JMVRI Issue Number 17

JMVRI Issue No. 17 contains three papers related to Maharishi Ᾱyur-Veda, also referred to as Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health. The first is titled “Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health” (pp. 11-32), a statement made in 1996 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which can be found in the publication Maharishi Forum of Natural Law and National Law for Doctors (Maharishi Vedic University Press, pp. 16-43), reprinted with permission of the Global Country of World Peace. Maharishi offers the knowledge and programs of his prevention-oriented Vedic Approach to Health, which is holistic, time-tested, free from harmful side-effects, and easily applied. Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health offers to re-establish balance between the body and its own inner intelligence through Vedic knowledge and its application.

The second paper, which should be read in conjunction with the first paper by Maharishi and is a companion to it, is titled “Diagnostic Validity of Āyurvedic Pulse Assessment: Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān in Cardiovascular Health” (pp. 33-73) by Dr Manohar Palakurthi, Dr Lee Fergusson, Dr Sathya N. Dornala, and Dr Robert H. Schneider. The editors of JMVRI are particularly honoured to have the opportunity to publish this research paper. Dr Manohar is a world-renowned Ᾱyurvedic physician who currently serves as Clinical Professor of Physiology and Health at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. He graduated from India’s Nagarjuna University with subsequent training by three of the world’s most revered experts in Maharishi Ᾱyur-Veda, and received the Dhanvantari Award from the Association of Ᾱyurvedic Professionals of North America. Dr Manohar is an Ᾱyurvedic clinical consultant, teacher, and course developer for health professionals and physicians, is a teacher and expert clinician in Ᾱyurvedic pulse diagnosis, has training in aromatherapy and Ᾱyurvedic ophthalmology, and has presented seminars of Maharishi Ᾱyur-Veda all over the world.

His research is the first to explore the diagnostic validity of Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān in diagnosing hypertension, cholesterol, insomnia, and state of mind. Previous studies have assessed the reliability of conventional forms of pulse examination in Ᾱyur-Veda and found relatively low levels of both inter-rater and within-rater reliability. However, the present study found generally higher levels of diagnostic validity, and therefore has implications for the use of Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān as a diagnostic approach in the context of holistic, integrated, and preventive healthcare offered by Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health.

The third paper titled “A Concurrent Mixed Methods Study of Quality of Life and Maharishi Vedic Architecture” (pp. 75-108) is by Dr Lee Fergusson, Dr Sanford Nidich, Dr Anna Bonshek, and Dr Randi Nidich; an earlier version of this paper was published in 2020 in the prestigious architectural journal International Journal of Architecture and Urban Design, 10(4), pp. 5-18. The study explores the experiences of individuals who reside in homes designed according to the principles of Maharishi Vedic Architecture (MVA), with triangulated quantitative and qualitative results from an international mixed-methods survey of 158 individuals in 14 countries indicating this approach to architectural design contributed to individual and family quality of life. The study found a statistically significant difference between those living in MVA for more than three years compared to those living in MVA for less than three years (F = 1.89, p = .02), however no difference in quality of life was observed between experiences of people living in different locations, indicative of transnational efficacy.

JMVRI Issue Number 17

JMVRI Paper 17.1

Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health

Author: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

This paper can be downloaded via the following link:

https://www.academia.edu/49068626/Maharishis_Vedic_Approach_to_Health

Citation: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (2021). Maharishi’s Vedic approach to health. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 17, 11-32.

Summary (excerpt): 

The Doctors’ Forum of Natural Law and National Law offers the knowledge and programs of Maharishi’s prevention-oriented Vedic Approach to Health, which is holistic, time-tested, free from harmful side-effects, and easily applied. Maharishi’s Vedic Approach to Health offers to re-establish balance between the body and its own inner intelligence through Vedic Knowledge and its application.

JMVRI Paper 17.2

Diagnostic Validity of Āyurvedic Pulse Assessment: Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān in Cardiovascular Health

Author: Manohar Palakurthi, Lee Fergusson, Sathya N. Dornala & Robert H. Schneider

This paper can be downloaded via the following link:

https://www.academia.edu/49081955/Diagnostic_Validity_of_%C4%80yurvedic_Pulse_Assessment_Maharishi_N%C4%81di_Vigy%C4%81n_in_Cardiovascular_Health

Citation: Palakurthi, M., Fergusson, L., Dornala, S. N., & Schneider, R. H. (2021). Diagnostic validity of Āyurvedic pulse assessment: Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān in cardiovascular health. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 17, 33-73.

Summary (excerpt):

This study is the first of its kind to systematically investigate the relationship between the clinical practice of Maharishi ᾹyurVeda pulse assessment and cardiovascular health. Given that cardiovascular disease is a major threat to the health of people in many countries, the question of diagnostic validity of a traditional, non-invasive method of health assessment is an important one for prevention and therapeutics. For this reason, we investigated the diagnostic validity of examining the pulse of patients using the technique of Maharishi Nādi-Vigyān compared to an objective measure of blood pressure and to self-reports of other cardiovascular risk factors.

JMVRI Paper 17.3

A Concurrent Mixed Methods Study of Quality of Life and Maharishi Vedic Architecture

Author: Lee Fergusson, Sanford Nidich, Anna Bonshek & Randi Nidich

This paper can be downloaded via the following link:

https://www.academia.edu/49068657/A_Concurrent_Mixed_Methods_Study_of_Quality_of_Life_and_Maharishi_Vedic_Architecture

Citation: Fergusson, L., Ortiz-Cabrejos, J., & Bonshek, A. (2021). Long-term practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique in Puno, Perú: A five-level exploratory model of theory and research. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 16, 63-94.

Summary (excerpt):

The histories of architectural design and town planning are replete with references to creating a better quality of human life. One of the approaches to enhancing human existence is Vāstu Vidyā, the knowledge of design and building from the ancient Vedic tradition. More recently, Vāstu Vidyā has been repurposed to include not only considerations of architectural practice and construction but also the consciousness of the designer and builder and the need for a more ‘enlightened’ approach to design.

Such a view of architecture is called Maharishi Vedic Architecture (MVA). Some of the features of MVA include a concern for orientation of the building to cardinal east, the position and proportion of rooms within the dwelling, and considerations of slope and relation to the early morning sun. Such features are said to enhance the creativity, health, and happiness of occupants.

The purpose of the present mixed methods study is to explore the experiences of individuals who reside in homes designed according to the principles and practices of MVA. Triangulated quantitative and qualitative results from an international mixed-methods survey of 158 individuals in 14 countries indicate this approach to architectural design and construction contributes to improved individual and family quality of life, specifically as it has been operationalised to mean changes on four quality-of-life factors: well-being; health; personal development; and success.

On a quality-of-life scale developed for this context, the study found a significant difference between those who agreed and those who did not that MVA had improved their quality of life on all four factors, and a statistically significant difference between those living in MVA for more than three years compared to those living in MVA for less than three years (F = 1.89, p = .02) was also observed. No difference in quality of life was reported for people living in different locations, suggesting that the impact of MVA was not site or country specific.

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