Ayurveda Connected: Hilary Garivaltis
Today, ancient Ayurvedic traditions are increasingly becoming filtered out. With modern-day living conditions such as diet, work, money, and relationships being seen more of a chore rather than a way of life—we are becoming more separated from each other as a community. Through Ayurveda, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow from each other. At Urban Ayurveda, we are passionate about connecting various Ayurvedic organizations to those interested in learning more about each other and the world around us.
Our Mission at Urban Ayurveda is, “Connecting Ayurveda practitioners to those who desire to live a well-balanced lifestyle.” To better connect with one another, we need to get the Ayurvedic conversation started.
Hilary Garivaltis is the Executive Director of NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) and is affiliated with various organizations worldwide that help to teach and train current and future Ayurvedic Practitioners. In addition to NAMA, Hilary is also the Principal Founder of Ayurvedic Health Education Services, LLC., and the Founder and former Dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda. These organizations have decades worth of experience and are highly recognized throughout the world of Ayurveda.
Hilary Garivaltis
During our interview with Hilary, she discusses her experience as well as the best ways to get connected to educational and professional opportunities using NAMA resources.
Q: Can You Share with Us the History of NAMA, and How You Got to the Position that You are in Now as the Executive Director?
“NAMA started in conversation with a group of four people back in 1998. The founders--Kumar Batra, Marc Halpern, Wynn Werner, and Cynthia Copple-- felt that it was important to bring the community together, build an organization that could help build the future of Ayurveda, and support the growing number of educational institutions and people wanting to become professionals within the field. From that conversation, NAMA was born and in 2000 they officially became a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization. Within the coming year, they brought in board members and now it has been 21 years that NAMA has been an official organization. Since then, they have developed standards, scope of practice, competency guidelines, competency exams, and most recently-developed an accrediting body. This body is now officially broken off from NAMA and is known as the National Ayurvedic Medical Accreditation Council. They are responsible for overseeing and accrediting educational institutions which are common throughout many professions and are a standard of practice in getting a profession legitimized which is a huge accomplishment for the Ayurvedic community.
I started my studies in 1997 in a program on the East Coast—where I am from. I started with a small 500-hour program where they brought in teachers from India, and then went on to study in India for a bit shortly after completing my program. I completely fell in love with Ayurveda. I had another profession that I was doing at that time, but as I got more involved, I realized that I personally wanted to see Ayurveda grow more in the United States. I shifted from my previous profession into Ayurveda in 2001 and started working with Kripalu Center for Yoga in Massachusetts and helped them build their Ayurvedic program and then became the Dean of their school for 12 years. In the midst of that transition, I volunteered on the education committee for NAMA in 2003. That is how I started getting involved, and how many people get involved, is through starting on committees. In 2006 I became a board member, and in 2016 it was decided that NAMA needed an Executive Director. I had served many roles and capacities at NAMA through the years, including as President, and I just offered my services while we figured out what we needed. I moved into that role in 2016 and have been there ever since.”
Q: Is the Executive Director role your current full-time role? Have you let go of your other positions at Kripalu?
“Yes, it is my full-time job now. I transitioned out of Kripalu in 2013 and went off on my own and did a lot of teaching and consulting around the country for a few years. I was at a point in 2016 where I was either going to invest in continuing to move in that direction or I would shift and help NAMA. The first year that I was with NAMA, I was doing both. I was still teaching and traveling while I helped to set up the roles within NAMA. Then it became really clear that it is more of my Dharma to be a part of this association at this capacity.
I miss teaching, being with people, seeing the faces of students, and sharing Ayurveda on that level for sure. Maybe one day I will come back and do it again. Right now, the work that I am doing for everyone really within the association is very critical and important, so I am very happy to serve in that capacity.”
Q: What is the best way that you think students can tap into the resources that NAMA provides?
“As students, they can join free while they are still enrolled in school. Membership allows them to access over 100 seminars in Ayurveda that we have produced over many years with a wide variety of topics and wonderful speakers from the community. As students, you will also get a discount on our conference, which is another great resource. You can see the school, companies, professions, have conversations with people, and see what is going on in the world of Ayurveda. There are also many opportunities to be involved with various committees and be a part of shaping and growing the future of Ayurveda.”
Q: In the Ayurveda World, who is Your Mentor? Who do You Revere Most?
“I have had so many amazing teachers and people in which I have encountered. The people who have crossed my path, especially early on as a student, are people like Dr. Sunil Joshi who is one of my dearest and closest mentors. When I first started in school, I was lucky to have a really large range of people to meet and connect with such as Dr. Avinash Lele, Dr. Subhash Ranade, and Vamadeva Shastri. Another person who was a great mentor was John Douillard who is super fun, enthusiastic, and has really translated Ayurveda to some common language. He has written some wonderful books and is a really fun teacher to work with. Another dear friend and mentor is Dr. Robert Svoboda, whom I have worked with in the field. Dr. Vasant Lad came later in the industry for me. I did not meet him until I started working at Kripalu, but I worked with him for many years.
There are so many more who I could mention, those are just the immediate touch points. I had some amazing teachers in India, too. I am so graced by anyone who I have been able to connect with through the years and continue to learn from. Many of the people on the NAMA board with me are also amazing mentors, teachers, and professionals in the field who I have come to know.”
Q: What Are Some of Your Daily Ayurvedic Practices?
“They are so imbedded now; it is hard to think of them. You start early on learning about daily rhythms, waking, taking care of your senses, and cleansing your mouth, nose, and teeth. All these things that just become a part of your norm in life. For me, incorporating yoga and Pranayama as much as possible into my daily life and routine to keep things in good rhythm and balance is extremely beneficial. I keep my diet as Ayurvedically focused as I possibly can, too. I have been a Vegetarian for years, so my focus is on good, healthy, organic, freshly made foods and keeping it as local as possible. These are all things that I have learned early on and then incorporated into my life.