Dr. Vinod Verma

Along with a doctorate degree in reproduction biology in India, Dr. Verma studied Neurobiology in Paris University and obtained a second doctorate. She pursued advanced research at the National Institutes of Health in Neurology, Bethesda (USA) and the Max-Planck Institute in Freiburg, Germany. At the peak of her career in medical research in a pharmaceutical company in Germany, she realised that the modern approach to health care is basically fragmented and non-holistic. Besides, we are directing all our efforts and resources to cure disease rather than maintaining health. In response, Dr. Verma founded The New Way Health Organisation (NOW) in 1986 to spread the message of holistic living, preventive methods for health care and to promote the use of mild medicine and various self-help therapeutic measures. She is the first one to present the scientific aspects of Ayurveda in the world through her tremendous knowledge base on the basics of Ayurveda. Her theme is to make yoga and Ayurveda as a way of life and emphasize on prevention of ailments. She argues that about 85 percent of Ayurveda scriptural tradition is on prevention and this has been our tradition or parmpara for thousands of years. Besides, nearly 99 persent people are ‘healthy’ but are risking ailments due to erred way of living and lack of knowledge. It is wise to put effort in public health care to keep the society as a whole healthy with our traditional methods which are simple and cost effective. Dr. Verma, who has finest of scientific education in India, Europe and America, thinks that modern medicine is totally focused on disease whereas Ayurveda is largely focused on maintaining health and prevention. Therefore she has devoted her life to make a basic knowledge base to evoke human consciousness to maintain health. Dr. Verma has a following message for humanity: ‘Ayurveda is a system of health care that puts the responsibility of your health on you as svadharma. First priority of life is life itself and it is the prime duty of each individual to do all to invest in personal health. Be old and wise and not old and senile.’ Dr. Verma grew up with a strong familial tradition of Ayurveda with a grandmother who had enormous Ayurvedic wisdom and was a gifted healer. She has studied Ayurveda in the traditional Guru-shishya style with Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma of the Benares Hindu University for 23 years. Dr. Verma is an ardent researcher and is working hard to compile the living tradition of Ayurveda and spread it in the world through her books and other activities. She has published twenty seven books on yoga, Ayurveda, Women and Companionship. The books are published in German, English and various other languages of the world. Besides, she has published numerous scientific articles. She lectures extensively, teaches in Europe and gives radio and television programmes. A film on Ayurveda with her was made by German television in 1995 and was shown in 100 countries, in 130 languages. It was the first film on Ayurveda and was also shown on Doordarshan. Dr Verma has been writing regular columns and articles for several important magazines and journals like Ayurved Sutra, Dharohar, Ah Zindagi, Life Positive and several other magazines. Dr. Verma has made extra effort to publish her books in Hindi and is making effort to publish them in other Indian languages so that the tradition of Ayurveda is not lost with the rapid modernisation in India. Her books and articles deal with practical aspects of Ayurveda and touch lives of many, both home and abroad. Dr. Verma’s biggest contribution is to do research in Ayurvedic food culture and Ayurvedic living tradition on healing women’s troubles and ailments. She has described International Ayurvedic recipes to suit our modern life and modern taste. She says that ‘all Indian food is not Ayurvedic and Ayurvedic food does not have to be Indian- it is just the matter of balancing’. These books are published in various languages of the world (refer to the book list for details). Dr. Verma is the founder and chairperson of Charaka School of Ayurveda and The Ayurveda Health Organisation, which is a charitable trust for distributing and promoting Ayurvedic remedies and yoga therapy in rural areas of India. She does regular lectures and workshops for school children in the rural and remote areas of Himalayas to promote wisdom of traditional science and medicine. Under this trust, her major project is to begin a school in India for training poor children after Inter collage in various practical aspects of Ayurveda like cooking, making special spice mixtures, marma massage, home remedies, etc. so that they can be employed in the upcoming Ayurvedic revolution in India. The important aspect of this school is to save the wisdom of folkloric medicine which is alive in almost every part of India (in every gali, muhalla). These especially talented people will be invited to this school to teach the students. The school is named after her legendry guru Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma. Dr Verma speaks Hindi, Punjabi, French, German and English and she has knowledge of Sanskrit. Dr. Vinod Verma’s Publications 1. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra: A Scientific Exposition (Published in English, Hindi and German). 2. Ayurveda for Inner Harmony: Nutrition, Sexual Energy and Healing (Published in English, German, Italian, French, Romanian, Slovenian and Hindi). 3. Ayurveda a Way of Life (Published in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Czech, Greek, Portuguese, Slovenian and Hindi). 4. The Kamasutra for Women (Published in English [America and India], German, French, Dutch, Romanian, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian Hindi and Malayalam). 5. Stress-free Work with Yoga and Ayurveda (Published in German, English [America and India] and Hindi). 6. Patanjali and Ayurvedic Yoga (Published in English, German and Hindi). 7. Programming Your Life with Ayurveda (Published in German, French, English, Slovenian and Czech). 8. Ayurvedic Food Culture and Recipes (Published in English, German, Czech and Hindi). 9. Yoga: A Natural Way of Being (Published in English, German, French, Italian and Hindi). 10. Companionship and Sexuality: Based on Ayurveda and the Hindu tradition (Published in English and German). 11. Natural Glamour: The Ayurveda Beauty Book (Published in German, Spanish and English) 12. Losing and Maintaining Weight with Ayurveda and Yoga (Published in English, Slovenian and German). 13. The Timeless Wisdom of Ayurveda: A Scientific Exposition (Published in English and German) 14. Prakriti and Pulse: The Two Mysteries of Ayurveda (Published in German) 15. Good Food for Dogs: Vegetarian nourishment based on Ayurvedic wisdom (Published in German and English) 16. Diet for Losing Weight (published in German and English) 17. Aum: The Eternal Energy (Published in German and English) 18. Pulse Diagnose in Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine (co-author for TCM Dr. Florian Ploberger) (published in German) 19. Shiva’s Secrets for Health and Longevity (published in German and English) 20. Healing Hands: The Ayurvedic Massage workbook (published in English) 21. Prevention of Dementia (published in German, Slovenian and English) 22. Ayurveda for Dogs (published in German and English) 23. Numerology: Based on the Vedic Tradition (published in English and Slovenian) 24. Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices: God’s own Apothecary (published in German, French, Italian, Czech and English) 25. Basics of Ayurveda in daily Life: A universal Approach to Health (published in German and English) 26. Ayurveda and Yoga as Preventive medicine and their Integration in National Healthcare system (in press). 27. A Graceful Exit from this World: Preparing oneself for a Good Death (in press) Some press reports and book reviews Life Positive The magazine Life Positive entitled Dr. Verma with: 'The First Lady of Ayurveda’ ‘A scientist working in Europe, Dr. Vinod Verma had the courage to shift to Ayurveda. Now a teacher, researcher and prolific writer, she has been in the vanguard of Ayurveda’s revival in the world’. On Yoga for Integral Health In Bioenergetik Books on the subject of yoga are as numerous as sand grains on the sea...but this book has depth which several other works lack on the subject. ...This book can certainly be counted as a pearl amongst the numberless books on the theme of yoga. In Esotera by Elmar Gruber Vinod Verma speaks from a profound knowledge of philosophical and spiritual tradition of India... For the practice of yoga, the author puts forth a very well designed programme in nine steps with yogabhyasa (yogic exercises) and yogic postures (yogasanas). Verma’s book, without exaggeration, is exclusive in the rich yoga literature. Borsenblatt des Deutschen Buchhandels With a sound background of Eastern philosophy and with a rich experience in working in the renowned institutions of the world, the medical scientist, Vinod Verma puts forward a health programme through yoga... Written with a didactic clarity, this copiously illustrated book pleasantly facilitates the yogic practice. In The Hindustan Times by Khushwant Singh ....Anyway, there are hundreds of books on Yoga, with same kinds of pictures of yogasanas, holding out the same kind of promises for physical and mental well being. But this book is different in approach. It has none of the pseudo-religious clap-trap that goes into most books on yoga. It made better sense. I was not surprised that it has been published in German, French and Italian. On Ayurveda Dr. Walter A. Frank From technical point of view, the author of this fascinating book has made possible for the westerners to understand Ayurveda. ....A fascinatingly complete representation of Ayurveda- a highly recommended book! Pharma Marketing Journal All the methods and recipes in this book are made understandable and feasible and they are also for the Westerners. Natur-Heilpraxis The special thing about this Ayurveda self-help book is that each reader can understand his individual nature and sensitivities and can clearly serve to the individual needs.... Khushwant Singh in The Tribune ...there is still a lurking suspicion that ayurveda, yunani and homeopathy are not scientific: only allopathy is. How unfair this assumption is I learnt after reading Dr. Verma’s Ayurveda: A Way of Life. On Kamasutra for Women Tanze, Vienna Kamasutra for Women, written by a woman, an Indian, cell biologist, neurobiologist as well as an Ayurvedic doctor, is a powerful, good, noble, daring and audacious piece of work. ...This book is good, noble, intellectual and gives food for thought. VHK Volksheilkunde This book is much more than what is commonly associated in the West and understood by Kamasutra. Rupert Sheldrake Sheds a completely new light on the Kamasutra! On Dr. Verma Times of India There could not have been more reliable authority on the subject of holistic health than Dr. Verma... Indian Express Few persons are as eminently qualified to talk about holistic health as Vinod Verma whose impeccable research in modern medicine only strengthens her belief that the ancient secrets of Ayurveda may offer a complete solution to present day ailments.