American Academy for Yoga in Medicine
The American Academy for Yoga in Medicine (AAYM) is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the integration of yoga therapy into healthcare. The AAYM provides education, resources, and support for healthcare professionals and yoga therapists who use yoga as a complementary therapy for the treatment of various medical conditions. The AAYM is a well-established and reputable organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of patients through the integration of yoga therapy into healthcare.
Vision & Mission
Our vision is to create a world where the integration of yoga therapy into healthcare is recognized and embraced as a standard of care. We envision a future where healthcare professionals and yoga therapists collaborate to provide patients with holistic, individualized, and evidence-based care that promotes physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We strive to be the leading voice in the advancement of therapeutic application of yoga based practices, dedicated to fostering research, education, and support for the integration of yoga into healthcare.
About Us
AAYM is a not for profit organization on physicians, researchers, medical professional and practitioners of yoga and meditation.The organization is dedicated to education, learning and research on the use of yoga and meditation to make our planet a better place to live. It fosters an interdisciplinary approach linking science, arts, ethics, community, spiritual and sacred to enable humans to achieve the highest goals.
The organizations activities include residential courses, meetings and conferences on meditation and, in addition, provides an opportunity for scholars, researchers, artists, educators, writers to do projects related to scientific analysis of yoga and meditation on human body and the society.
This is a sister organization to the Indian Organization that held the first “World Conference on the role of Meditation in Cardiovascular Disease at AIIMS, Rishikesh, UK, India. www.meditationconference.org
It also holds the “Ganges-Mississippi” Dialogue- a series of talks with eminent scientists, thinkers, earthmovers and intellectuals whose thought process may bring changes to make this world a better place to live in.
AAYM members involve themselves in multifarious disaster relief either as an organization or individually to fulfill its promise to make this earth “a better place to live’.
Founder
The organization is founded by Dr. Indranill Basu Ray. Dr. Basu Ray is a Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist at the Memphis VA Hospital and an Adjunct Professor at The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN. He is also a Visiting Professor of Cardiology and Head of Integrative Cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, UK, India.
Dr. Basu Ray started meditation at the age of six and was initiated in to kriya yoga by the great kriya yoga master and a disciple of Sri SriYukteshwarGiri, Swami Hariharananda. He has been practicing kriya under the guidance of many kriya yoga masters.
MENTORS
.
Guruji Dr HR Nagendra
Dr. H R Nagendra is the president of VYASA and Chancellor of S-VYASA a Deemed University. He has received many awards and accolades including Bharat Gaurav Award, and Padma Shri.
He is the yoga advisor of PM of India.
Dr. H R Nagendra holds PhD in Mechanical Engineering from IISc, Bangalore and is the president of VYASA and Chancellor S-VYASA University. After receiving his doctorate in 1968, he served as faculty of IISc in Department of Mechanical Engineering. He then served as Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the University of British Columbia, Canada in 1969. Moved to NASA Marshall Space Flight Centre, USA as Post-Doctoral Research Associate in 1970, moved to Engineering Science Laboratory, Harvard University, USA as a Consultant in 1972 and Visiting Staff at Imperial College of Science and Technology, London later. In 1975, joined Vivekananda Kendra, a service mission as a whole-time worker. Honorary Director of Training Centre, Vivekanandapuram, Kanyakumari. Between 1975 and 1993, served as the All India Secretary, Yoga Shiksha Vibhag, Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari and between 1979-1986 also as Secretary, Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Therapy & Research Committee (VK YOGAS). Between 1993 and 2000, he was the All India Vice-President of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. From 1986 to 2000, he was the Secretary of Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore and the Director of Indian Yoga Institute, Prashanti Kutiram. From 2000 to the present, serving as President, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore and from 2002 to 2013, he served as the Vice Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Yoga University in Bangalore. He is now the Chancellor of S-VYASA Deemed University. He has published 30 Research Papers in Engineering; authored and collected 110 papers on Yoga and co-authored 35 books on Yoga. He has guided nearly 20 PhD students. Currently Dr H R Nagendra is the Chairman, IDY (Internal national Day of Yoga), Experts Committee, Task force of AYUSH (Ministry of Health &Family Welfare), SAC of CCRY (CENTRAL COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH IN YOGA AND NATUROPATHY)
Ms. Nivedita Bhide
Sister Nivedita Bhide has extensively worked on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda and has also been engaged in social work for many years. For her contribution to the social work, she has been awarded with the fourth highest civilian award of India, Padma Shri. She has highlighted in great measure the relevance of Swami Vivekananda not only in the nation building of our nation but also in making India a world leader in spreading peace and harmony.
Nivedita Raghunath Bhide is the All India Vice President of the Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. She has written over 15 Books, presented papers in National and International seminars, and given lectures in IITs and Universities, including Kansas University in the USA.
She has represented India in Seminar on Swami Vivekananda conducted by ICCR in 2013 at Melbourne, Australia. She also participated in the In the International Meeting of Educational Experts at Darwin, Australia convened by UNESCO for the Asia-Pacific region in 1999.
Maharaja Dr Karan Singh
Karan Singh was born in Cannes, France into the Dogra dynasty. He was the only son of Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruling Maharaja of Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. His mother, Maharani Tara Devi, who was the fourth wife of his father, was the daughter of a landowning Katoch Rajput family and came from Bijapur (Vijaypur near Bilaspur) in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.[dubious – discuss][citation needed]
Singh was educated at Doon School, Dehra Dun, a boarding school, which represented a departure from the usual practise of princes being educated by tutors at home. The school was very elite, but it nevertheless meant that Karan Singh shared the classroom (though not the hostel) with boys from non-royal backgrounds, and received a standard education. Unusually for the scion of an Indian royal family, he then enrolled in a college for a graduate degree, receiving first a B.A. degree from Jammu and Kashmir University, Srinagar, and subsequently an M.A. degree in Political Science and a PhD degree from University of Delhi.
In 1950, the 19-year-old Karan Singh was married to 13-year-old Yasho Rajya Lakshmi, daughter of a nobleman belonging to the Rana family of Nepal. Her father, General Sharada Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, was a senior army officer and the son of Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Rana Prime Minister of Nepal.The match, arranged by their families in the usual Indian way, was entirely harmonious and lasted all their lives. The couple had three children:
Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh, elder son and crown prince; married Chitrangada Scindia, the daughter of Madhavrao Scindia of Gwalior, in 1987.
Ajatshatru Singh, second son; took to politics, was elected to the state assembly from the Nagrota constituency and became a minister in the state government. His wife is the daughter of an army officer.
Jyotsna Singh, only daughter, married into a chauhan family belonging to Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. David Frawley
Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) is a recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, the third highest civilian award granted by the government of India, “for distinguished service of a higher order to the nation,” honoring his work and writings as a Vedic teacher, which he received in March 2015.
He has a rare D. Litt. (Doctor of Letters), the highest educational title possible in the field of Yoga and Vedic sciences, from SVYASA (Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana), the only deemed Yoga university recognized by the Government of India. He has a second D. LITT. from Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh that was given to him by the governor of Uttar Pradesh. He has a special National Eminence Award from the South Indian Education Society (SIES), affiliated with the Kanchi Shankaracharya Math, which has only been given to about fifty educators over the last forty years.
In India, Vamadeva’s translations and interpretations of the ancient Vedic teachings have been acclaimed in both spiritual and scholarly circles. He has worked extensively teaching, writing, lecturing, conducting research and helping establish schools and associations in related Vedic fields over the last more than three decades.
In addition he writes regularly for various publications and the social media on educational issues in India and the importance of Vedic knowledge for the entire world, which has given him a vast and diverse readership and following. Over the years he has been one of the main pioneers in introducing Ayurvedic medicine to the western world, as well as Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), the deeper aspects of Yoga and Vedanta, and the interpretation of the Vedas.
Advisors
Dr. H R Nagendra
Dr.Prabhakar Dorairaj
Dr. Jayant Sahasrabudde
Swami Dayadhipadhananda
Dr. R Nagaratna
Dr. Balram Singh
Dr. Bala
Dr. Chanchal Roy
Dr. Ravi Kant
Dr. Govardhan Das
Dr. Subodh Tiwari
Dr. Anand Balayogi
Dr. MC Mishra
Dr. Brahmah Singh
Dr. Akshay Anand
Dr. Ishwar Basavaraddi
Dr. Srinath Reddy
Dr. Bhusan Patwardhan
Dr. Jaideep Arya
Dr. Debanik Chowdhury.
TEAM AAYM
Dr. Indranill Basu Ray
Chairman
Dr. Basu Ray has two primary sets of research interests. He is involved in clinical research in cardiac electrophysiology which includes atrial fibrillation, VT ablation, and cryptogenic stroke. Dr. Basu Ray has been meditating since the age of six. His research centers on the use of meditation and yoga in modern medicine, particularly heart diseases. He is also one of the top ten cardiologists chosen by the American Heart Association to write the world’s first scientific statement on the use of meditation in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. He has also been invited to present at grand rounds at many medical schools in the United States and abroad. Dr. Basu Ray is the author of numerous research articles and book chapters in cardiology. He is also the Editor in Chief for Cardiac Electrophysiology for Stat Pearl.
Mr. Nirmalya Bhattacharyya
Co Chairman
Co Chairman of American Academy of Yoga and Meditation
Prof Nirmal Gupta
Vice Chairman
Professor & Head of CVTS, Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery,
Academic Block, “C” SGPGIMS Main Hospital Building, Raibareli Road, Lucknow, India
MBBS 1982, MS (General Surgery) 1986, MCh (CTVS) 1989 Delhi University
Marian Ionescu Fellow in Paediatric Surgery, Leeds. UK 1991-1993
Higher Cardiothoracic Surgical Trainee in West Midlands UK 1993-1996
Senior Registrar Coventry UK 1996-97
Assistant Professor, AIIMS, New Delhi, India. 1997
Cardiac Surgeon, St Anthony’s Hospital, London. 1998-2000
Associate Professor, Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, SGPGIMS, 2000-2002
Additional Professor & Head, Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery SGPGIMS, April 2002-2008
Professor and Head, Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery SGPGIMS, April 2008-present
Amitava Roy
CEO
Amitava is an astute professional, with good academics and experience in working with some of the best-known names in the Industry. Have been a part of a brand/ growth story, which can be benchmarked among the best. 20+ yrs Experienced in multi-channel Operations & Marketing background, in a high-growth story context with disciplined management in the field of Hospitality, Retail, Facility Management, E-Comm, and Wellness with the roles of Business Head, National Account Director & other pivotal roles. He has a lot to offer in terms of his background and experiences.
Dr Mahadevan Seetharaman
Advisor Ayurveda
Dr. Mahadevan is a Duke Integrative Healthcare Leader, Ayurvedic Health and Nutrition consultant, and a Yoga Teacher. He serves as the School Director for ĀYU Academy that offers the most organized advanced Āyurvedic curriculum outside India and is involved in promoting AYUSH globally.
Dr. Mahadevan spent 4 years in India on sabbatical as the CEO and MD of the Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (I-AIM) and Professor & Dean, School of Health Sciences, Transdisciplinary University (TDU). He has also recently helped Isha Foundation set up an Integrative Healthcare Centre in India as the COO of Isha Arogya Research Foundation.
Mr. Ritesh Verma
IT & AI HEAD
Ritesh Verma is a Data Warehouse architect by profession. He is also an Artificial Intelligence specialist, and Full-Stack AI Consultant. He has done some proof of concept related to AI in Medical Diagnosis (to identify diseases with supervised (clinical data, EMR) and unsupervised data (image chest x-rays), Medical Prognosis and Medical Treatment using Tensorflow, python and R programming language.
Ritesh Verma obtained a Master Degree in Physics and ranked 2nd in University from NIT Jamshedpur.
As Yoga and meditation enthusiast, he has been associated with AAOYAM.
Mr. Manish Shrivastava
Advisor
Manish Shrivastava is a co-founder and the General Secretary of AAYM. Manish settled in the USA for last 20 years and considers himself to be a global citizen. Manish is a seeker of the ultimate truth and reality. He is an active practitioner of Advaita Vedanta and uses self-inquiry method consistent with the teachings of Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi and J. Krishnamurthy. He is also a proponent of bringing ancient knowledge, yoga, and mediation together with modern science for the benefit of people and the planet; he knows that the only way to end all conflict and suffering is to raise individual consciousness to a point that it becomes one and the only one with the universal consciousness.
By profession, Manish is an IT Leader at Johnson and Johnson and holds an Executive MBA Degree from The University of Memphis as well as an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from India.
Shri KV Kumar
VC– Strategies
Mr. KV Kumar is the Chairman of KMF Investment Group, LLC.
KV Kumar is the epitome of volunteerism. He has served as a volunteer for over 147,000 hours or more than 16 years of volunteer work. He has served tirelessly and continue to serve the small businesses, entrepreneurs, mentorship, people with brain injury, women and youth advancement and service to the community organizations and individuals with need for help.
Sree N. Sreenath
VC– Global Education
Sree N. Sreenath, Ph.D., MNO, is a tenured full professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He is the Director of Case GEMNI (Graduate Engineering & Management National and International) Program. His research and educational interests are in complexity, with applications in Systems Biology (leukemia, prostate cancer and hydrocephalus), Global Issues, and, Sustainable Development. He served the Co-Director of UNESCO GENIe Program – an international network of educational institutions (1996-2006), and as the Director of the Complex Systems Biology Center (2007-2016) at Case. He consults with many developing countries on issues of water, energy, and policy development.
He has received many scholarships and awards including the Best Undergraduate Teaching Award, Who’s Who Among Teachers in America, and the NIH Research Career Award. He published a technical treatise on Global Warming in 1990 and was a member of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the 1990’s. He served as a scenario panel member of the World Water Commission (1998-2000); a member on the UN World Water Assessment Program; and many National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) committees. He has lectured in 25 countries, and has organized more than 40 workshops, symposia, and conferences. He is the inductee to the 2019 class of Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Since 2009, he is the President of Sewa International (www.sewausa.org), a Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit working in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and, development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin. He is also the Executive Committee member of NAVIKA – a national cultural organization.
Professor Sreenath is a practitioner of Vedic Math – ancient Indian Math for over 30 years and has developed a curriculum to educate children. He lives with his wife Shobha in Solon, Ohio, and has two adult children Apurwa and Abhijit.
Shri Ramanand Garge
Operations - Australia
Ramanand is a scholar of humanities and prior to this appointment has served in several capacities in academics and research field in India. He was fellow at Vivekananda International Foundation New Delhi. He is alumnus of University of Pune, Pune. He is alumnus of the prestigious Law Institute, University of Virginia School of Law, USA. Based on his expertise in the field of humanities he has also served in advisory capacity with state governments in India. He is a proven orator at the national and international level and significantly contributed in the form of research papers, monographs, chapters in the books, research article in the acclaimed international journals and publications etc. He was esteemed panelist of Loksabha and Rajyasabha TV, Government of India to deliberate issues of national and international significance. Apart from his academic interests Ramanand also explores travel photography (wildlife, architecture and cultural). Some of his artwork is showcased in national and international exhibitions.
Dr. Bhanu Duggal
VC– Clinical Initiatives
Dr. Bhanu Duggal is a professor and Head of Department at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India. She was in the past also a professor and Head of Department at the Grant Medical College and Sir JJ group of hospitals. She is a recipient of many awards, including the Diversity Travel Support Award in April 2013. Dr. Duggal is an internationally famed cardiologist with research in utilization of stents in clinical practice in India.
Dr Satish Krishnan
Operations - UAE
Head of department of Neurosurgery, Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, UAE
He Studied M.B.B.S at R G Kar Medical College, Calcutta, India, Studied MCh Neurosurgery at SCTIMST, Studied Neurosurgery at National Board Certification He is working as Senior Consultant and Head of department of Neurosurgery at Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah Former Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at SUT hospital pattom Former Doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital Former Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Trivandrum Former Senior Consultant and Head of Neuroscience at SUT Hospital , Pattom Former Assistant Professor at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology
Dr Shankar Natarajan
Member
Dr. Natarajan graduated from the Nilratan Sircar Medical College in 1991. He works in Southaven, MS, and 6 other locations and specializes in Child Neurology, Neurology, and Psychiatry. Dr. Natarajan is affiliated with Baptist Memorial Hospital Desoto and Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown.
Dr Akshay Anand
Member
Akshay Anand graduated from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). After obtaining his post doctoral training at Department of Immunopathology in the same Institute he joined the University of Kentucky as Scientist II. After serving there for two years, he returned to join faculty of Department of Neurology PGIMER. Dr Anand is a research improvement specialist who is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration utilizing invitro, invivo, alternative and biotherapeutic approaches. His other researchinterests range from analyzing the role of genetic and other risk factors that modify ALSand AMD to screening of novel drugs for memory enhancement. He has also been involved in the discovery of animal model of AMD published in Nature Medicine. Dr Anand wasselected of ICMR Amrut Mody Unichem Prize- 2012, Annual PGI faculty award-2013, 2014, Sardar Vallabhabhi Patel Foundation9th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award, 2014, Scopus Young Scientist Award Runner up, National Academy of Sciences India, New Delhi, 2012, ICMR Shankuntla Amir Chand Award (2010), Young Scientist Award from DAE (2005), Retina Research Foundation / Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Award (2003), served as Judge at ISEF, USA (2002-3), obtained over 2 dozen International travel awards besides mentoring PhD students to lead the Swacch Bharat campaign for which the team was awarded the Bharat Nirman Award in the Behavioral change category by Ministry of Science and Technology(2017).
Dr Susheel Sharma
Member
Dr Damodar Reddy Kumbala
Member
Damodar Reddy Kumbala, MD.FASN.FASDIN, is an interventional nephrologist specializing in the routine and complex care of vascular accesses. This includes minimally invasive image-guided procedures. He earned his medical degree at BLDEA Medical College located in Bijapur, India, and completed his internship and residency at Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati. He went on to complete a nephrology fellowship at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans. Dr. Kumbala has participated in numerous clinical studies for both the cardiology and nephrology fields and has published extensively in peer reviewed medical journals.
Dr Manjunath Sharma
VC– Research Initiatives
Director of Research at S-VYASA University
Dr Anupkumar Shetty
VC– Organizational and Institutional Contact Development
EDUCATION
M.D., Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
Internship/Residency
Internal Medicine, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal, India
Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Fellowship
Nephrology, K.E.M. Hospital (University of Bombay), Bombay, India
University of Toronto (The Toronto Hospital), Toronto, Canada
BOARD CERTIFIED
Nephrology
