Jaya’s Ayurvedic roots began during her Indian childhood, growing up in her mother and grandmother’s kitchens.  Food was cooked with attention to the season and state of wellness of the family as a whole.  Over the counter medications were unheard of; food and herbs from the garden did the task of restoring wellness whether it be the newest baby with a cold (that rarely happened but when it did), grandmother feeling unwell after a day out in the sun, or an itinerant uncle eating from roadside stalls and ending up with a bout of the ‘tropics’.  The audacious and yet stubborn idea that Food is Medicine and Medicine is Food left an indelible mark. 

This background was deeply enriched by Jaya’s own motherhood and the task of raising healthy kids in a foreign country without the wisdom of the village, so to speak.  So inevitably, there followed a quest to understand the deep connection between food and health, as Jaya explored the Western models of diet and nutrition at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.  This journey led her back to her roots with a deep understanding of the value of a traditional lifestyle science that is Ayurveda.  She completed formal Ayurveda study at the California College of Ayurveda, the only state accredited Ayurvedic institution in the USA. 

Jaya is in private practice today as a Clinical Ayurveda Specialist. Her work involves Ayurveda education as well as on-on-one clinical consultations. She teaches Ayurveda modules for Yoga teacher training programs across the south-east US.  She offers workshops in the greater Atlanta area for the public on a wide variety of subjects including women’s health, seasonal wellness, food as medicine, using spices in everyday cooking, pantry planning and stocking, etc. In her clinical practice, Jaya works one-on-one with clients, building a personalized Ayurveda lifestyle and diet protocol for their self-care and well-being. 

Most importantly, on any given day, she is sure to be cooking up something delicious!