24 Sep Returning to Ancient Healing
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🎙️ Summary Description
Discover how Ayurveda focuses on prevention and balance long before symptoms appear. Vaiyda Sunita Tarkunde, founder of the Houston Ayurveda Wellness Center, shares insights on holistic wellness, diet, lifestyle, and Panchakarma therapies that support lasting health.
🌟 Chapters
00:00 Grounding into Ayurveda: An Introduction
02:54 Sunitha’s Ayurveda Journey: From India to Texas
05:26 Bridging Ayurveda and Nursing: A Unique Perspective
06:23 Aligning with our inner intuition
09:49 Ayurveda for prevention
10:14 Change the diet, drop the pills
10:56 Ayurveda vs. Allopathic Medicine: A Complementary Approach
12:15 Role of disease prevention in ayurveda
12:56 The best time to see an ayurvedic doctor
13:19 Maintaining Health: Living in sync with nature
16:00 Understanding Ama: The Importance of Proper Digestion
17:04 Reconsider your morning smoothie
18:32 Toxins – how they accumulate
19:46 We are wired to heal
22:26 The Power of Ayurvedic Oils
22:47 Your skin is “eating” what you put on it
23:15 Understanding Dinacharya: Daily Routines in Ayurveda
24:37 Living in sync with the flow of nature
27:45 Practical Applications of Head Massage
34:23 Nasaya: using the nose as a gateway to the mind
39:30 Integrating Ayurveda into a Busy Lifestyle
41:15 Your food is sacred: you are what you eat
44:39 The Challenge of Mindful Eating
45:09 Ayurveda: A Universal Tool for Well-Being
46:28 The Healing Power of Food
46:48 Check out their Seasonal Cooking Classes!!
48:22 Cooking Classes: Nourishing the Body and Soul
50:46 Understanding Panchakarma: Gentle Detoxification
55:28 Annual Memberships: A Commitment to Health
55:32 Building Community Through Ayurveda
01:02:44 Outro3.mp3
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Prefer to watch the conversation?
👉 View the full video on YouTube Episode #2 – Guest Name: Vaidya Sunita Tarkunde
👤 About the Guest
Vaidya Sunita Tarkunde, BAMS, RN
Vaidya Sunita holds a BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degree, is a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas, and is also a certified Yoga Instructor. At the Center, she specializes in Ayurvedic consultation and education, and has personally trained all staff members to cultivate a deep understanding of Ayurvedic principles that support clients in achieving their optimal vitality.
Believing that quality of life is deeply connected to the balance of body, mind, and spirit, Sunita is dedicated to guiding individuals toward that balance. She is passionate about both helping others experience the benefits of Ayurveda and empowering them to live a lifestyle rooted in its timeless wisdom.
Contact Vaidya Sunita:
Email: info@houstonayurveda.com
Phone: (713)-623-0005
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## 📜 Full Transcript
Lois (00:18)
Okay, and we’re live. Thank you, Vaidya Sunitha for joining us today. And before we start, I want to do a brief opening meditation.
maybe this is mostly for me to ground and center myself, but also anyone in the audience. I think it’s always nice to have a transition point from our busy schedules to dropping into this healing conversation that we’re going to have. So just take a few breaths, inhaling deeply.
And exhaling slowly. And you can feel the exhale go all the way down and ground into our sitz bones.
I want to take a moment to honor the ancient tradition of Ayurveda. It’s a science that’s rooted in balance, nature, and inner harmony. We have deep respect for the teachers, the healers, and the knowledge keepers who came before us. We open this space with gratitude. May our time together nourish body, mind, and spirit. Namaste.
Okay, so today I’m honored to welcome Vaidya Sunitha Tarkunde to the podcast. She’s founder and director of the Houston Ayurveda Wellness Center. She holds a BAMS degree in an MD Ayurveda from India, certification in yoga, and is also a registered nurse in the state of Texas. She began her clinical Ayurveda practice in India in 1992.
And brings over 30 years of experience in Ayurveda. She has served on the faculty at both Kerala Ayurveda and the Ayurveda Institute of America. At her center in Houston, she focuses on consultation and education and has personally trained her team to genuinely understand Ayurvedic methods
that support clients in cultivating vitality and abundance. Her work is devoted to helping others find balance across the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of life while guiding them to live in alignment with Ayurvedic principles.
Welcome.
Sunita Tarkunde (02:29)
Thank you. Thank you for that generous introduction.
Lois (02:32)
Well, thank you. I know you’re busy and you have a great center in Houston. So thank you for joining us. And I wanted to start with some background questions. Can you let our listeners know what actually inspired you to pursue your degree in Ayurveda?
Sunita Tarkunde (02:49)
Okay, so I come from India, like you mentioned, and my whole education is done in India except my nursing degree. My grandfather was a Sanskrit teacher and from childhood I have been chanting things that I don’t even know what it means. So this is, in our tradition and since my grandpa was a teacher, they put me in the Ayurveda school This is how it was back in those days.
And looking back, I never regretted that. I loved what I was doing because I was being of help to someone with the natural resources. And that is what kind of craves in my heart. And that’s a burning thing. so when I moved here, after practicing for years in India, no one knows about this Ayurveda here in Texas. So I started my career as a yoga teacher in the United States.
brought Ayurveda through the classes and workshops and seminars and whatnot to show people what this science is actually to live by showing them as example. So it’s probably because of my grandma I ended up as Ayurveda practitioner. So thanks to him.
Lois (04:03)
So what year did you come to the United States?
Sunita Tarkunde (04:07)
Around 99.
Lois (04:09)
Yeah. And what was that? So did you land in Texas? Have you always been in Texas?
Sunita Tarkunde (04:13)
No, originally
we came to Chicago. My husband got a job in Chicago. So we moved to Chicago originally and the kids were very young back then. So for first year or so, I did not do anything other than raising the child. But when we moved, it’s a full-time job. It’s a full-time job. And I realized it because there’s no help here. You have to do everything by yourself. You’re cooking, you’re taking care of the kids, chauffeuring them around, you’re cleaning, you’re doing, wearing different hats.
Lois (04:17)
Okay. That’s a lot.
Sunita Tarkunde (04:42)
When we moved here and kids started going to school and we had a little rhythm to our life, that’s when I started pondering, what do I do want to do with my life? What would I like to do? So, and then we started the center. Maybe I started as teaching Ayurveda to these institutes that you mentioned. That’s how it got started, along with teaching yoga. Started my practice out of my home. And this is where we are right now. 20 or some years later.
Lois (05:12)
Nice. ⁓ You also got your registered nurse degree. How did that come about? And you say that you worked in an emergency room too.
Sunita Tarkunde (05:21)
Yes, I did. Yes, I did. So I started as a yoga teacher. Like I said, you this is the sequence of things how it unfolded. So through yoga, I started talking about Ayurveda and I joined this school, Ayurveda Institute of America back then to be a program coordinator and as their professor to teach some Ayurvedic courses that they used to offer. So we had a school here in Houston for several years during that time. This was in the beginning 2001, 2002 something like that. So during that time I was doing my practice like I said out of my home office and wherever we used to conduct the classes. ⁓ Whenever I see my clients they come bring me this lab reports and their x-rays and their CT scans and ultrasound. I have no idea what that means and the medications that they are on. I don’t know what these people are talking, what is this language you know. I knew English but this is different. The medical language is altogether different.
Sunita Tarkunde (06:19)
So I wanted to put these two things together, how to reconcile my intellect with what I know with Ayurveda and what these people are doing. So I ended up doing nursing to get a hang of what my patients are telling me, what my clients are showing me. And as an ER nurse, I got into the habit of doing things faster, getting the quicker results, you know, and I wanted to bring that fast result-oriented approach to my Ayurveda.
and came at a fork one time, like, you know, do I really need to pursue my nursing this was like at sugar land Methodist hospital, which is five minutes drive from my home. This is the best company to work for. I loved working in the ER. It was like a 12 hour shift, but you’re on your toes using your, abilities to make fast, quick decision and save lives. It’s very rewarding.
But that one day when I was driving to work, it just dawned on me that, I wish I can talk about what I know in Ayurveda to my patients. And I was doing that already. It’s not that I was not doing it, but not under the label of Ayurveda. I would just walk them through a little breathing practice when they are, in a panic mode, or, have them do a little touch, marma massage when, someone is, actually having a heart attack. those are the kind of things that I was already doing without letting anyone know that I was in the center of this whole thing. But then it occurred to me that I can be doing this because this is where I find myself. This is what is my passion. I love doing my Ayurveda. I never left it, but you know, I was getting pulled between these two. Do I do the school? Do I do my clinical practice or do I do my nursing? And I had to make that decision on that day in the morning, like 5.30, while driving to work. And it’s like, this is it.
Lois (07:32)
Sure.
Sunita Tarkunde (07:59)
I’m going to quit my job, even if it pays me, whatever, and I’m going to pursue my Ayurveda because this is my calling. this is where I belong. that day I told my manager, I give my resignation. Two weeks down the road, I was on my own doing my Ayurveda practice.
Sunita Tarkunde (08:14)
So it just happened, This was not planned. Like on impulse, I made that call. My husband was saying, are you sure? Yes, 100%.
Lois (08:15)
Wow, that’s awesome.
There was a planetary alignment that day. ⁓
Sunita Tarkunde (08:27)
Yeah, whatever we can call it. It’s just, know, in your gut, you know what you’re doing is right. And then you don’t deviate from that. whoever has studied and learned Ayurveda, I know from the self experience that that’s what we all want to do. we just let the fear take over.
Lois (08:33)
All right, yeah. Yeah, once you have the knowledge that Ayurveda provides, the wisdom of how the body works and how there are some very simple things, like you mentioned, the marma, the breathing to help restore balance it’s difficult to watch people struggle with allopathic ways that are really not providing benefits.
Sunita Tarkunde (09:09)
But you know, we’re not here to replace that. We’re here to work with it. How can we join these two things and have the best possible union so that we can help the mankind?
Lois (09:13)
Mm-hmm. Right.
Talk a little bit about the role of prevention. when I think of emergency room, think of like, people are coming in with, you know, car accidents and limbs are hanging off, but it’s also, as you said, like heart attacks, maybe there’s complications with diabetes and things like that. So were you seeing like, wow, these people could benefit from some?
Sunita Tarkunde (09:35)
Absolutely, that’s why I chose
There are things that can be absolutely avoided. If you look at the geriatric patients, the list of the medication cannot fit in one page. That’s how many medications they are on and that’s sad. Many of those medications can be easily converted into a diet. You can have your diet as a medicine and don’t have to depend on those pills that are so easy to pop.
whoever is willing to take the responsibility of their own life, there is a way out. And Ayurveda can definitely show you what can you do so that your body can recalibrate in a positive way. this is not very complicated.
Lois (10:15)
Mm-hmm. Well, having worked for myself most of my life, I do find it easier to live an Ayurvedic holistic lifestyle where I’m cooking my own food, doing my yoga every day, a little bit of meditation in the evening, and the oil massage, things like that. But whenever I’m working a lot for a company, I find that
those daily practices slip by the wayside. So I have a deep compassion for people that come to see me, say, don’t have time.
Sunita Tarkunde (10:53)
You can relate to them, that’s the best part that you have seen both worlds, you like I have seen both worlds. When I work for 12 hours shift, a few times a week, I know the challenges that people face. Then you can relate to them very closely and you feel like I understand you.
Lois (10:59)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right. I have some Indian friends in the States. one recently went back to India. it’s so much easier there. You have help. Like people are cooking and cleaning for you, Whereas in the States, we’re doing everything ourselves. And people come to America for the American dream, but you really have to work and make a lot of money.
Sunita Tarkunde (11:18)
Yeah. That’s where we are needed most then. When it is easy, anyone can do it.
Lois (11:32)
Yeah. Okay, so we’ve identified a gap in the allopathic medicine. let’s talk about how Ayurveda fills that role of prevention, preventative care. in the West when they talk about prevention, they think of getting tests, but that’s not really prevention. It’s just early diagnosis.
So can you talk like a little bit about
Sunita Tarkunde (11:56)
Here in the West, when we think of prevention, we think of doing annual physicals regularly. So if something is out of range, then you can get corrected. Let’s say you go three years in a row for annual physical, everything looks good. The doctor is going to tell you, go home and keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing great. So we wait to have a problem to fix it, right?
Being Ayurvedic, that’s not the case. This is the best time to go to Ayurvedic practitioner when you do not have any problem. What can you do actively to maintain this health that you have been blessed with?
that’s what Ayurveda talks about. When to do what and how and what is going to work for whom. through Dinacharya and Ritucharya we show people that there is a rhythm to this universe and that rhythm affects our physiology. And we don’t have to wait to have a problem to fix it. When you have a problem, it’s already late.
You can keep maintaining those doshas by following certain things that you are already doing like eating and sleeping and drinking water and probably the exercise that you may not be doing that you may have to add. there are three or four things that you can count on your finger. They are called three pillars of Ayu, Ahara, Vihara and Nidra. Three things. Your food, your lifestyle and your sleep. That’s it.
Sunita Tarkunde (13:13)
If you maintain doing this and keep doing your annual physical, nothing wrong with it so that we can catch it in actual numbers to be precise.
Lois (13:21)
Do you recommend an annual visit to an Ayurveda counselor and why? Because I remember when I first heard of Ayurveda, it was at a yoga class and someone said, this doctor’s in town. I said, why are we going to a doctor? I’m not sick. ha ha! Wanna talk about that? Ha ha!
Sunita Tarkunde (13:35)
Exactly, that’s one thing. You don’t go to the doctor unless you’re sick. And even if you just go, they’re going to send you to psychiatrist because something is wrong with you. And I don’t find it in the body, it must be in the mind. Ayurveda talks about prevention, how to do it. help you keep on track on top of,
best of your abilities of the human physiology functioning. And that can be done through annual panchakarmas, that can be done through monthly abhyangas, that can be done through daily yoga and meditation practices or dietary guidelines through dina charya. So yes, there is something that we want to continue doing all along to maintain that health because it’s not something that you get. Let’s say I’m healthy, perfectly fine and sit back and relax. No, this is an ongoing thing. So long as you have body.
You have to keep maintaining it.
Lois (14:24)
Yes, it’s a lot of work. It’s staying healthy.
Sunita Tarkunde (14:28)
If we go into that mindset, then yes, it becomes a work. You make it fun. You eat anyway. Why not eat right thing? Why not eat something that you really like? So it becomes a fun, exploring kind of stuff. Ayurveda has gotten into this complex words and got trapped into this Sanskrit terminology. But we have to bring it.
into actual daily living. It is a live science and that happens here in this body and you are in charge of your body. You just have to make that call that I want to be in touch with myself. What does feel right here? What kind of food I really love because you’re wired for this. What kind of exercise fits really well here that I feel great after doing it. Playing tennis is not true for everyone. Someone loves it and someone hates it.
So what we like is our role, it’s our responsibility, it’s our job to give it to the system that it is longing for. Be it exercise, be it food, be it fun, activity, hobby, anything.
Lois (15:32)
I remember growing up, my sister and my mother, they would always be telling me I needed to eat salads and I hated salads. I was forcing myself to eat salads. And I went to the Ayurvedic doctor and he said, your vata is high and don’t eat more salads. I was so happy. I found my tribe.
Sunita Tarkunde (15:42)
I’m so happy. So happy. Yeah. I remember a girl that I saw. I’m going to tell you a story. I had a client here, young lady working in these big companies, but she also did her yoga teacher training. And there was a trend a while ago of the smoothies, Whoever you ask is on smoothies. And then putting this powder and macha powder and all those different things.
Sunita Tarkunde (16:18)
Ashwagandha, yes, and Moringa and whatever.
So she was making this big tall glass of the smoothie and thinking that she was doing herself a very good job, like a justice to this system. This is the best thing ever that I do for myself. And I’m very consistent with it and very proud of it. And when she came here, she had all these, kapha related problems, recurrent infections and sinus problems and being taken several rounds of antibiotics
And the only thing I told her that, I would recommend if you can just hold on to these smoothies for a week.
She started crying here. I hate my smoothie. I was doing it because I was telling myself that this is the good thing. So this is coming from the intellect. At the body level, you hate it, but you make yourself do it because you think it is right. It doesn’t sit well there. And the body cannot make use of all those good stuff that are going in with that smoothie. It’s just ama.
Lois (16:57)
Yeah. explain the concept of ama for people who don’t know what ama is. Dropping into our Sanskrit.
Sunita Tarkunde (17:17)
Here we go. Okay. so here we go again, getting trapped into the words. So, AMA is like a simple way of explaining it would be something that doesn’t get processed well in our body. And then it sits there waiting to get processed halfway through process kind of stuff that my body cannot get rid of because it is not a waste. My body cannot use it because it’s not a nutrient.
Lois (17:26)
It’s okay.
Sunita Tarkunde (17:44)
It just hangs in there waiting to get processed and over a period of time we collect it. This is not just the ama that we create by drinking the smoothies. Anything that goes in through five senses, when it is not processed completely to the nutrient level, it is halfway through. So what we hear, the words, what we see, the sights, the smells, the taste and the touch.
All these five senses bring in the information and that information is not completely processed. That becomes AMA and it is stored in every system waiting for the right opportunity to come out as an imbalance or a disease. It’s hanging in there, getting its strength, waiting for the right time. And when the time is shown, it’s late.
the process has already begun several months, several years ago. There are simple ways, you we don’t have to get scared of this ama. Every human system is beautifully designed to heal itself. We are wired to heal. If we start trusting that abilities of the human system, infinite ways it can heal itself. Then this ama is nothing.
becomes something when you make a mistake.
Right? So this wellness and illness always coexist in a human system. This illness needs Aama to get on a higher side as its crutch.
There can be viruses, can be bacteria, but if my immunity is strong, I don’t have to worry about it. I’m free to enjoy my life. Not every bacteria is going to invade every system. Ten people around me get sick, I don’t have to get sick.
I’m strong in my immunity and in my thought process, then it won’t touch me. That’s why we do abhyanga So we protect ourselves with this layer coat of oil as a mechanical barrier that represents… ⁓
Lois (19:27)
Let’s just interject with the Sanskrit a again. So the Abhyanga is like an oil massage.
Sunita Tarkunde (19:34)
the skin. And this is a part of a daily regimen in Ayurveda. Just like we brush our teeth every day, we have to rub the oil on the skin every day so our pores stay open and they nourished with this warm oil as if I’m touching myself and I’ll know where I hurt, where I don’t hurt. Do I have any growth here and there? How many people go to the mammogram and say, ⁓ there’s a big growth there? Because we have never touched ourselves.
That is a very central aspect of Ayurvedic healing process because it comes from love. This warmth of oil represents that love, that compassion, that self-care, that snigda yes warmth, oiliness.
Lois (20:05)
So I bet not a lot of people do self massage in the USA or Americans, I’ll say. I do because my Ayurvedic doctor told me to do it and it’s wonderful. I lived in the Northeast of America, which is a cold climate except for August but the rest of the year was mostly damp and cold. So my skin was always chapped.
growing up, if I put anything on, was like Vaseline or something that we had in the medicine chest. But now my medicine chest is all oils. Much different,
Sunita Tarkunde (20:42)
Yeah. right? So your body adopts it very fast. All these lotions, nothing wrong with it, but it’s a chemical. Your body has to process it before it can use that oiliness because ultimately it is oil that they have combined with some chemical and emulsifier to hold it together. If you break it down to the core of it, everything is coming from the nature. But whenever it is closer to the nature, it’s easy for this natural system to adopt quickly, use it quickly.
Sunita Tarkunde (21:10)
as compared to lotion. Lotion needs to be broken down even in the skin, processed to the extent that it extracts the oil from that lotion so the body can use it. It’s wastage of energy.
Lois (21:10)
Right. it just feels so much cleaner to put, a nice Ayurvedic oil on my skin than some type of a cream that I don’t know what half of the ingredients are.
Sunita Tarkunde (21:29)
Yeah.
is like eating. You will put on the skin whatever you can orally eat. Because your skin is eating. Things get absorbed. We have transdermal patches. We use topical creams. When you go to dermatology, even in the ER, we use nitroglycerin patch. So we use those things. Why? Because the skin is processing stuff.
Sunita Tarkunde (21:51)
It’s the biggest sense organ that is used very generously in Ayurveda and that feels good.
Lois (21:58)
Right. So you touched upon Dhinacharya, which means a daily routine. And that’s living in, sync with the circadian rhythm of your body with the seasons, with the natural flow of life,
So Ayurveda has some specific recommendations. Some of the classical recommendations are hair oiling. We talked about self massage and nasaya, the nose drops. let’s touch on the benefit of the nasaya, and also the hair oiling,
Sunita Tarkunde (22:28)
Dinacharya, is a daily regimen. How one should go through the day, the entire day and there are recommendations and if you go through that chapter of original Dinacharya, there are so many things and I have people say like, you do all these things then when do you go to work? It’s like a full-time job in itself. Yeah, you get up at Brahma and move to like…
Lois (22:44)
You don’t. You get up at four in the morning though, right?
Sunita Tarkunde (22:52)
just before the sunrise and you start your day at that time. So this is a very ancient scripture, right? But we have to go to that to get the understanding. Why we are asking you to do certain things, this body of ours has not changed in thousands of years. When man was living in cave, we have had the same body.
and so is the Earth and the Sun and the Moon. And this planet that we habitat is revolving on its axis with a very specific timing.
While it is revolving around itself, it is also moving around the Sun. Because of which there is a day and night cycle, because of which there is a seasonal cycle. this is a very predictable rhythm that the universe is following. And if we do not follow that rhythm, then we go in opposite direction. Who is going to hurt?
Me. Whether you sleep or get up, sun is going to come from the east. Things are the way they are and that’s what the Masters figure out It’s not a personal choice. This body of ours is coming out of the nature, It is fed on the things that come from the nature.
Like the food I eat, how do I sustain life here? Through the food I eat, water I drink and air I breathe. Where does it come from? From the universe. If you track it down, this is how we get nourished. If there is no similarity to begin with, it cannot be part of me. The food in my plate is not me. When I take it, it becomes my blood and flesh.
Isn’t it? So I’m nourished by this universe and this universe is going and flowing in a specific direction and I have to go with that to help myself stay in rhythm of that universe. That’s how we have the biological rhythm, the circadian rhythm that you mentioned. When the sun is risen from the east, we secret cortisol for our brain to wake up and start our day.
So even the medicine talks about it and Ayurveda talked about it thousands of years ago and it can be still applicable today because we habitat the same planet and the body has not changed. Now this goes in a rhythm. Now you asked question about the head massage and the Nasya, the thing that we put in the nose. If you look at all those details that are given in the Dinacharya, not everyone has to do everything. Otherwise it’s going to be not enough time.
There are few things that resonate with you, that fits with you. Like how many exercises we have available today. Some people jump on trampoline, some people go for a jog, some people run, some people do yoga, some people play tennis, Countless, infinite ways of doing the physical exercise. Pick what resonates In the same way, there are few things that are must for all of us, like eating. It’s not optional.
Like drinking water, that’s not optional. Like exercising, that’s not optional. And going to bed at right time, that is also not optional. So there are three, four things that you must do. There is no if and but here. It’s not personal. I cannot eat a huge meal today and forget about eating next week. No. This is not how our body is designed. I cannot be staying up for three nights in a row. No. It’s going to hurt you. If you do that, it’s a simple result of
Breaking the law. This is the law of the universe. This is how the universe works. So not everyone needs to do nasaya Everyone needs to the oil massage once in a while. Not every day. If you cannot do it every day, do it at least weekly on the weekends. It has to be practically possible to the extent that it gives me fun. And if we miss the fun, then don’t do it.
Lois (26:17)
I like that.
Sunita Tarkunde (26:18)
Okay, so it has to be easy, it has to be fun. Now how to do the head massage? Now we typically are recommended to use the oil that is warm in nature and there are plenty of marma points on our head. So I will talk about marma in a minute. But there are some areas on our head that will be open to receive the oil that we are giving, you know, in certain areas are not that open. So top of the head is the place where it is easily accessible. When the baby is born, this anterior fontanel is open. If you touch the top of the head, it’s soft. The skull bones are not fused yet. There is a little gap. And that’s why we use head oil for the babies also to help nourish the brain with oil. Our brain is nothing but a frozen ball of fat. It’s nourished with oils, fats. So we use top of the head to begin with the head massage.
Now the head massage is not a hair oil application. It’s a scalp oil. Of course we apply to the hair, it’s going to be nourishing, but we are trying to reach the scalp. So you put the warm oil and maybe tap it three, four, five times as a technique to just get into that mode that I’m here. Just like we started this session with few breaths to center ourselves that I’m here, 100%. So when we do that,
Sunita Tarkunde (27:41)
I’m not thinking of something else and doing this technique. I bring myself here to experience how this feels, that warmth and that touch of my own hand. And then we do like a circular massage to the scalp with the tip of the fingers, as if we are spreading that oil to all these areas. So certain areas are important. Top of the head is important. Behind the ear is important. Base of the neck. is important.
Those are the areas that you want to touch for sure. So you apply the oil to the scalp as you’re doing a circular gentle massage. We are not being harsh. It has to feel good. And you will find yourself there are certain areas that are a little tender, certain areas that maybe, you know, don’t feel the touch as much. So you be gentle with yourself. You give yourself a nice, good touch of 100 % presence awareness.
in that moment that feels good. That is the intention. If it is too hard back off, And then when you come back to that area, you will see that I can put a little more pressure now. There is a tolerance to that touch that is developed within just a few minutes. Your body is very adaptive. It’s recalibrating constantly. 24-7. You touch it, there is a recalibration.
you do not touch it, recalibration. You apply the oil, recalibration. Right? So that’s why there is a chance of healing. Body is changing. where does the oil go? Inside my body, right? When I apply it on the skin, where would it go? It goes in the skin.
This oil that goes in helps for the dosha gati. Doshas are moving constantly in our body, Constantly on the go. And whenever the dosha gets stagnant, that’s imbalance, that’s a disease. The samprati starts. So the doshas must be moving constantly, 24-7. And we are assisting the doshas to move gently as if they are rolling.
as if they are gliding. And that is achieved by the oil because it softens that dosha gati. It makes it easier for the doshas to move. and in turn it feels good and it also avoids having any imbalances.
So that is about the head of the side. Now let’s talk about the nasty. Yeah, so there are plenty of oils to pick and choose from. the aroma has to feel right to you. You don’t have to do it with some weird smelling oil. You don’t have to use Ayurvedic oil if you don’t have one handy.
Lois (29:59)
Can you touch on the oil that people should use?
Sunita Tarkunde (30:15)
Oil is oil. In Ayurveda, we have used sesame oil as a base oil because this oil seems to have certain qualities that will balance all three doshas. So that would be the ideal oil to use. I have seen one person so far that said they’re allergic to sesame oil and then we use coconut oil. Just be flexible. It’s okay. There are certain people who don’t like ghee. It’s okay. We can use different. There are so many oils.
What do they do? We can just make it available and make use of it. That has to feel right. Some people use almond oil, some there’s nothing wrong with using any oils. Get into the habit of doing it, see how you feel and then invest the money into buying the right dosha kind of oil. Because there is a season to that. There is so much information and you don’t want to get lost in information. You want to pick one thing, see if it resonates with you, if it works with you and then go and do some research.
Sunita Tarkunde (31:10)
What we tend to do is we spend lot of time in doing the research before we end up doing something. Start with doing. Whatever oil is available easily, start with that. So that was about the head massage.
Lois (31:22)
But if someone just went to you, you could tell them what specific oil they should be using based on their dosha and based on the season and all of that too. So if you wanted the fast track.
Sunita Tarkunde (31:31)
So yes, so the fast track is coconut oil. Coconut oil is considered best for the hair growth and it is also cooling in nature. And in our tradition, we say keep this part cool. Your head should be cool and your heart should be warm. That’s why we keep the head out when we do the steam. We never expose our head to heat. So the best oil to use for head massage would be coconut oil and it’s easily available.
Lois (31:43)
Yeah. Yeah.
Sunita Tarkunde (31:56)
Now another thing that I want to mention quickly before I move to nasaya is how to take that oil off of your hair. Because you know a lot of us have long hair and then girls struggle with taking that oil out and that’s why people don’t like doing oiling the head. The best way to do it is applying the shampoo on dry hair
But if you wet your hair and then apply the shampoo it takes a little extra effort to release the oil from the hair. A little bit of oil will be still staying there and that works as a conditioner and it’s a good thing. We do need a little oil because the body produces oil to keep the protection on the hair shaft right. So this is the trick that you just apply the shampoo on a dry head and then get into the shower to wash it off. That helps quick easy clean of the hair Okay, now let’s talk about the Nasya. Putting the drops of different things in the nostril is called as Nasya, N-A-S-Y-A, nose. Using nose as a gateway, as opening to send something inside. Now this can be part of a daily regimen and in the panchakram also we use, this can be used as a cleansing opening. In ancient time, they used to do the brain surgery through the nostril. And to this date, we still do the, accessing the brain through nose is a lot easier. So when you put something in the nose, you’re directly bypassing the blood brain barrier and landing on the brain itself.
Sunita Tarkunde (33:25)
for easy access of the stuff that we put through the nostril. There is a technique to this. Ayurveda has recommended certain Nasya practices, nasal administration of certain oils on a regular basis. And the way the technique goes is you want to have a head low position. Now this is again not for everyone. People who tend to have problems with, let’s say, anything that is above shoulder. Urdhvu Jatruka Tabika.
let’s say you have ringing in the ear, a vision problem, blocked sinuses, you get frequent sinus infections, a memory problem, hair loss. All those senses are mostly here, right? Testing problem, you you don’t test things as well. So those are all things can be addressed by using nose as a gateway to administer different things. But when it is used as a part of our daily regimen, like Dinnacharya, for no particular reason, then no, sometimes we’ll use sesame oil, sometimes people use ghee as a prevention. When we have a problem, then it becomes a treatment, but the same stuff can be used as a prevention. So technically you want to have your head lower than the torso. So you can lie on a sofa or a bed hang your head off the bed. It’s as if it’s little lower, no?
Sunita Tarkunde (34:41)
head low position or you can take a roll of towel or a pillow under your shoulder and hang your head off of the pillow or the towel roll. So your head gets lower than your trunk and you want to use warm oils. Everything that goes into the body has to be at least body temperature, if not warm. You never administer anything that is extremely hot or extremely cold. The idea here is to make it easy for the body.
Sunita Tarkunde (35:06)
Otherwise, the body will be using its own fire or agni to bring it to that temperature. That is a waste of our own energy. So we make the oil or the ghee warm and then we can do it ourselves. We can put in a few drops, let’s say three drops in each nostril and stay there with head low position for maybe five minutes, ten minutes. And then you can get up. And while you’re doing that, you stay not with your phone, you stay with your breath. Hang in there until that oil reaches where it is supposed to reach. It is supposed to go to head but the back of the nose is also connected with the throat and the ear. So when you get up you may feel a little trickle in your throat and you can just spit it out or there are gargles that are recommended after this process that you do with herbal tea or hot water and you take that extra oil particles that are dripping back of your throat out of your mouth.
through the mouth, even if you swallow, no harm done, but it didn’t land where it was supposed to land. We want it to go towards the head. So actual oil may not reach there because in nostrils there are hair and then look at the pathway. But if you do it daily, like a dinnacharya, there will be a benefit to maybe hair fall, maybe a benefit to your hearing, maybe your senses get more sharpened. So yes, it’s a part of a daily regimen and recommended. for some of us.
Lois (36:32)
So if I’m not laying down and I’m just putting my head back and dropping the nasaya in and it’s just, it’s basically just going down my throat and doing nothing. I’ve been wasting my time. Thank you.
Sunita Tarkunde (36:34)
Yes, 100%. This is not something that you do on the go. This is something that you have to really plan and think about it and give the real respect to this process. do it respectfully.
Lois (36:48)
Okay.
Sunita Tarkunde (36:58)
It has a time-tested wisdom in it and you want to explore how it resonates here.
Lois (37:03)
Ahhhh… very important distinction. Thank you.
So staying along this theme about the Westerners being so busy, we go out to fast food restaurants and I know people must come to you and say something like, I only have 10 minutes. give me one thing.
Lois (37:25)
even though Ayurveda is very dosha specific and imbalance specific, what do you find yourself saying over and over again, 10 minutes, what can I do to get me back on track?
Sunita Tarkunde (37:30)
one thing. 10 minutes? More than enough for me. I can definitely help them in 10 minutes because I have done it myself. And I have Goral here. Say hi to the audience. Hi. Hi. So she has young kids, which I used to have at one point in time. And then she works full-time job. She comes here at the center to volunteer. Two kids that are elementary level kids and driving and chauffeuring them.
Lois (37:45)
Hi Goro.
Sunita Tarkunde (37:59)
if she can do it cooking every day anyone can do it. we are not special people here. It’s just what you really want. If you think you want this, you can do it. not that we have to juggle and struggle to make it happen and there are times when I tell people to just order the food. It’s okay to eat out but if you do not eat it at the right mindset at the dining table then it’s not doing anything anyway. Right? So it doesn’t take time to cook a healthy meal. It takes the attitude. That’s what I have realized all along. But someone who is eating every day out it’s not fair to tell them to cook every meal at home. That’s not happening. We just have to look at the reality.
Sunita Tarkunde (38:45)
What is practically possible for this individual. I want to meet them wherever they are and I hold their hand and we walk together. And that’s how it has to be. You have to be compassionate and gentle with someone who doesn’t like to cook or don’t have time to cook don’t have ingredients So we have to put ourselves in that scenario.
and see from there what might be the thing that they are not doing it or do they not see the significance. Once you show them the significance that the food is going to become you, And who am I at the core?
not this body, not this idea, not this thought process. Each one of us is a divine being.
We are looking for that divinity within ourselves. Every religion, every saint, every master, every sage said this thing. God is not out somewhere then.
It’s in here. We are honoring and respecting that through Ayurveda. What we do every day matters, like eating. Whatever we eat, we become that.
Lois (39:43)
Absolutely. Right. You are what you eat. ⁓
Sunita Tarkunde (39:48)
You are what you eat and you are what you digest. Eating is one step. I would give one more step ahead and says you are what you process or what you digest or metabolize. That is equally important. So the little thing that you can do, like maybe just incorporating a herbal tea, you may be eating in a restaurant every day. Can you have herbal tea with your meals? Can you chew your food well?
Sunita Tarkunde (40:12)
These are the things that anyone can do.
Lois (40:14)
Explain to us how many times people should chew their food.
Sunita Tarkunde (40:19)
There is no number. This is what question every practitioner gets asked. How much water should I drink? And I always avoid that because there is nothing. It’s written in the books. It’s a general idea. So how many times, how many teeth you have? 32 teeth. Okay. So let’s chew 32 times. That’s just a general idea. Point is to chew your food well enough.
Sunita Tarkunde (40:42)
So when it passes into your stomach, it gets digested easily. That’s the job of the teeth. If I do not chew, then the stomach cannot break it down. So break it down enough into small particles when it passes to the gut. digestive enzymes that your body will secrete according to what you have eaten because body is recalibrating.
Whatever you put in your mouth, the signal is already sent. What enzyme to what intensity, how much, all that is designed. You don’t have to get involved. It’s just done for you. And if you don’t put your food in the mouth and taste it well by keeping it on the tongue, then your body cannot do that part effectively. While it is on the tongue, might as well chew.
Sunita Tarkunde (41:30)
while you are enjoying the taste So chew your food well, at least five times, first 15 bites to get into that mood of chewing well. Many of us don’t do that. Certain foods need more chewing and certain foods are like, let’s say you’re eating just soup. Is there anything to chew? No. If I’m eating khichdi, maybe five times is more than enough. But let’s say I’m eating a pizza. How many times I’ll have to chew? More. Is there a number? No.
Lois (41:43)
Sure. Yeah. Right.
Sunita Tarkunde (41:55)
Get the idea. We’re asking you to do it so that you can enjoy the taste of the food. Goal is to enjoy the meal, not count the numbers.
Sunita Tarkunde (42:04)
That’s what we tend to do. This is how our minds are trained. Initially, you may have to stop and do it.
Lois (42:08)
Yeah. Well, that’s us.
I think there’s also lot of, mindless eating in the West especially if we’re eating with a bunch of people we’re talking and we’re eating and we’re not really chewing. And if we’re alone, then we’re scrolling on our screens and maybe not paying attention. So eating while driving, I used to be guilty of that.
Sunita Tarkunde (42:14)
Yeah. ⁓ No, eating on the go while driving and you know.
I told one of my clients when she came here to sit down and eat and she said it’s like a torture.
Sunita Tarkunde (42:38)
That’s how busy we have kept our minds up here. That eating, sitting down, sounds like a torture. It’s a sad truth.
These are the real life stories, I’m not making it up. This is how we’re not paying attention to our own bodies and kind of exporting ourselves out And that’s why we don’t feel full, complete.
Lois (42:56)
Do you feel like that’s just in the West or do you see it in India still?
Sunita Tarkunde (43:03)
there is a man, these things are there.
say that these are the things that were happening in India and that’s why those masters were… No. Wherever there is a human being, you can apply Ayurveda. And these are all the guidelines for us to have the best possible experience on this planet because it’s a limited human life. And that is given to us by this universe. And the goal of this life is to recognize that divinity within. That’s why we’re here. Right?
Lois (43:29)
Make sense?
Yeah, be mindful of your food. Be mindful in your life. ⁓ I also noticed on your website you do cooking classes occasionally.
Sunita Tarkunde (43:43)
Yes, occasionally. We always think that this is the most popular thing that we do here because, know, even in our science, we recognize that a way to someone’s heart is through the food, through the gut. You touch people through the food. And I come from a family that believed in this. you know, my parents used to always feed people. when I started the center here,
Since then, we always have a big cooker that we cook the khichdi every day and serve it to whoever walks our way. Because eating and emotions, moods and foods are very closely related. food becomes a very crucial factor in the process of healing.
Sunita Tarkunde (44:25)
Yes, so we do teach cooking classes here and there and this is the most popular thing here. I wish I could do it more regularly and consistently. Goral is helping me do these classes, which is a wonderful thing. Foods are extremely important in the process of healing. Cooking the food that are matching to the season.
Lois (44:30)
Mm-hmm. Nice.
Sunita Tarkunde (44:44)
is another layer of Ayurvedic understanding that we can add You have to change your food according to the change of the season, like we change our clothing. So what that food should be and why it should be eaten that way. So we used to teach, every season change the cooking class. And that was fun because we cook anyway. Why not show people? So you don’t have to cook Indian meal.
Lois (44:58)
Yeah. Right.
Sunita Tarkunde (45:03)
to be healthy. Whatever cuisine you cook, we just give you the foundational understanding of what could be the right kind of taste that you can incorporate in your cuisine to make it balancing to this season. But all we know is Indian food, so we show Indian food. But we give you the tricks to use different cuisines throughout the class so that you can make use of that information in your own cooking. this is a fun kind of class that I love.
doing We always have a list of people who want to attend the next class even if we have not announced it yet.
Lois (45:33)
Ha ha! Nice. Yeah, I think a lot of people, in the West don’t have the time to cook, they don’t have the desire to cook or they don’t know how to cook. So I think offering cooking classes is a huge step in the right direction towards nourishing themselves and getting
Lois (45:50)
Getting back towards the state of balance like it doesn’t have to be seven days a week. It can be one day a week, two days a week, just anything more than zero so. ⁓
Sunita Tarkunde (46:01)
I cannot agree more on that. Yes, absolutely.
Lois (46:04)
Mm-hmm. I see people by referrals or I’ve met them. And I always cook them something, part because I want them to taste it. Usually I’ll make some type of a kichiri customized to their dosha.
and give them the recipe. they’ve tried it, and they always love it. know, it’s got ghee, and salt and lime. it tastes delicious. And I think they’re surprised by that because they think food is medicine, has to be not tasty. But if you can give them something and show them, like, look, this took us, 20 minutes to cook,
Sunita Tarkunde (46:35)
Exactly.
Lois (46:40)
and it was very easy to make, you like it. You can keep the leftovers, teaches them how to nurture themselves a little bit.
Sunita Tarkunde (46:47)
Yeah, I love it. you know, people like you are joining our hands to spread this ancient knowledge in the simplest format is the best thing that has ever happened to Ayurveda. We want people like you to talk about Ayurveda. No, you also. No, but you you’re doing this in a very relatable way, you know, and feeding someone, you feed someone and you derive the joy out of it.
Lois (46:53)
Mm-hmm. Well, you, I mean, you’re very, very small. ⁓
Sunita Tarkunde (47:14)
they get it or not is a secondary, absolutely 100 % of the time they will also be happy. We are wired to help each other.
Lois (47:21)
Right, yeah. I want to, we’ve kind of like jumped around a little bit about Panchakarma. And so what I see in the West, people are always, doing cleanses or detoxes and whether it’s a juice fast or take some shake every morning or….
Sunita Tarkunde (47:40)
Olive oil.
Lois (47:44)
Like they do like all this stuff And then they go off on their binging type behavior. But Ayurveda has a very specific method for detoxification. can you talk about how you do that at your center?
Sunita Tarkunde (47:55)
Yeah, so the detox
Yes. So the detoxification or the cleanses that are available out there are geared towards only cleaning the gut, The gastrointestinal tract, because you go on a certain diet, you eat certain things, you know, those kind of things. And then you go back to, your original version of consuming habits. in Ayurveda, it’s the other way around.
We start wherever you are and showing you what would be the right thing for you to do for your body to behave and act in a more proficient way before we even engage in the discussion about Panchakarna like when to eat, what to eat, exercise is important, sleep is important. We get people in the rhythm first. They need to be in the biological rhythm that the body is known to function. There is a rhythm to every system. Once that is achieved,
Most of the people start feeling better. Most of the people start thinking that do I really need to take those medications? Then they become more acute and aware of their own body’s functioning. That’s the time we start talking about the panchakarma which is like a cleaning, cleansing, detoxification of not your just gut but of each and every tissue and each and every cell. That’s why we ask them to dedicate at least a week for this process where it is not intense
Ayurveda is very, very gentle. It’s very, very soft in its approach. So what we do in that week, We give you a nice oil massage for five, six days in a row. we’re softening your body. We are working on this gathis of the doshas so that the doshas can bring more and more
Ama that we discussed into their respective containers which is in the gut. most of the time that Ama is processed halfway through with the steam and oil massage and is brought into the respective container of Vata Pitta Kapha and we talk about that if you don’t know what that is. But let’s say in a gut for now from where the cleansing happens. The human body is known to cleanse only through three avenues at the physical level. bowl movement, urination and sweating.
And little bit through the respiration also, know, a nurse in my, in this system is talking that. A little cleansing also happens on a regular basis through the breath. But majority of the time, the physical toxins is stool, urine and sweat. And Ayurveda is going to use initially these three ways of to release the toxins. And that’s how the panchakarma is designed most of the time. So panchakarma is just a fancy way of saying a natural cleanse.
where everything is done in a very gentle way, everything is done in a very customized way. What suits this particular body, according to that, the plan is derived. all it involves is a nice massages and the steams that makes you feel good all along. And then there is a cleanse that may happen towards the end of it. And it may look like, induced diarrhea, like Virehchana. Most of the practitioners choose that.
Some practitioners choose Basti. But even that process is very, very gentle. Just to make sure that all the AMA, all the toxins are out of your body because we have done plenty of prep work before we actually do the cleanse. So your body does it. It’s not that we do it. Body is already doing it. We just remove the obstruction and allow the body to do it more efficiently.
So whatever body does on a regular basis, that is done a little more intensely during that week as a dedicated week of cleanse. Like we do the cleaning every day in our homes, Loading the dishwasher and unloading the laundry. We do this every single day. But when it comes to spring, how much cleaning we do? We go to every corner, we go to every drawer, every closet. How much garbage we take out? That’s what Panchakarma is. Body is already doing the cleansing every single day.
But we go to every corner, we go to every tissue, every cell through the sense of touch, sending the oil in and start knocking on every tissue’s door to let the toxins out. And it is collected, out. And then it becomes a very gentle process all along that you will enjoy. here at the center, we do a week long process where we start on Monday and we finish on Monday.
People come here all weekdays for a couple of hours to go through the series of these oil massages, we call them abhyanga, that are offered here.
But again, it’s very personalized It’s a custom tailored program that is offered. And the thing that is used abundantly is the oil or ghee, which represents the gentleness, the softness, the love.
Lois (52:10)
Nice. So spring cleaning for your body, but in a very gentle way.
Sunita Tarkunde (52:16)
Yes and it’s recommended every year because we get the spring every year.
Lois (52:20)
⁓ I also noticed that you guys offer annual memberships to your Wellness Center, which I think is amazing. Can you talk a little bit about that? What do people get? What prompted you to do annual memberships? It’s like a gym membership at Ayurveda.
Sunita Tarkunde (52:28)
yeah, because you know, this is is important for us to not do it because someone is telling me to do that’s the number one, I tell people I’m not going to fix you, I’m going to show you how do it yourself. And then people do it for a bit. And when you go out in the world and doing your job, get busy with your life, you forget about it.
Five years down the road, another problem pops up and then you remember Sunita or Ayurveda. That has happened several times people come here, let’s say for hyperacidity and that was corrected. And then a few years down the road, now my knee is hurting. I don’t want to for a steroid shot. I will go to Sunita. And then they come here and then we correct it. And then they go back to their life and forget.
and something else comes up and then they come back again. I am in practice for such a long time. Sounds like I doing this for 100 years. So this is what I have seen. And then I realized that if people keep doing some basic thing on a regular basis, they will not need these intense pains and hurt and they can avoid it easily. The whole idea is prevention, we thought what can we do that people can come here consistently, on a monthly basis so they don’t forget.
Sunita Tarkunde (53:38)
They don’t forget about their own bodies and how to take because when you walk through our doors, you get reminded of our discussion. What I told you about certain things, what did we do? You don’t have to schedule an appointment with us. This is open invitation to everyone that is listening. You can walk in through our doors any time Come sit with us. Have a cup of herbal tea and little bowl of khichdi and sit in our courtyard and enjoy your meal.
You don’t have to know us. I want to see more and more people doing this. we charge $150 for annual membership. And I expect people to come here at least once a month for the oil massage and steam. And if you say, let’s say 12.
Abhyangas and STEAM you do, you will be still saving some money out of that membership. You get 10 % discount on everything that we offer when we do the membership. So even if you do only one panchakarma, you made the money for the membership. Even if you do one session a month, you made the money for the membership. This is just a binding contract with us so that you can keep your body and your mind in a healthier mode. Because on your own,
you probably won’t do it. And that’s what I have seen. I’m here to do justice to this body. I want to honor my life here on this planet. And when I come to the office and tell you to eat at this time and in this way, I better do it myself. When I tell you to go for an exercise,
I better do it myself. When I tell you to sleep at certain time, I better do it myself. And that’s why I love my practice because I do what I want to tell you. That keeps me on alert. The day I stop doing it, I’m closing my practice.
Lois (55:10)
Yeah.
Sunita Tarkunde (55:11)
If I smoke and tell you not to smoke, is it going to work?
And that’s the beauty of Ayurvedic, it will be showing you, if you are not doing it, will nudging you inside that please do this,
Lois (55:24)
Yeah. So it’s really building community and helping people stay on track. Sometimes if people, either they’re single or they’re in a family and not everyone else is on board with the Ayurveda routine, it’s nice to offer that to the community. it’s not very much money on a monthly basis when you think of it, to have that support.
and to keep you on track. I think it’s a great insurance to have to make sure you’re successful on your path. it’s wonderful idea.
Sunita Tarkunde (55:55)
Yeah, It’s like you’re investing on your health rather than spending on the imbalances and diseases.
Lois (56:02)
All right, exactly. the business model of Ayurveda, I always say, is not good. It keeps people healthy. And they don’t need to come back. But they do have to take some responsibility. And with you there helping to support them and hold that space, as they say in yoga, for them to develop into all that they want to be is really special, I think.
Sunita Tarkunde (56:09)
Yeah.
Lois (56:27)
kudos to you for that. I guess we should probably start wrapping up. How can people get in touch with you?
Sunita Tarkunde (56:34)
are located in Houston, Texas. in the center of the town. We get people from out of state also.
We have a few rooms here where we offer panchakarma kind of treatments. We have a yoga studio where we do meditation yoga classes. We also have a kitchen where we teach cooking classes. We plan to also offer some Ayurveda oriented classes. Now that Goral has joined we are going to open up that option soon.
Sunita Tarkunde (57:00)
So we do the consultations, we do the follow ups and Goral is also a practitioner. So she has started seeing people and she’s by my side. So we make a match, with our energies and with our thought processes. And it’s very nice to have someone who can understand your language. You you’re talking different terminology. It’s nice to run by her and, you know, get her inputs and let’s do this instead of that. You know, we have a very good open relationship here with our therapists also.
Lois (57:11)
Nice.
Sunita Tarkunde (57:28)
And ⁓ we do the panchakarmas, we do all things that are offered in Ayurveda to the best possible way to stay to the truth or the genuineness, authenticity of the science without compromising that, to still bring it into the practicality of the American lifestyle. And we have seen people going to India doing panchakarma and then saying, ⁓ this is better, we’ll just do it here. So that’s also another thing that I see that this is not very intense what we do here
Lois (57:57)
Yeah, I’ve done a panchakarma in India and I’ve also done a home panchakarma in the States. I like both. I prefer to go somewhere. India is more affordable, but that plane ride is a lot.
But this sounds wonderful. HoustonAyurveda.com is your website. They’re on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. And I will link all those in the show notes. I’m assuming you have a mailing list sign up on your website. do you? you should.
Sunita Tarkunde (58:27)
don’t have a mailing list as such, We have phone number that you can get in touch with this social media links and all that. Whenever we have anything coming up at the center, we do send out the emails. We are not that regular.
Sunita Tarkunde (58:39)
Just like we’re not regular in teaching the cooking classes, you we just get busy with our day to day life. So that is not that important to me.
Lois (58:40)
Gotcha. Very Vata. Ha ha!
Sunita Tarkunde (58:48)
Ayurveda has survived thousands of years in this day and age also, many, many more practitioners are coming this must mean the science in itself has the efficacy. And we have to respect and honor that science. we are surrendering to that innate ability that each one of us have as we close this.
discussion that let everyone be happy, let everyone be healthy and let everyone recognize the potential that is concealed within themselves and things will come along the way that will show them a path in the right direction so that they can access it again and let there be peace.
Thank you. It was wonderful talking with you.
Lois (59:25)
Thank you so much.
Sunita Tarkunde (59:26)
Namaste.
Lois (59:27)
Namaste.
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