Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist (CAS)
Master Registered Ayurvedic Specialist (MRAS)
Dr. Mark Vinick has been an Ayurvedic practitioner for more than 25 years. He is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda, and also is a long time student of the renowned Ayurvedic physician, Vaidya RK Mishra. He is considered a leading practitioner in the SVA Ayurveda tradition. He is a certified practitioner by the National Association of Ayurvedic medicine, and the California Association of Ayurvedic medicine, where he served as president for 3 years, and was on the board of directors for over 8 years. He is also certified by the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America, at their highest level of certification, as a master registered Ayurvedic practitioner.
MY AYURVEDA JOURNEY
I first heard the term “Ayurveda” in the Spring of 1973. I had just completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology the year before. In January ’73 I left the States, solo, intending to hitchhike through Europe and eventually end up in India, in search of a spiritual teacher. Through an amazing chain of events I ended up working on the TM Teacher Training Courses in La Antilla, Spain, studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who two years later would also certify me as a Transcendental Meditation Teacher, a 1500-hour training program.
It was in Spain that I began the study of Vedic Philosophy and Science, and I was introduced to the world’s oldest, most comprehensive system of healing, Ayurveda. It was basically an introduction to the subject as there was nowhere outside of India to actually study it. (On a side note, I did end up hitchhiking by myself from Portugal to Istanbul during this trip. I also eventually made it to India, ten years later where I traveled with the Spiritual Adept M.K. Gandhi, of London, for almost three months).
In 1984, Dr Vasant Lad, the first Ayurvedic Physician to teach in the U.S., published his first book, “Ayurveda-The Science of Self-Healing”. Within a few months I had read it and also listened to a cassette tape course on Ayurveda by Dr. Robert Svoboda, the first westerner to graduate from an Ayurvedic College in India and also practiced in the U.S. The subject fascinated me, as I knew from my previous studies of Vedic Science that this knowledge was both profound, and complete. But since I was at that time enrolled in Chiropractic College, all of my time, and spare time, was consumed in attending classes and studying, not giving me any time to study Ayurveda.
It wasn’t until the early ‘90’s that I took several training classes in Ayurveda presented by Maharishi Ayurveda, followed a few years later with several training courses by Dr Deepak Chopra. In 1998 I taught a 15-month course in Ayurveda out of my office, using the teaching materials of Dr. David Frawley. At this time, I also met my main Teacher of Ayurveda, the renowned Ayurvedic Physician and product formulator, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra. He was a direct descendent of the ancient Shaka Vansiya Ayurvedic (SVA) Lineage whose ancestors are mentioned in the ancient texts, the Puranas, and who has contributed invaluable insights as to how this ancient science is best adapted to our current physiologies given the exposure to modern stressors not encountered in the past. Many of these “gems of knowledge” are not known outside his current circle of students, or taught in any Ayurveda Colleges in the U.S., or India.
In the year 2000 I began a two-year course of study at The California College of Ayurveda, led by Dr Marc Halpern, where I received my Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist Degree (CAS).
I am also a Certified Practitioner through the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM), the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), and certified with The Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA) at their highest level of certification, Ayurvedic Doctor.
Learn more about Dr Mark on his website DrMarkVinick.com and follow these sites: