Great movies on Integrative healing, Yoga, and Ayurveda

Chose to feed your body, mind, and higher-Self in a way that supports your vitality and resilience.

Ayurveda teaches us that everything we take through our senses has to be digested and assimilated. That means that "diet" goes beyond the food we eat, and encompasses what we see, listen, and so forth.

In times where we can quickly get caught in an overwhelming flow of bad and fake news that feed anxiety and fear, choosing what we feed our senses with, is crucial to support a balanced mind and to support our immunity and resilience to stress.

I have selected here some of my favorite movies on Integrative Medicine, Yoga, and Ayurveda. Some more recent than others but with the common thread of putting light to the fact that our bodies are much more than matter and that "we have more control over our health and life than we have been taught to believe".

On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace

In my personal opinion, this documentary is a work of art. As a designer and health care practitioner, this movie merges two of my greatest passions, and it feels like a visit to Michael O'Neill's studio in a close conversation with him. Michael shares how meditation and yoga helped him in a path of recovery from a burn out that affected his nervous system and physiology to the point of needing a delicate surgery that is resulting in compromised movements of his dominant arm. He spent ten years photographing Yoga’s greatest masters. The movie is a lesson of courage on moving beyond fear and pain; the documentary is a poetic declaration of gratitude to life and the obstacles offered as an invitation for growth that led to his full recovery. Available on YouTube or Netflix.

Heal

This documentary shows stories from spiritual leaders, physicians, and patients with chronic illnesses and the powerful connection between our psyche and physical health. It reveals the innate and extraordinary self-healing capacity within the human body as science now demonstrates that we are not victims of unchangeable genes. Visit the website or watch it on Netflix.

Ayurveda the Art of Being

I have probably watched this documentary over 15 times by now and highly recommend it to all those who approach my wellness practice with deeper curiosity on what Ayurveda is and what it has to offer. This documentary demonstrates a large panoply of ayurvedic therapies: diet, nutrition, herbology, massage, marma therapy, psychology, treatments using gems, etc. Those who look for an integrative and functional approaches to health will be delighted to see doctors like Dr. Dean Ornish featured in this movie directed by Pan Nalin in 2001. Available for free streaming on YouTube.

The Doctor from India

I've been studying Ayurveda through Dr. Lad's teachings since 2007. His books, interviews, videos, webinars, and visits to The Ayurvedic Institute (New Mexico) to study pulse reading and marma therapy directly from Dr. Lad, greatly influenced my work. This movie profoundly touches my heart. Directed by Jeremy Frindel (One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das) and featuring Deepak Chopra, Robert Svoboda, David Frawley, and Claudia Welch.

Ayurveda Unveiled

Launched in December 2019, this 5-hour long documentary is a resource for students of Ayurveda. With interviews featuring scholars, ayurvedic practitioners and doctors Claudia Welch, David Frawley, Deepak Chopra, Robert Svoboda, Vasant Lad, Sadhguru, Suhas Kshirsagar, and others.

I hope these movies will allow your mind to find threads of hope and provide deep insights in this time of paradigm shift in which life invites us to reconsider our relationships with ourselves, with our environment and with each other.

About the author: Carol Jamault is a Certified Health and Life Coach (CHC), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and Yoga Instructor (RYT-200) with extensive training in Ayurveda and Herbalism. She focuses on supporting her clients with stress management tools and self-care routines through an integrative approach to wellness. She guides those in a quest for personal growth and better health, by providing curated information and teaching a therapeutic lifestyle that naturally allows to restore balance, improving wellness and fostering longevity. Carol has been studying alternative healing, ethnobotany, circadian medicine, Ayurveda and herbalism since 2001. She is the founder of Hridayam Bodywork & Apothecary and partners with corporations and wellness studios to provide therapeutic bodywork, private coaching, workshops, and lectures.