Our Committees
STANDARDS, PRACTICE AND ETHICS COMMITTEES
Vd. Sangeeta Gupta
I have completed my bachelors in Ayurvedic Medicines and Surgery from a reputable university in India. I also have a diploma in Yoga and Naturopathy.
After completing my bachelors I worked for sometime in a Ayurvedic hospital as a resident medical councillor while also supporting the radio diagnostic department there. I also got my training in ultrasonography while working at the hospital. Later, I studied business administration and worked in a multi-speciality hospital as an administrator along with pursuing my Ayurvedic practice. I worked in coordination with other doctors practicing modern medicines focusing mainly on the holistic approach towards the well being of a patient/person that includes lifestyle, diet, yogasanas beside Ayurvedic medicines.
I have worked as a health councillor in association with a Non-Profit Organization that worked to provide primary healthcare to school going children. I completing my degree as a Registered Massage Therapist after moving to Canada. Right now I am working as a Massage Therapist in a clinic along with focusing on Ayurvedic counselling.
Moninder Kaur Rekhi (Chair, Ontario Chapter)
Vd. Moninder Kaur Rekhi is a board-certified Doctor of Natural Medicine (Ayurveda). She did her ‘Bachelors in Ayurvedic.
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Bhavna Mehta
Bhavna Mehta BAMS, RNP is an Ayurvedic doctor from India with more than 20 years of experience in Ayurvedic Medicine and a specialization in Panchkarma. She is a Registered Nurse Practitioner (licensed in Canada) and works at Sunnybrook Hospital.
Bhavna’s unique expertise includes an ability to integrate her knowledge of Western medicine with Ayurvedic medicine. She has contributed her valuable skills to the clinical learning settings at CAISH as a teacher for the last 10 years.
Our Committees
TRAINING AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Natasha Samson
Natasha Samson has been a student of Ayurveda for six years and is currently taking the Ayurveda Health Councillor Program
at the Mount Madonna Institute of Ayurveda. Natasha is also a registered Yoga Teacher, using Yoga Therapy and Ayurvedic principles to work one-on-one with her clients.
She also participates as a faculty assistant for the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program focusing on asana, pranayama and Ayurveda. She has a background in Engineering and has been practicing as a professional engineer for over 15 years and currently works part time as and Engineer
and part time as an Ayurvedic Councillor and Yoga Teacher.
Dr. Leena Athparia
Dr. Leena Athparia is a Naturopathic Doctor & Ayurvedic Practitioner based in Toronto. Blending modern diagnostic..
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Gaytri Kalia
Vaidya (Prof.) Gaytri Kalia, BAMS, MD (Ayu), PhD (Ayu), is an Ayurvedic Physician, Educationist, Researcher, Writer and Healer. She has experience of practicing as an Ayurveda consultant and Panchkarma specialist for over 18 years.
Her expertise is in the field of mental health and has successfully treated patients of Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insomnia, Burnout & other chronic psychiatric problems.
She is a visiting Professor at European Institute of Scientific Research in Ayurveda (EISRA), Netherlands: ICAU, Belgium and Ayurveda UK, England with experience of imparting the essence of true Ayurveda to the western world. She was awarded ‘Anmol Ratan’ Award for excellent contribution in the field of Ayurveda by Ayurveda Drugs Manufacturers Association, Punjab, India and ‘Award of Honor’ for excellent teaching by EISRA, Netherlands. Having been invited as chairperson, subject expert, keynote speaker, resource person at various platforms across the globe, she has also contributed as an author and reviewer of Ayurveda research articles for JAIM, an international peer review journal.
She served as Associate Professor& Researcher in a Government Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital in Delhi, India before migrating to Canada and now offering consultations and training programs through Gayatri Ayurveda Natural Wellness Center in Mississauga, Canada.
Our Committees
STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEE
Neelam Toprani
Neelam Toprani is an Ayurvedic researcher and formulator of Sewanti and Phyto Vedic herbal remedies and Padmashri classical massage oils. Neelam has lifelong experience in Ayurveda. She is a teacher and lecturer and is passionate in sharing her knowledge in the wisdom of Ayurveda. Neelam offers a practical approach to health and wellness through Ayurveda. Neelam’s company, Sewanti Ayurvedic Series, was the conference organizer and proud sponsor of the 7th International Ayurveda & Metabolic Disorders Conference at Asian Centre, UBC, Vancouver in June 2013. One of the objectives of her company is to take the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda and translate it into practical solutions to improve the quality of modern day life. From her Vancouver based company; Neelam strives to bring awareness of Ayurveda to the western world through educational programs, regulation of Ayurvedic medicine at various government levels and integration of Ayurvedic treatment protocols with modern medicine. She is Secretary to the board of Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA). Neelam was appointed Research Associate of the World Institute for Scientific Exploration (WISE) Harvard Branch in April 2014. She has been actively involved in reviewing several papers including Contemporary Challenges in Ayurveda: An Ancient Medical Technology by Suresh Kumar, Neelam Toprani, Shanmugamurthy Lakshmanan.
Read moreOur Committees
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Joey Bujold
Joey Bujold RNP-Ayurveda® is an Ayurvedic therapist and registered Naturotherapy practitioner with EBNMP Canada. Through his current practice at Hearts Wide Open Wellness, Joey is committed to propagating the timeless wisdom of the Vedic systems of knowledge to a modern society in need of healing.
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Girija Edwards
Everyone deserves to be happy and healthy. Ayurveda and Yoga have helped me understand how this can be achieved. Since childhood, at the Sivananda Ashram, Val Morin, Quebec, 1964, I observed how the most devastating illnesses could be cured through Yoga. Working and studying with leaders in the field of natural healing, I was introduced to Ayurveda.
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Linda Suliman
Linda, founder of Breathe Baba. She is a certified Yoga Instructor, Ayurvedic Counselor, Reiki Stage 3. Most importantly, she is your guide on your special journey to living a holistic lifestyle tailored to Y-O-U! It’s her mission to help people find ways to incorporate preventative health care into their daily routines and provide tools to empower total change and upkeep of their lifestyle.
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Erica Muller
Erica Mueller is an Ayurveda Practitioner and Yoga Therapist. She is the founder of Okanagan Ayurveda and consults in Kelowna B.C. Her years of yoga therapy training has allowed the integration of pranayama, meditation and mantra in her treatment protocols.
Erica is also a certified yoga teacher trainer and does retreats and cleansing weekends.
Erica is certified in Ayurveda massage and body work and studied and practices most Ayurveda treatments into her practice. She also studied at an Ayurveda hospital in India and was certified in Panchakarma at that time. Ericas’ passion for Ayurveda herbs and formulations has her certified her in
the use of herbs and formulations. Understanding the importance of helping North Americans understand Ayurveda, Erica enjoys lecturing, on Ayurveda, throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Our Committees
YOGA COMMITTEE
Natasha Kulikov
Natasha Kulikow is a Russian-born teacher of Hatha and Functional Movement yoga, based in Toronto.
She has been practicing yoga since 2000 and graduated in 2008 from her first Yoga Teacher Training,
where she discovered the ancient Indian science of life -Ayurveda- and became familiar with its basic concepts.
After applying her newly found knowledge of principles of Ayurveda and adjusting her lifestyle, Natasha experienced and realized the power of Ayurveda. It was life-changing and has
sparked her interest in learning more which became her life-long passion. Since then, she took courses and workshops to study the science of life in depth, read books and travelled to
India to get authentic Ayurvedic treatments.
Natasha uses her knowledge of Ayurveda teaching public and private yoga classes.
“Ayurveda is my guide to living a life in balance, to feeling joyful, radiant and beautiful.”
Yogrishi Vishvketu
A teacher of teachers, Yogi Vishvketu facilitates trainings and workshops internationally incorporating diverse aspects of Yoga practice into his classes: asana, pranayama, cleansing kriyas, Ayurveda mantra and meditation. He calls this holistic style of teaching Akhanda Yoga.
A yogi at heart, Vishva-ji has studied and practiced Yoga and the Vedic healing arts in the Himalayas since the age of 8 and holds a Ph.D. in Yoga Philosophy. He is co-founder of the AnandPrakash Yoga Ashram Trust in Rishikesh, India where he lives part of the year.
With his fun-loving nature and infectious laughter, Vishva-ji inspires students and teachers from around the world to live the yogic life with joy and dedication. He is also the author of Yogasana: The Encyclopedia of Yoga Poses (Mandala Publications)
Our Committees
STRATEGY AND INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES COMMITTEE
Ms. Vishnupriya Thacker, New York
Vishnupriya Thacker, Founder and CEO of Vedic Synergy, Inc. (based in New York City): is a certified holistic Ayurvedic Wellness and Spiritual Healing Coach, accredited by the AADP, with a focus on mind-body-spirit well-being.
She has completed her training in the time-honored science of Ayurveda under a renowned Ayurvedacharya learning about the health issues faced in the US and India. In addition, she has studied at the reputed Institute of Integrative Integration, where she was trained in a variety of lifestyle coaching methods. Her knowledge in spiritual healing has been gained by learning from a guru (who has since taken Samadhi); and exploring various spiritual/energy healing modalities through different training programs and books.
She is passionate about spreading the knowledge of Ayurveda, Healing, and Spirituality globally; and towards this aim, she has created a practical ‘Rise like a Phoenix’ Coaching program at Vedic Synergy for mind-body-soul transformation. The program aims to support the audience on the most important journey of life – to one’s Higher Consciousness or ‘I AM’ – that will result in higher vibration, joy, and fulfillment. Along with this, she holds group workshops on Ayurveda, cooking with spices, and meditation.
Vishnupriya grew up with conventional medicine (her father was a doctor) during her childhood in India; through which she got insight into the human body, ailments, and most importantly compassion for those looking to heal. In her mid-twenties, she moved to New York City where she has had an extensive corporate career spanning 20 years across the Investment Banking and Technology/Business arenas, which provided her with an in-depth understanding of the stresses that are faced by working professionals. Her diverse experience, knowledge, and empathy, makes her a suitable bridge from the mainstream to holistic healing.
The mission of Vedic Synergy (www.vedicsynergy.com) is to spread this gift of Ayurveda and Spiritual healing that we have received from the ancients across geographical borders, and thereby contribute to raising the positive global soul energy.
Paul Batth, Toronto
Paul Batth is the founder and CEO of AyuMantra, a brand of high-quality Ayurvedic products. As part of his mission to propagate knowledge about Ayurveda, he has also founded the Ayurveda Mantra Magazine, for which he serves as the editor-in-chief, and through which he seeks to generate awareness about Ayurveda and natural well-being among a global readership.
Paul has been a long-standing proponent of Ayurveda and natural well-being. For nearly two decades, he has actively engaged in promoting Ayurvedic products and building informed perspectives around the ancient sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga. Paul’s passion for Ayurveda stems from his first-hand association with the subject – an association that dates back to his early years. In 1998, he established Herbland Limited, an Ayurvedic products enterprise first headquartered in New York, USA, and eventually in Toronto, Canada.
Over the years, Paul has built lasting relationships within the Ayurveda community, along with a worldwide network of experts, scholars, teachers and practitioners in the fields of Ayurveda, Yoga and herbal remedies. He is currently based in Toronto and continues his advocacy of natural well-being through the Ayurveda Mantra Magazine, a bi-monthly repository of articles from Ayurveda and Yoga experts that he aims to publish in multiple languages.
Our Committees
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING COMMITTEE
Kenda Al Yakobi
Kenda Al Yakobi is a certified Holistic Nutrition Practitioner who advocates a healthy, environmentally conscious, waste-reduced lifestyle.Through her Instagram handle @kenda.alyakobi, she aims to educate followers
on how they can create restaurant-style cooking from the comfort of their homes using organic, locally sourced, package free ingredients.
Kenda also helps provide recommendations on DIY beauty care and how to look fashionable in pre-loved clothing. What started off as an individual journey to well being, has transformed into a mantra of mindful living aimed to preserve our beautiful planet.
Nurturing the growth and presence of Ayurveda in Canada
Globally. Ayurveda is increasingly acknowledged as a comprehensive. traditional system of natural medicine. By 2017 Canadians were developing an interest in Ayurveda— particularly its contribution in health promotion and primary prevention. But Ayurveda was not united The time had come for Ayurveda to become recognized as one of the official Natural/Holistic Health Care Systems in Canada. This led to the birth of AAC by its highly experienced and dedicated founding board members along with the community recognized leaders. educators & doctors on the advisory board of AAC.
The Ayurveda Association of Canada
The Ayurveda Association of Canada (AAC) will act as an officialAyurvedic resource in Canada with chapters in Alberta. British Columbia, Nova Scotia. Quebec. and Ontario.
Our Aim
To bring together a collaborative community of Ayurvedic practitioners and Vedic scholars: to provide a place of reference for consumers: to host continuing education and professional building for newer/Less experienced practitioners to present Ayurvedic Medicine to government and non-government organizations: to partner with other forms of natural medicine in Canada and to develop an Ayurvedic Standards of Practice and a Code of Ethics
The Ayurveda Association of Canada (AAC) invites you to join hands and stand in a united voice with like-minded interest that upholds the authenticity of Ayurvedic Medicine. Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.
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