From the Northwest Institute of Ayurveda, Arcata CA, Traci Webb writes: 
We enjoyed an amazing debut week together at the new SVA Ayurveda Culinary Academy in Arcata, California. Students learned SVA Ayurveda Nutrition theory and prepared special recipes passed on from Vaidya Mishra from his parents and grandparents. It was truly a blessing to be steeped in Vaidya’s knowledge and to be sharing it with my students and passing it on. It is such an honor and a treasure. The students loved Vaidya’s recipes so much that discussions began about opening up the first Ayurvedic restaurant in Arcata, CA serving SVA Ayurveda recipes and inspirations! We had such a wonderful time preparing foods we know are nourishing and cleansing, and learning just how to use them for specific situations such as Vaidya’s lauki-beet recipe for nourishing rakta and reducing anemia without overheating the liver. Such a beautiful recipe which calls for 20% beets to 80% lauki. The beets provide proper nourishment of rakta to boost iron reserves in the blood, while the lauki squash simultaneously protects the liver from the beet’s tendency to overheat the liver. The lauki has so much soma it soothes the vibrational heart in such a real and tangible way. It is also sweet, astringent and light which is rare for a food with so much soma to be light. So it is perfect for folks with pitta or even kapha nature or imbalances which simultaneously increases the sattva or “light of the gem” as Vaidya would say, to instantly nourish the vibrational heart and also to soothe the nerves. We also put a little twist onto some of the recipes in keeping with the spirit and needs of the moment. For example, we derived so much instant bliss from Vaidya’s Phool Makhana recipe that it was as if we were communing with the lotus seeds themselves, deep within our heart. So much so, in fact, that we instantaneously felt our vibrational hearts pop wide open with so much bliss and connectedness, it was as if we were merged in the ocean of pure consciousness together. In that deep heart-opened state of pure love and bliss, the lotus seeds sent us a message that we were to add a just a sprinkle of cinnamon to our homemade Ayurvedic “Crackerjacks” (as Vaidya called them), in order to enliven our heart soma ever more fully, without burning up its soma. It was as if the soma brought in by the treat was so profound, it required a little more agni due to our damp northern climate to keep things open and flowing! Purely magical foods and recipes Vaidya has left us all with. What a true gift his SVA Ayurveda lineage and cookbooks are to us all. A definite resource for all future SVA generations to come. Vaidya’s timeless family recipes truly healed each and every one of us from the inside out together this past week. We witnessed tears of suffering falling the first day which were transformed to pure transcendent bliss by the end of the first day and continued to increase daily throughout the week. Our class concluded with the outer reflection of that bliss expressed through continuous celebration of life through song (daily kirtan) lead by our local kirtan devi Shemaia 
Skywater, and later Bollywood group dancing and even henna hair dying! lead by my dear friend and HSU professor Meenal Rana. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by these women. Our SVA Ayurveda Shakti Tribe! In this time that we live, we are called to allow that expression of Mother Divine to flow through us, to be the mother to all, as best we can. For it is truly the “mother” energy that Vaidya spoke about so often, but also which our planet is in need of at this time. As Theordore Roosevelt put it, to “do what you can, with all you have, wherever you are”. Thank you Vaidya for tirelessly sharing your SVA Ayurveda wisdom with us for so many years. For setting such a pure example of a loving teacher, healer, father, friend, brother and husband. Your love and wisdom are truly unparalleled in our age. Your unsurpassed formulations are the expression of the healing art PERFECTED. I know that we will as a SVA Family continue to share your wisdom, in its entirety, to the best of our abilities for the benefit of all. Thank you for bringing us together even more closely from the realm beyond. Our love and devotion for you is truly the “glue” binding us all together. Thank you for teaching us the importance of love, not only for the body and mind, but most importantly for the heart.
Traci Webb is an Ayurveda Activist who inspires personal and planetary evolution through teaching SVA Ayurvedic wisdom, training women wellness leaders, and offering one-on-one private sessions.
NORTHWEST INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA
Evolutionary Education & Health Services
1433 11th Street, #G, Arcata, CA 95521
www.ayurvedicliving.com
P: (707) 601-9025
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from Divya and Prentiss Alter in New York City, New York:
Divya’s Kitchen is growing steadily. EaterNYC listed us among the 12 best brunch restaurants in NYC and Tasting Table included us in the 10 Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in NYC. This is a big deal for a restaurant that does not serve alcohol, meat, fish, eggs (onions, garlic, nightshades, mushrooms :-)!
We recently had Russel Brand for lunch (see photo attached). They absolutely loved it and will be back in September. Russel tweeted photos from Divya’s Kitchen, “Delicious food. Lower East side. Upper taste side. Ethically transcendentant of all maps.”
Divya’s Kitchen is now open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday – Sunday, 11:30 am – 10 pm.
We have a wide delivery range in NYC.
Sales of SVA products are also growing–Chandika.com now has to keep up with us 🙂
Bhagavat Life recently hosted an event for the Princeton Alumni Association 40 Plus Salon. Divya gave a 30-minute presentation of SV Ayurvedic principles of food as medicine, and then served a plated 4-course dinner to the 30 guests. These were very inquisitive and educated people, many of them university professors or in executive positions, some of them MDs. They were quite intrigued and receptive of the SVA concepts and purchased all of Divya’s cookbooks available in stock!
Divya’s Cookbook, What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen, has been receiving many shining rev
iews.
Rebecca Wood, Julia Child and James Beard Award–winning author of The Splendid Grain, author of The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia wrote:
“Divya Alter’s What to Eat for How You Feel is based on a living Ayurvedic tradition and is remarkable for conveying primal, jargon-free information. She writes eloquently and helps you attune to your ever-changing digestive needs with healing meals.”
Rebecca Wood has been in the forefront of health food education for the past 40 years. She was so impressed by the SVA knowledge that would like to include aspects of it in her next revision of her book The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia
(Penguin) and collaborate with Divya as the SVA food expert.
This is in a nutshell. Prentiss and I are most grateful for the opportunity to share SVA deliciously and hope that Vaidya is smiling upon us 🙂
from Purnima Chaudhury in Manitoba, Canada:
