ADAMS, Mass. — The Anahata Schoolhouse on North Summer Street is offer a new service to its yoga patrons — ayurveda.

 

"Ayurveda means the science of life or longevity and it's a 5,000-year-old traditional system of medicine originating in India. It's a universal system of medicine that applies to anybody, anywhere," said certified ayurveda practitioner Hilary Garivaltis. 

 

"It's based on nature, natural laws, and rhythms and principles of nature and understanding that we're all a part of it so learning how we fit into the world around us is so important in ayurveda."

 

Garivaltis has been a leader in ayurveda for 25 years and taught for 12 years at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Strockbridge. 

 

She continues to give workshops and courses, and helps set up programs, including now at the Anahata yoga and healing arts center. This includes offering personal consultations to create customized recommendations on diet, lifestyle and habits.

 

"Ayurveda is really body care, yoga is taking care of the mind, ayurveda is taking care of the body," said Aly Sprague, Anahata's director of ayurveda and yoga programs.

 

"It's extremely individualized, so no one that comes in is going to walk away with the same recommendations, not one person, because we are all made up of varying degrees."

 

Anahata Schoolhouse also offers an ayurvedic body work called abhyanga, a full-body oil treatment to flush toxins out of the body.

 

"It's so good for you because oil is not only nourishing for our nervous system, our muscular skeletal system, but it also has a pulling effect, like this magnetic effect for toxins that are in our body and this particular treatment that we offer is helping to remove those toxins and energy that's stuck in the body," Sprague said.

 

The treatment is designed to boost energy and enhance sleep and, with ayurveda practices, helps ease anxiety and digestive issues.

 

"I think that's why the people that do find their way to ayurveda like it because it's so intuitive," Sprague said. "It's the study of life but it's a natural science so there's core principles that live as the foundation of ayurveda no matter where you practice how you practice, one being the key to prevent disease and maintain the health of healthy people."

 

Garivaltis said she wants to share the benefits of ayurveda as much as possible. The opportunity at Anahata came about after a discussion with founder and yoga teacher Howard Rosenberg.

 

"I hadn't even started the steps of thinking about how to do that when I ran into Howard and he had this opportunity here and we just hit it off and his vision really struck me in my heart, too, that this is the kind of work I want to do help create a space for people in our own community," she said.

 

Rosenberg started the school in 2018 when he wanted to take better care of his health after being diagnosed with advanced cardiovascular disease needing open heart surgery. After that he decided to find out how to better treat himself and his heart.

 

"I made it my mission almost to earn all I could about stress and how to deal with it and what I learned is that practices like yoga and meditation and ayurveda actually address the root cause of health," said Rosenberg.

 

The two met on a hike on Mount Greylock and shared what they did, eventually coming agreeing to partner.

 

"We're here to educate [patrons] but also give them experience," Garivaltis said.

 

Sprague said Anahata's mission is to become a staple for the community and serve its needs. They hope to add more teachers and classes and expand programming.

 

"Our partnership here is to really just expand these programs to make this a place that's inviting for people to come and to know that they can be curious here," she said. "There's no judgment and we're offering tools, classes, workshops, treatments to just help bring you to be the best version of yourself." 

 

They also plan to bring ayurvedic to the Berkshire Yoga Festival this June at Jiminy Peak in Hancock, including massaging, which is called marma, and pulse readings.