Sneha Raichada ~ Healing Journeys with Ayurveda and Community Connection

Sneha Raichada is a dedicated ayurvedic practitioner and educator, serving as the Dean of Education at The Ayurvedic Institute in Asheville, NC. She began her journey in Ayurveda as a student under the guidance of Dr. Vasant Lad in 2005 and eventually transitioned to teaching and administrative roles within the institution. Sneha’s background as a physical therapist complements her holistic approach to healing, and she is deeply involved in promoting Ayurveda as a means of world healing.

Visit Sneha here: https://ayurveda.com/
Also here: https://liveayurprana.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Ayurveda as a Way of Life: Emphasizes the integration of Ayurvedic principles into daily routines and its application for holistic healing.
• Community Healing: Highlights the power of community and collective support in healing, as demonstrated by the response in Asheville after a devastating storm.
• Integration of Modalities: The importance of incorporating various healing modalities, including Ayurvedic practices, yoga, and Vipassana meditation, into a comprehensive wellness routine.

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Chapters

• 0:04 Sneha Raichada's Journey of Giving Back and Healing
• 2:41 Community Resilience and Unity in the Face of Devastation
• 7:18 Sneha Raichada's Journey Through Ayurveda and Cultural Identity
• 13:05 Healing Through Ayurveda: A Journey from Injury to Recovery
• 15:55 The Relocation of Dr. Ladd's Institution to Asheville
• 17:09 Holistic Healing and the Vision of AyurPrana+
• 21:31 Ayurvedic Collaborations and New Year Resolutions
• 26:58 The Transformative Power of Silence and Intentional Rituals
• 32:09 Integrating Vipassana, Yoga, and Ayurveda for Holistic Wellbeing
• 41:23 Ayurveda's Approach to Health and Emotional Balance
• 52:09 Exploring Hybrid Ayurveda Programs and Student Support Options
• 55:18 Embracing Healing and Love in Asheville's Natural Beauty

Transcript

0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast, so happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage, body work and beyond. Follow us at @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let's begin. Todd, do you feel like you are on a healing journey? I do! I feel like I am, and my name is Todd McLaughlin. This is Native Yoga Toddcast. And with that being said, I'm so happy to have this chance to interview and bring to you Sneha Raichada, and she is the dean at the Ayurvedic Institute in Asheville, North Carolina. Follow or look them up on their website, which is ayurveda.com and that's where Dr Vasant Lad teaches. And also check out https://liveayurprana.com/ and that is an incredible site. You got to check it out. And the links are all there. You know what to do if you're interested. You'll search. You'll find it. But that's the basics and the clip, the links in the description of whatever you're watching, slash listening this podcast episode too is also there. You'll find it very easily, and I think that you are going to hear and feel what this healing journey can bring, because I really got a sense from talking with Sneha that she's doing the work and is at a point where she is able to share and teach like authentically. And it just truly was amazing to speak with her, and I just really enjoyed it. And yes, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, well, on that note, I guess no reason to delay it further. Let's begin. I feel so lucky and honored to have this chance to meet and speak with Sneha Raichada and Sneha. Thank you so much for joining me today. I've been looking forward to this conversation for quite a while now, so I'm just really excited to have you here. How are you feeling? Great. Thank you. It's an honor to be here. Thank you so much. You know, I was graciously introduced to you via Pam and Andrew Jones, so I'd like to thank them for opening this door away for me to get a chance to meet and speak with you to get started, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what, what your mission in life is? Beautiful. It's always, you know, the I guess, the most complicated question are, you know, long time ago, with my very first spiritual teacher, it was always accepted to me, that when we get sometime above 40, the age of 40, you know, in in Vedic tradition, there's different stages of life, so as we start transitioning, kind of into, slowly, this third stage of life, to be able to give back to the world, to the community, because we've received so much, you know, prior to that, through education, mentorships, anything we've received so much. So how do we start giving back? So that is truly the inception of everything that we do today, amazing, and we had no desire at that time of what that form would look like. You know, are we giving back in x part of the world or doing y. We had no idea it was a blank slate. We just had this very strong intention and volition saying, hey, we want to give back. And then however the universe was going to guide us. Then, you know, we just kind of flow with that. Wow, how the universe has guided us today, of where we are today, essentially agreed. Oh, that's so cool. So we're giving back in different ways. Essentially, what we realize through our healing journeys, our meditation journeys, is, you know, the world needs healing. Individuals need healing, and we all heal in different ways, using different forms. You. So how can we make these forms accessible for each person so they can do their own healing work? How do we just help to facilitate an environment through education or just a space to allow them to say, Hey, you're not alone. We're all in this together, and we're all can do this together, because we believe healing occurs in a village. So we call it the Ayur prana village, for that reason, amazing. And you are located in Nashville, North Carolina. Am I correct? We are, yes. You know, on a slight side note, I live in Florida, and when the storm came up through the Gulf. You know, we were watching it, going, Whoa, this is a monster. And I have family, my wife's family, are in Greenville, Tennessee, which is not far. It's like, about an hour away from Asheville on the, kind of, on the west side of the Appalachians in Tennessee. And so they just don't ever, I think a lot of folks up there hear hurricane and don't think anything. And a lot of you know people from Florida, when we hear hurricane that are getting out of dodge, go up to North Carolina to get away from it. And so I just went up there for the holidays to visit. And I was shocked driving through Asheville. Well, the i 26 that goes from 95 near Charleston, South Carolina, up to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Gradually, as I got closer, I started seeing more trees down, more trees that have been cut up so that the road could be cleared, but still massive piles of debris. As I got closer and closer to Asheville, I was like, Whoa, these guys got hit hard. And then as we came down through the Blue Ridge Parkway into an area called Irwin, that blew my mind, too, and then GPS didn't auto correct for the fact that a whole bunch of roads are closed in Tennessee too. The nolicucky River took out a ton of bridges, and we got rerouted going further north, up to an area called Johnson City and then back down. And I was I could not believe the devastation. So I would like to just ask, first of all, how are you doing after all of that, and what have you witnessed in the Getting back to life process, and what has that been like in drawing your community together? No, thank you. Thank you so much for honoring that it was, it was definitely, you know, devastating and difficult in the moment, and especially those first few days, because there's just no communication, so we just didn't know what was happening in the world. Actually didn't know what was happening because you couldn't communicate with Asheville. It literally took out all communication. But I would say the biggest thing that I take away from the entire experience is the community, the people of Asheville and surrounding communities, and even, not even immediate surrounding communities, but community as a whole, everyone came together. I'm telling you, Todd, I've never witnessed so much heart in a community through devastation. Yeah, every neighbor, every street, whoever could offer anything, was offering it to each other. It wasn't, you know, when you think of devastation and things you see it on the movies or the shows or even on the news, sometimes about like looting and selfishness and all these things of like scarcity mentality. It was the exact opposite was occurring. Todd. I was so grateful. That's so good to hear. Do you? Do you feel that that's an Asheville, a unique element to the vibe of Asheville, or do you have a humanitarian viewpoint, that this would be the same in almost all places of the world? I know the world is very diverse, and there's so much going on, but do does that, do you feel like that extends to humanity, globally, on a on a certain level, you know, I would, I would, I would hope so good answer. I would hope so hard one to answer, but that, yeah, nice answer. Because, you know, I get the reality of it sometimes and when a stressful situation happens and how people respond, you know, definitely I would say 100% very specific to Asheville. But I noticed the reason I say, I hope so. And I also saw it actually that it's larger than Asheville too. You know, we had people from Charlotte coming down. We had people from New York coming down, like all over the place. And these individuals don't know anyone here. You know, I literally was in a location where we had individuals on their four wheelers that drove down from Charlotte. They don't know anybody on that street, and they're literally just going house to house, saying, How can we help? Wow, how can we what do you need sawed down? What tree do you need removed from your roof? And they don't know you. But they're just there just because of the goodness of their heart. Wow. So great to hear. Thank you. What? What? So I know, can you explain a little bit about All right, let's start maybe at the Ayurvedic Institute. Can you explain your role at the art of Ayurvedic Institute? Sure. Ayurvedic Institute is an institution found by Dr Vasant blood. It's been it open for like, 40 plus years now. I originally started off as a student of his back in 2005 and then slowly, eventually he asked me to teach in the institution. So I'm still a faculty member currently. And then eventually he asked me to help run the school, so I'm also the Dean of Education at the institute today. Amazing. I mean, I've heard so many incredible things about Dr Ladd over the years that I've been involved in yoga, and even when I had an opportunity to travel to India, people in India spoke about the work he was doing in the US, and were saying, if you want to study Ayurveda, go back to the US. That's where Dr Ladd is. Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like, what it is like working with him, and what your experience has been? Definitely, he's just, I would say that my biggest takeaway is the compassion that he shows in every moment Todd like everything that he is teaching his students he is living moment to moment. I see like lack of insistence. I see lack of ego. I just see true compassion and acceptance for just humanity and just offering ways to help alleviate the suffering. Wow, very cool. Yeah, now you put a strong emphasis on the healing journey. And I'm curious, was there a moment where you had a spark of realization that you are on a healing journey. 100% I feel every moment, even when I'm teaching a class, it doesn't matter. I feel like I'm just a student with everyone there, and we're just discussing and healing each other. Anytime we're talking about anything, it's just like a mirror reflection of what is happening? What are things that I've digested that I can just share from an experiential standpoint as a faculty member to the students? It's, it's a constant healing Todd, honestly, I hear, yeah, it's great when you have that perspective. It just seems like it changes. It like the maybe, if the journey of the individual going from experiencing trauma, and I know there's all different levels of intensity there, to maybe thinking in our personal experience, like I've never experienced trauma before, to some sort of turning point where you go, Oh, wait, maybe I have and, And what can I do to, like you said, alleviate the suffering? Can you share a little bit about your own personal background? Did you have like, a nice, easy ride, or was it was there anything I haven't met too many people that say, yeah, yeah, it's been an easy ride. But I'm curious what was the catalyst from your childhood to, you know, that moment of like, I want to embark on these sort of studies and practices, you know, I guess easy is a relative term, yeah, easy for some when I describe it and, you know, difficult, Depending on who you are, in your background, growing up, you know, I come from an Indian family, parents, you know, first they moved here. So we're like first generation. Even though I was born in India, I came here when I was, like, four years old. So it was like being born here. Essentially, where did you grow up? In? In good well, in Virginia is where I grew up. Virginia Beach actually cool, but it was, it was very different growing up, especially at that time, right there, no one really knew anything about Indian culture. I remember as a kid in elementary school, people were like, Oh, are you Indian like the.or are you Indian? Like the feather, right? Like American Indian, the Native American Indians, the awareness just wasn't there, right? The globe was mysterious at that time, you know, internet and all these things have brought us together and have made it less mysterious. But growing up, my parents now looking back at it, you know, at that time, I just wanted to be American, because that's where I grew up, and that's all my friends and so forth. But my parents always practiced Vedic philosophy, Ayurvedic traditions, you know, Eastern thought, philosophy and so forth. And now looking back at it, like they're always doing something around. Ayurveda now that I look at it, you know, during our meal times and how our meals were, and, you know, my dad taking triphala, and I just, I just never questioned it. I never had interest in it because of the environment I grew up in. You know, at that time, you just want to be like everybody else as a kid. Then eventually you fast forward, you know, after I got married and so forth, my husband was working, and he actually got injured, and this is how it led us into this Ayurveda journey where he actually had a herniated disc in his cervical vertebrae, area in c5 c6 and his entire left arm was paralyzed. He couldn't move it, he couldn't feel it, constant pain, that kind of stuff. And then we went to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and my background is a physical therapist, so I've worked with clients with these type of injuries and post surgery. So I essentially told my husband, like, hey, surgery is always an option, and there's no guarantees with surgery, and the doctors tell you that too. And then a friend of ours was like, Hey, there's this alternative doc up in New Mexico. And we lived in West Texas at that time, and he's like, if you want to go check it out, you may want to go. And I was like, Okay, well, it doesn't hurt, you know. Can't be anything worse. So then I guess, to appease me, because he just wanted to get the surgery and get it done and move on with life kind of thing. To appease me. He's like, Okay, let's go. And at that time, that was Dr loud, essentially, up in New Mexico, in Albuquerque, at that time, they happened to have a cancelation, so he was able to get in, and he did bunch of karma for two weeks. There had to be a cancelation of two weeks. At the end of that funkarma Todd, which is like the Ayurvedic cleansing detox program, he started noticing a difference. He started feeling sensation back in his arm. He his pain levels went down. So I was like, wow, there's something to this. And then we just simply just started, you know, following the protocol where we just made some modifications, simple tweaks to our diet. We were taught some simple breath work exercises and stretching yoga exercises. We followed that and an herbal protocol, like a natural supplemental herbal protocol. We followed that for a full year, and then after that, we just continued doing bunch of karma, twice a year minimum, just because of the way our life was and when we could do it. But after one year of following that protocol, I'm not exaggerating, Todd, like his feeling is back. He can move his arm. Sensation is there no pain. And it was like, this miracle had happened, but there was a science behind it. And then that's where I was like, I need to go study this. You know, having the physical therapy background, just seeing the wonder that happened with simple stuff, nothing invasive. I was like, I need to figure this thing out. How the heck did this happen? Basically, cool, yeah, that's amazing. And you already had a, you know, an interest in human body mechanics, physiotherapy, all these elements, like you said, from physical therapy. So at that point, you guys are back in Texas. You're doing the you know, like you said, a year goes by, where was the transition for you to move to Asheville? And how did Dr laud manage the place in New Mexico? Because you said the center in Asheville has been 40 years. So was he managing both at the same time? Oh, no, no, it was total practice has been 40 plus years. Got it Geordi of the time has been in Albuquerque in Asheville. Today, we're in our third academic year, so it's been very recent since we moved the entire institution and the school and so forth into Asheville. Do you mind me asking, what would make that move happen, unless there's, like, a political element behind it? Yeah, I'm just curious. I mean, I don't know a lot of I don't know anything, and so I have no idea, but I'm just curious, unless it's something you know, obviously you can tell me, No, I don't want to answer that question, but I'm just curious, like, why that's a big move? Like, West Coast, Desert Mountain. Like, what was the drive or the feeling? No, no. It's really simple, to be perfectly honest. Like when I came into this role and position, we just asked, Dr Ladd, we said, Dr lad What is your intention? This is your institution. So we're here to help facilitate it however you want, to grow it, nurture it, whatever it is. What's your institution about? And what do you want? So when you're not here, essentially, you know what's your vision? So we can help to facilitate that in this purest sense. And he meditated on that, and he simply. Told us that you know this, this institution is beyond me. It is beyond you and I. It is for Ayurveda and for the world to heal. So the world needs Ayurveda. So it needs to carry on beyond me. And if it's going to carry on beyond me, it needs to have various components for it. At the time in Albuquerque, it was a very modest it served. It served its purpose, but a very modest, you know, humble beginnings of a school and a simple bunch of karma Center. He said, If it needs to carry on, it needs to have like nature, plant life, farming, right, all of these components of life, and it needs to grow and expand for the world to receive it and to carry on for multiple generations, beyond myself, beyond him, beyond all of us. And then so that was the intention behind it. And we started searching everywhere, everywhere in Albuquerque, everywhere in New Mexico. And like you said, from West Coast to East Coast, north, south, and somehow Grace led us to Asheville. Wow, that's so cool to hear. Interesting. It is beautiful in Asheville. I really love it. Yeah, it's amazing. I think just the region offers this vision to come to life, right? The bioregional diversity of plant, of the quality of the soil, of the water, of the intention. You know, as we were moving to Asheville, is doing some research, and it was so beautiful. We found history of healing tribes, you know, of the Native Americans coming here for generations and 1000s of years, when they needed to heal, they would come to these Blue Ridge Mountains they would form like conclaves and, you know, do ceremony. So the healing vibrations already exist in this part of the world. Yes, agreed. Wow. How cool. So you're the dean of the Ayurvedic Institute. And I also, in doing trying to learn as much about you as I could, prior to our conversation, I see that you're involved in the Ayur prana. Plus, can you the website for that one is the live Iyer prana.com and I was just really, I'm really impressed with the multitude of disciplines that you're weaving into the holistic component of the healing journey. Can you talk a little bit about the birth of Ayur prana plus, and what your role is, and what you what the vision of the goal of this program ultimately is, or what you hope for beyond what you've already said, yeah, now we call it, you know, the village, essentially like what you're saying, because there's so many different facets or aspects to it, just like there's so many different aspects to us and our healing journeys, right? Sometimes I may need nutrition to heal myself and heal my body. Sometimes I may need inspiration to heal myself. I may need mental, emotional inspiration, right? I may need physical inspiration and movement, right? I may need to just get out there and work out or do some sort of movement flow. So we thought about this and grace. Again, I always, you know, attribute it to grace. None of us are smart enough to do any of this alone. And essentially, what we've done with this village is offer all these different components, because, like you and I, yes, we have so many similarities from a humanity standpoint. But then, through our healing journeys, our experiences, they're so diverse, and so our needs will be diverse as well. So we wanted to offer that for individuals, whether it's through education, through healing, things like bunch of karma and therapies and hands on things, through nutrition, through cooking classes, through yoga and yoga classes, through music, right? When we go and listen to music, I don't think about the person sitting next to me, if they're Democrat or Republican, or if they're white or black, or, you know, where they are from the world. You just get engrossed in the music, right? And it allows such beautiful, healing intentions and vibrations to occur. So we even have music as a component of this village too. I saw that you have Sean Johnson and the wild Lotus band as a part of that. I had a chance to see him perform when he was doing something with Yoga Journal conference many years ago here in Florida. But I know he was stationed in New Orleans area for a long time. How did I mean, I not that we have to, you have to answer for him, but how I didn't know that he moved to Asheville. So, um, did, did you go there? Did you set the Ayurvedic Institute up there first, and then they just came into town, and then you guys said, Oh my gosh, let's collaborate. Or, how did that evolve? It kind of. Basically, okay, we moved to Asheville, and then I upon a listening room happened, which is the venue where we hold, like conscious music, essentially, or even conscious thoughts. We'll have speakers and so forth. And at that time, Sean Johnson and the wild Lotus band came and performed there. And I had never met Sean up until that point, and then a mutual friend introduced us, and we got to know each other, and that's how it all happened. And he was looking for something in his life at that time. And then at some point, I mean, I'm sure he can tell you his side of the story and what was going through his heart at that time, but it was just a beautiful friendship and a connection that happened. And then that's how he ended up coming on board part of the whole Ayur prana village and and he's, he does the band, which is just amazing. If no one has ever heard him, you know, I highly recommend it. So talented as a musician, period. But then from the bhakti side, oh my gosh. He's, incredible, and he incorporates it through yoga as well. So he actually runs the entire Asheville Yoga Center here in Asheville, and he also does immersions and workshops and classes through yoga and bump the and just interweaving both of these things beautifully. Wow, that's so cool. Can you explain a little bit like when you say the is it called the listening room? What is the term? Yeah, what is, is that a brick and mortar building that is specifically in place for that? Or is it a part of the Ayurvedic Institute, a room that you have at the Ayurvedic Institute, like attached it is a separate brick and mortar building located like almost separately from the Institute of Hayward, essentially in Asheville, okay, but it is a beautiful venue, and we call it the listening room, because we just like everyone to come there to listen, not only to like beautiful music and speakers, but come there to listen to ourselves, right? Create that space where we can hear that inner voice, that inner guidance. So we called it the listening room for that reason. Wow. And then I noticed that you've also teamed up with Dharma Mitra from the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City. How did that collaboration come into play? That's because of beautiful Andrew and Pam. They are just beautiful devotees of their mudra Ji. And I mean, he's He's amazing. He's such a beautiful, humble soul. And same thing, we had a beautiful connection with Andrew and Pam. We still do. We love them, and then they introduced us and help make that possible, essentially, wow. I like that. You brought up the grace element in that you're saying, Whoa, like we had a vision. Didn't know what, what it would look like. It's coming to this point here, it's, it's, and then I think just that your presentation on that website is just so professional. So I was looking at going, oh gosh, these guys are good. This looks really amazing. So well done. I'm really excited to hear all that. Thank you for sharing all that information. Because those were questions. I was just like, how did this come together? Like, this is a really neat collaboration. Can you tell me a little bit about this? This the release, the release of this podcast is December 27 so we're right coming up on the New Year of january 2025 Wow, how does, how do, what are your thoughts in relation to New Year's resolutions and or the healing journey, and what would Ayurveda speak to in relation to coming up with ideas for like, a, you know, just moving forward and having a vision and a dream and starting to feel excitement for life, like I'm in this place where it's happening, like I just, I'm in awe of all of the beauty around me. What, what is your thoughts on how one could start to cultivate that beautiful question. It's from irithy perspective. It makes me think of these like rituals we have within irida, what we call like different like daily rituals or seasonal rituals, yearly rituals. So we have these components right there to bring us awareness and pause of Wait, what is my intention behind doing whatever it is that I'm doing today. So in the daily ritual, we do it around, you know, understanding the synchronicity with time and how the lunar cycle works, how the sunrise works, how we can take all these different components within our bodies. Same thing with seasonal rituals. So around this new year time, I was thinking of as a seasonal ritual, not necessarily to put that pressure on ourselves, you know, as a resolution, like, I'll never do this kind of thing. But more about, you know, what's my intention? Where do I want to go? What are things that need healing, or maybe as simple as letting go of within my being, whether it's physically, mentally, emotionally. So in Ayurveda, around seasonal rituals, they do actually bunch of karma. In the classical text, which is 1000s of years old, they advise individuals to do a cleanse. And when we think of cleanses, you know, we think of juice fast, or water fast, or this or that kind of thing. There is a physical component to an Ayurvedic cleanse, but there's also the mental, emotional component. So I would encourage individuals, you know, in a seasonal way, in a New Year's resolution, really, just to take a pause. You know, like my husband and I, we're also taking a pause. We do this periodically where we'll just, you know, rent a cabin somewhere, nothing super fancy or anything like that. But we just do a silent retreat where we don't even talk to each other. You know, we'll already have designated times who's going to cook when, so there's like, no communication, but it's true silence. We just turn it all off to create that pause, to create that space. Wow. So I would encourage I get so much out of it. Todd, so I encourage individuals like as New Year's resolutions, just create a pause. It doesn't have to be, you know, X number of days or X number of hours. But if we create this routine, this ritual within our beings, you start seeing the accumulation and the effects of it, then that makes me think I have my wife and I have two children, like even if we took an hour on some day and said, I like the fact that you guys come up with, Okay, I'll do breakfast, you do lunch, and then, you know, for not having dinner or whatever, and and like, have everything kind of organized, and then just hang out and just be quiet. That would be, I think my kids would my I think as a family, it would be pretty cool. And like, you know, even, like you said, an hour, a half hour, but it's a conscious, let's turn everything off. I did notice in traveling, I had an opportunity to go practice Ashtanga Yoga with patavi Joyce and in Mysore, and when I first met somebody, or I met a gentleman who I was asking for assistance to find accommodation, and I said, Can you help us tomorrow? And he said, No, because it's a full moon. And I was like, you know, it's my first introduction to this idea of shutting everything down on the new and the full moon and having this, you know, event sort of thing all electricity off. And I suppose it's similar to maybe Shabbat in the Judaic tradition too. Of you know, one day a week where it's all turned off, and what I just was blown away by that concept, you know, and how amazing that is. And so I agree with you. I think what a cool thing. It's neat that you guys are doing that. It sounds like it would be quite profound. Well, it's beautiful because we think of space. Sometimes people think of it as a void. It is a void. But then what are you filling that space with? Right? Allowing light and grace to come down, allowing that intuition to really flower, allowing that light to speak to you. Because if I don't have the space, then it just gets cluttered up with everything else, right? You have this thought that, thought this checklist and that appointment, but it's just, we all need that good point. Do you feel though, sometimes when you go in places of silence, it's not always easy, definitely, because we're painting a very rosy picture, but oh, you know, for me personally, right? It's different for each person, yeah, but I've been doing these silent retreats. I got introduced to it through Vipassana, and I practice it right. I love Vipassana. It is life transformational for me, and whenever I can't go to a formal Vipassana, course, sometimes it's hard to schedule it in our schedules. So this is how my husband and I will do it internally, just individually. Essentially, I thought you must have, I thought you must have done a 10 day retreat based off of the way you guys organized your your silent retreat that you're taking together. Yes, yes, we've done, we've been doing Vipassana. We got introduced to it back in 2000 and we've been doing it ever since. Oh, so, I mean, I know it's not a bragging thing of like, Hey, I did this many courses. Or, I know, like, there's a humility around Vipassana, but I am curious if you've been at it for that long? Have you gone for the longer courses, 20, day, 30 day I have, oh, yeah, and it's, what, what level have you taken it to? What's the longest course you've sat? I've done I've done several 30 day courses. And then I put an intention out there. I feel like I'm ready. You know, each individual like you have this is nothing that can be forced or anything like that. I feel now I am ready. And I put. The intention out there the next couple of years to be able to do a 45 day course. And it's like what you said, it is not rainbows and roses, my friend, but the result is rainbows and roses. And it is worth it. It is worth every minute of it. You know, the first few days, I would say, first week or so, in some of those longer courses, it is just watching the chatter that is occurring, and then finally the chatter slows down, and you're really then getting deeper and deeper into that process. Oh my gosh, wow. Yeah, the I've the longest I've made is the 10 day. And I did get a chance to do the eight day, Satya patana sutra, course, because I was hoping to head down the direction and then kids and having children. And I've just had to put all that on pause, but I I still practice, but on a very smaller scale, but I have big respect for the discipline that goes into working to the to the to this, what you're talking about? Amazing. Yeah, no, it's like, it's like, do I want to live or do I want to die? Honestly, extreme, you know, but it's just such a beautiful cleansing like that is my association with it. Like you said, it's not rainbows and roses, but the process is such a beautiful cleansing of letting go of everything and what is important in life, like comes back to center. You know, we have to service our cars like your car will break down if you don't service it right. You have to take it into the mechanic and do it. Same thing. It's like, we have to take this being into the shop and do it. We got to put the work in, otherwise, eventually we will break down. Wow, agreed. How have you been able? So I remember the first time I got a chance to go to a Vipassana. Course, the instructions are very clear, very the guard rails are very stable. And so they were no yoga, no practicing yoga. And at first I was kind of like, oh, this actually be really nice, you know, like, just let it all go. Or if I'm used to chanting on a rosary and let it go, let all your practices go and give this true child and see what comes out of it. How have you integrated your this other? I don't wanna say other, because it's not really other. It's all one big healing journey. But have you found it very easy to integrate all these other components, like bhakti yoga, Ayurveda yoga, and be a devoted Vipassana meditator as well. How has that looked for you? Yeah. You know, in viva, one of the biggest things is like watching, right, not reacting and watching what is happening. What is that discharge that is happening? Whatever it may be. Sometimes it may be joy, love, laughter, sometimes it may be anger, irritation, whatever, sadness. And I feel that all of this is similar Todd, yeah, you know, whether it's bhakti that's coming out, right, just watching it and not being attached to it, because the next moment will be different. That's the biggest thing that I take away from Vipassana and being able to integrate anything that is happening in my life. Yeah, good answer. Amazing. What projects? So you're the dean of a school, I imagine this takes a lot of administrative skill, because students are applying, applications are coming in. You're processing applications and and then there's the just organizational components. What do you feel is your forte? What? What is your in all the roles that you play as a dean, where do you feel like you really have just gotten good at it? That's a great question. That might be a good question to ask others, because other people, well, let me flip it then, what is your what do you like the least? What is the hardest for you? What is the thing that you're just like? I mean, you know, the administrative stuff, perfectly honest. Yeah, because I actually, I love being with the students. I love being with the faculty, you know, just making things approachable and non intimidating, and just, you know, teaching, discussing, brainstorming, like I love that component. I can do all the administration stuff, obviously I have to, but that would be the stuff where I've just like, Okay, let me just hurry up and get the spreadsheet done, you know. And let me just go back out and kind of teach another. Class or something. Yeah, good point. If I'm I'm a listener. I've never I'm new to yoga, and I'm like, What are they talking about? They're saying Ayurveda. They're talking about yoga. I went and did, I took a class. I don't even know what the name of it was. It was real hot. I didn't like it, or I did like it or and I want to, I want to. I want to move. I want to. I really, I feel, I feel something. I feel like something's working. I'm intrigued. What advice can you give me in relation to from your perspective of having many years of practice, what, or if we were to frame this in the other way, if you were to able to give your own self advice back in 1995 or something, what would you, you know offer? You know, Yoga and Ayurveda. They're considered like Sister sciences. Ayurveda, officially, is defined as science of life. But then to think about you know, what is life? Life is every component of us. Life is to be in relationship with ourselves, to one another, to nature, to our environment, to everything. And yoga is the union of all of these things. So how can I align myself through these practices, whether it's through yoga or through the practices of Ayurveda? And Ayurveda brings all of these things together. So it's, do I want to be happy? Do I want to help others to be happy, nurture those around me that's all about being in relationship, and I feel Ayurveda really offers us a perspective to do this without judgment, without isolation, without saying, I'm better than you. You're wrong, any of those things. It allows us to see each other for where we are, when we are, and then allows us opportunity to say, wait, I know where I am today, but I do want to go over here. I do need to change this one thing in myself and Ayurveda and yoga both allow us that process to change without judgment? Great answer. Where does the Where do you feel like the humility piece comes in, because I do feel humility from you like, you know, because personally, how serious Vipassana is, the amount of courses you've done like but you're being very humble about all that. At what point do you feel like humility becomes natural? You know, I think it's, I think it's within all of us. There's times when, if I get if I get lost in my external world, then that's when I think humility gets lost. But I do believe it's within all of us, because I believe humility allows us that light within us to say, hey, I don't know everything you know. And you know what? I can learn something from Todd in this moment, or I can learn something from X, Y and Z, or X, Y and Z, situation is asking this of me and but when I get caught up in the situation, in the other person, then I feel like it's lost within us. And I sincerely believe that nothing is happening without Grace's hand. So I know I'm not the doer. I know I'm not the reason something is happening. Great answer. I think I'm healthy. Am I and and how do I answer? How do I investigate that inquiry? So when we look at health from an Ayurvedic side, one of the oldest sutras in Ayurveda says, like the definition of health is so, you know, I guess trendy in our current society, depending on what the fashionable trend is. You know, do I follow an X diet? Do I look like this? Do I weigh this much? What exercises am I involved in IRA? This is scratch, all of that stuff. It actually defines health of saying, Do you have a balanced digestive system. Do you have balanced tissues? Do you have balanced doshas, which we call an Ayurveda, Vata, Pitta and Kapha? And do you have a balanced like mental, emotional state? If all these things are in balance and in harmony and are communicating and flowing, you're healthy. You. That's how Ayurveda defines healthy, is not lack of disease, which is different than how we define healthy today. I'm not diagnosed with anything Todd, therefore I am healthy, right? But if I know, wait, I'm not happy in myself, that's not health. Then, yeah, that's a good answer. Yeah, yeah, I see that. That's great. I like the scrapping the number on the scale. The is that, does that allude in the direction of potentially, I could be diagnosed with a life threatening illness and still feel healthy? Definitely, because, you know, I like that, right? Because there's some I have so much fear about, yeah, not fear about, well, I guess I have fear about death. I mean, I just got to be honest, I do. But, you know, and and, and the nervousness, and we see so many folks around that are going through so much challenging stuff and and I just have this dream and vision that if, if, when, and if that sort of thing occurs, I'll somehow be able to navigate it in a way that I'll feel at peace with it, like, okay, it's okay. I can still be a still be engaged in life in a way where I'm in awe, even though I'm not sure how to take all this. So I guess I love that aspect that you're bringing up, that there's potentially I could still have a really crazy thing going on and be able to stand true and honest and say, but I feel healthy, that would be an amazing thing. Do you see that? Do you feel that too? Do you see what? Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, totally. Because, you know, even like in today's lifetime, I remember growing up, I don't think I knew anyone that had cancer. Today is like every other person is getting diagnosed with cancer, you know? And when I think about like diseases like that, right? Cancers are very extreme, but it could be anything, so many like allergies and gluten sensitivity and all these things. As a kid growing up, we didn't have a lot of this stuff. None of my friends had any of these issues, right? And I always just think back, man, what is going on with us, right? And a lot of it has to do with, obviously, the pesticides and the environment and all these things. But there's also this mental, emotional component. What like, how am I existing today with the stress of today's lifestyle? Where can I balance that right? How do I deal with stress? Because if I can remove that aspect from myself, from another human being, and minimize that, I promise you that physical health piece you know, that we're always talking about in definition of health will start getting alleviated to you know, I and I see Where, then, in terms of your vision and what you're sharing with Dr Ladd in, you know, thinking along the lines, how can this continue, this sort of thinking and understanding about our relationship to the world? How can this continue when we're not here? What? What is the I uh, element, and in relation to technology, often when I'm making videos, and I'll put them on a up YouTube or wherever, I'll be like, Man, this, this is going to be here for a really long time. I mean, as long as electricity is still around, I mean, and all the stuff that goes into you, and I, what we're doing, this will be here for a really long time. You know? It could be, there'll be this memory, so to speak, it's I keep anyway, without going too far down that track. But I, I'm um, but then I wonder, will the energy that you're putting out through your words and the vibe, like there's a certain like, I feel like, as humans, we carry it. So do you feel like it's really important to transmit it person by person, or do you feel this electronic medium will could carry it if all humanity did disappear? I don't know if that's too out there of a question, but I just, I guess I'm wondering, when you think about how to continue something further and further, Is it as simple as just practice it myself and that's all I need to do? Or is there a mastermind element of, like, let's try to make this where it does last? I think it's both, yeah, cool, right? Because if I can't practice it, I can't live it, I can't own it, then what am I sharing and and we have to share it also, yeah, right, because that was one of the intentions behind this Ayur prana village and the online component. Yeah. Yes, technology has all these so called negatives to it, but it also has this beautiful part to it, right? It is allowing us to come closer together as a globe, right, and decrease the mysteries and the unknowns of things. So then, how can we use it to facilitate it like we have clients all over the world, we have individuals that do consultations, that come see us, that interact with us just like you and I are interacting, that do online home cleanses with us. None of this would have been possible without technology. So I feel like there's this beautiful bridge between both, one on one, for sure, and definitely keep doing the work in myself, because it's really my experience that I'm able to just share with another human being. Agreed. Yeah, good point. I think you're right. Have you? Have you had, have you had a test lately that has pulled you out of your observational awareness and put you into anger, or some of the emotional states that we often would like to hopefully not have to go down anymore. Have you had anything lately where I don't know. I mean, well, maybe the storm, it sounds like you saw the storm in Asheville as a very community building situation. And it sounds to me like you're able to recognize pretty quickly, like, Whoa, there's anger, or, ah, I'm feeling heat in my body and I'm or I got embarrassed, and I can feel that in my palms, and let me breathe. But have you had a moment recently where you got carried away and then, oh, let's get back on track? Has anything gotten thrown at you lately like that? Oh, 100% okay, good. It's part of human human experience. That's the beauty of Ayurveda, right? Whether it's anger, sadness, grief, irritation, jealousy, whatever the emotion, whatever label you want to put on it. I think that's the beauty of Ayurveda, is we put the label on it as a human being to communicate something, but at the end of the day, it is energy and it is vibration, we put the value. Is it a good energy or a bad energy? A good vibration or a bad vibration? But it is a vibration that is coming out. It is like this discharge that is happening. But then, how am I able to observe that discharge but not get caught up in it? Okay? If I get angry at you, I saw like, oh, say, I got angry at Todd, I can very easily just be like, Todd. I'm so sorry. I just realized I did not mean to hurt you, right? That is part of that human experience, right? That can bring about that humility and humanness of saying, Wait, there's anger inside of me, right? Or there's this vibration that's coming, and then I really just says, Watch it, let it observe, let it flow. Because the minute I stop watching it, it gets stuck inside of me, and then that's when that disease formation starts happening. Versus flow it. Watch it, observe it, and you'll see it just dissipate. Love it. If I would like to study with you, but I, I and Dr Ladd, but I'm so busy and I'm far away. How do I? How do I do that? Several different ways. So at the school, there's a hybrid program, so you could do it online, or you could do it part time if you wanted to actually go deep into the Ayurveda rabbit hole. Or if you're just like, hey, I just want, you know, couple of classes an hour to a weekend thing, then the live by your prana website, we have a variety of different classes, different topics that you can kind of watch on your own or be engaged in it in a live format with a question and answer and build a community as well. So whatever level you want, cool, I What when I see the three letters cap, certified Ayurvedic practitioner. How many years of study is that? Or how many hours? What does that actually amount to in terms of a commitment, like, if I'm thinking I want to do it, am I thinking like a one year program? I know obviously like part time, full time, all of that would differ. But if I was a full time student, what does that sound like or look like? If you're a full time student, to become a practitioner is a two year commitment. So in our classes are usually like nine to 10 months every year. So it's really a typical school year. Like September to May, or, you know, something like that. How do some of the students, do they move to Asheville and reside and find a house to rent, slash buy or apartment or and then figure that out like that? Or do you guys help? We do. We do a little bit of both. So we're always raising money for scholarships. That way we can support our students, because we're a nonprofit institution, 501, c3, for education. So we'll try to raise scholarships and donations to always help support our students. But now that we have this technology again. Another beautiful way to use it is students can be hybrid as well, because we get it. People want to study. They even want to go down that rabbit hole. But they have families. They have lives. They have partners that can't move. They have kids. So this way you're able to study with us via a hybrid program, via online, via part time. Kind of adjust it to where your lifestyle is today. That's cool. If I did it hybrid, then how many times a year would I need to travel to Asheville? You could do it. It's always based on the number of hours required, right? So you could do it within like one full trip if you needed to Todd, or you could break it up into like couple of trips if you wanted to nice. It's a good excuse to have to go to need exactly. I mean, Asheville is a beautiful place to visit, like, for those that have never been to Asheville, you know, aside from the hurricane, but it is. It is a gorgeous place, especially, I would say, eight to nine months out of the year, even in the winter time you know everything. You know the leaves are dead and everything's dried up. But there's a beauty in that too. But if you're looking for, like, lush, green, tropical weather, I mean, Asheville, is it, my friend? Yeah, it's amazing, right? In the summer, it's sometimes I'll be in the mountains around there in the summer and feel like I'm in Costa Rica or somewhere tropical, because so much moisture, and it's so green and and lush. It's so beautiful up there. Yes, oh man. Well, I am so thankful Sneha for this opportunity. I've really enjoyed it, and you just are such a great speaker. And I really just, I'm grateful that I have this opportunity, and I know you're busy. So in closing, is there anything you'd like to share, I guess, around the realm of New Year's coming up? Any final words, just to leave us with that could potentially kick start us into a new adventure in life? Beautiful, well, been an honor to be here Todd, so I'm very grateful as well. So thank you. Thank you for this beautiful invitation. And I would say, like just what we were talking about earlier, for anyone that is going through anything, right? We all need healing. You're not alone. First and foremost, we're all going through it. It's not just you. And healing comes in different forms and different times and through different ways. So being able to see that and to receive it, don't shy away from receiving the healing, whether it's through a friend, just giving a beautiful hug or spending a little time, and create that time for yourself, because you deserve it. Sometimes, in today's society, we don't always think that I deserve something that I'm receiving, you know, and we all deserve it. We all deserve healing. We all deserve love. And at the end of the day, we are love, right? And that's the most important thing for us to remember. Thank you so much. That was great. Thank you. Sneha, thank you, Todd. It's such an honor. Thank you. Thank you. Native yoga, Todd. Cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you like this show, let me know if there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. And if you have ideas for future guests or topics, please send us your thoughts to info at Native yoga center. You can find us at Native yoga center.com, and hey, if you did like this episode, share it with your friends. Rate it and review and join us next time you Well, yeah, now you.