farm - Medicinal Plants Nursery &
Research Center
Mr. U. R. Seol, Forest officer, Rajasthan state,
Udaipur division,
Jhadol Forest Division. NAL SANDOL VANOSHDHI UDHYAN
(Medicinal Plants
Garden)
Dr. Satish Sharma, Forest officer, Rajasthan state,
Udaipur division
MARCH 11TH SATURDAY:
Morning:
Field visit: JHAMESHWAR Temple & village homes
Interactive visit with community organizations to
discuss natural resource management, social issues,
grassroots democracy, and soil - water conservation
initiatives.
Mr. G.L. Verma, JJVS community worker
Mr. Narendra Gujar, JJVS community worker
Afternoon:
JJVS, Valli office
Evening session:
Panchkarma & massage therapy.
MARCH 12TH SUNDAY:
Morning & Afternoon:
Free
Evening:
Field visit: "DEVRA" (sacred place for ritual healing
practices) & BHOPA (Shaman employing prayer & ritual
healing practices)
Night:
Cultural event - Bhajan Mandali: devotional songs and
dances with JJVS
staff, gunis and villagers.
MARCH 13TH MONDAY:
All Day:
Field Visit: Jaisamand Lake area
Presentation of indigenous self-reliance initiatives
in the Jaisamand Lake area.
We will visit self-help groups involved in JJVS initiated self-reliance projects for community upliftment, These include natural resource management efforts such as soil & water conservation measures, indigenous grain preservation, and seed banking.
MARCH 14TH TUESDAY:
Morning:
Feedback and review meeting with key JJVS staff
Certification ceremony followed by local rituals
Afternoon:
Return to Udaipur
JAGRAN JAN VIKAS SAMITI
In 1987, Jagran Jan began working with the indigenous Bhil, Gameti, Mina and Gerasian tribes to improve their economic, social and political conditions. However, the tribes soon requested that they focus on the poor public health care in the region and its environmental degradation. In 1989 the Jagran initiated an innovative public health movement based on a holistic wedding of classical and indigenous medical traditions. Jagran helped design the educational format, but the resulting health care system and environmental stewardship program is run directly by the tribes and their Goan Ke Guni or village wisemen, as the tribal people call their new healers. More than 300 gunies have graduated from Jagran Jan and now collaborate with the institute to train village healers from other rural regions as well as urban women's health groups.
A Rajasthan village Havan
(Pre-healing purification ceremony)
FIELD INSTRUCTORS
Mr. Ganesh Purohit and Ms. Bhanwar Dhabai, the charismatic young
founders of Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, as well as their botanist, J. C. Jhala and staff Ayurveds
Dr. Jiya Lal Jat and Dr. Ram Kishore.
TOUR LEADER
Delhi native, Rita Dixit-Kubiak is a Hatha Yoga & Zen Shiatsu teacher\trainer and health-&-ecology researcher with offices in Maine and Kyoto, Japan. After finishing her Friends World College thesis on "East Asian Medicine in Modern Japan," she founded Kyoto's Meta-medical Forum, an interdisciplinary seminar series designed to enhance interaction between Japan's health practitioners and environmental activists. From 1993 to 1998, she led scores of Kyoto residents on annual education, ecology and reforestation tours to the Udaipur region, creating an enduring citizen-driven sister-city collaboration. A sample of her recent writings and interviews on activism, health and ecology are available here
TENTATIVE EXPENSES
COURSE I: "Health Care - as if the Earth and Human Being Mattered"
$1500 - payable to Big Medicine
(includes
in-country travel, food, accommodations & course fees)
Plus (approx) $850 to $1150 International Airfare
TOTAL COST: $2350 to $2650 (plus air ticket taxes)
depending on your chosen flight.
TENTATIVE MOVEMENT SCHEDULE
Day 1 Arrival in Delhi & Hotel*
Day 2 Hotel in Delhi (optional Delhi historic sites tour**)
Day 3 Train to Dehradun - Bija Vidyapeeth
Day 4~9 Bija Vidyapeeth campus
Day 10 Bija Vidyapeeth - Train to Delhi from Dehradun / Hotel in Delhi
Day 11 Return flight to the US
* The Delhi lodgings will be at the New Haven Hotel.
** Delhi Tour Option: please add an extra $50 to Big Medicine your check.
COURSE II: "Indian Traditional Medicine, Options for Public Health"
$1500 - payable to Big Medicine
(includes
in-country travel, food, accommodations & course fees)
Plus (approx) $850 to $1150 International Airfare
TOTAL COST: $2350 to $2650 (plus air ticket taxes)
depending on your chosen flight.
TENTATIVE MOVEMENT SCHEDULE
Day 1 Arrival in Delhi and hotel*.
Day 2 Overnight train to Udaipur (optional Delhi historic sites tour**)
Day 3 Hotel in Udaipur
Day 4 Hotel in Udaipur/ Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti Udaipur Center
Day 5~9 Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti's Traditional Healers' Ashram,
Kurabad village, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Day 10 Overnight train to Delhi
Day 11 Hotel in Delhi
Day 12 Return flight to US. (optional: Delhi museum tour*)
* The Delhi lodgings will be at the New Haven Hotel.
** Delhi Tour Options: please add an extra $50 to your Big Medicine check for each desired Delhi tour.)
FOR BOTH COURSES (Highly Recommended!)
$2000 - payable to Big Medicine
(includes
in-country travel, food, accommodations & course fees)
Plus (approx) $850 to $1150 International Airfare
TOTAL COST: $2850 to $3150 (plus air ticket taxes)
depending on your chosen flight.
MOVEMENT SCHEDULE
Day 1 Arrival in Delhi
Day 2 Hotel* in Delhi (optional Delhi historical sites tour**)
Day 3 Train to Dehradun - Bija Vidyapeeth campus
Day 4~9 Bija Vidyapeeth campus
Day 10 Bija Vidyapeeth - Train to Delhi from Dehradun/ Hotel in Delhi
Day 11 Hotel in Delhi (optional Taj Mahal, Agra tour**)
Day 12 Hotel in Delhi (optional Delhi museum tour**)
Day 13 Overnight train to Udaipur
Day 14 Hotel in Udaipur
Day 15 Hotel in Udaipur/ Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, Udaipur office
Day 16-21 Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti's Traditional Healers' Ashram,
Kurabad village, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Day 22 Overnight train to Delhi
Day 23 Hotel in Delhi
Day 24 Return flight to US.
* The Delhi lodgings will be at the New Haven Hotel.
** Tour Options: please add an extra $50.00 to your Big Medicine check for each desired Delhi tour and/or an extra $135.00 for the Agra/Taj Mahal tour.
FOR INDIAN VISAS!
Besides your US passport
(click HERE if you don't have one),
you will also need a current Indian tourist visa.
You can download an Indian visa application form HERE
and then submit it by mail (requires 10~12 days)
or bring it directly to an Indian Consulate-General (takes a few hours)
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
US/India airfares are projected to range from roughly $850 to $1150 depending on airline and city of origin. Please request info on recommended discount travel agencies when applying for or inquiring about your selected tour(s).
International Travel Notes
- Air India has a 4% surcharge if paying by credit card.
Cancellation Policy
- Airlines have varying policies on fees for changes or cancellations in the weeks leading up to your scheduled time of departure. Please check with your international ticket agent for details.
- Any changes or cancellations for tour arrangements from Jan 1 - Feb 1 will cost 15% of the total package requested.
- Any changes or cancellations from Feb 2 - Feb 15 will cost 50% of total
package requested.
- After Feb 16 it will be 100%.
- All requests for changes or cancellations should be sent in writing or by email.
ABOUT BIG MEDICINE
BIG MEDICINE is a Maine-based non-profit research\education organization dedicated to promoting and\or developing promising post-corporate paradigms for public health, social welfare and truly democratic governance.
PO Box 13, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046
Tel: (207) 967-2390
Email: metamed@nancho.net
Internet: www.nancho.net/bigmedtours
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