Ayurveda Practioner Dr. Smita Naram, Co-Founder of Ayushakti

Please share your initiative towards the good health of your staff.

We at Ayushakti place the highest priority on the health of our employees as well as our clients outside the organization. The work environment and working conditions are a significant source of stress for many employees, and research shows that the many factors inside and outside of the employee’s mind plus the working pattern have significant effects on employee health and well-being.

We conduct health check-ups within our clinics with our doctors and also ask them to do routine check-ups every 6 months. Also, to make a fun working environment and to remove burn out we have Fun- Friday so the team can take a mental break from the workload.

Apart from this, we have outings and some CSR activities in place. Recently we did a tree plantation in the Nashik Forest with an NGO to support native herbal forests.

Do you feel guests these days are more health conscious? And how has healthy lifestyle choices of guests impacts the trends of the hospitality industry?

Yes, the guests these days are more health conscious the earlier. Our Ayurvedic restaurant in Mumbai, Swadshakti has seen a steady increase in demand for healthy dishes. This has changed the patterns in the hospitality sector also. Guests are looking forward to a wholesome experience vs just good food nowadays.

They want more plant-based dishes and prefer having a local approach, either locally sourced items or taste. Consumers today give importance to presentation of dishes too for social media posts. These are more GenZ and Millenials who prefer to find value for money along with health.

Also, the last 2 years have seen a great increase in awareness around Ayurveda and how it can help in building immunity.

Please share initiatives taken by your brand on world health day.

My husband, Late Dr. Pankaj Naram and me, as Co-Founders of an Ayurveda company have always held a vision of spreading good health across the globe. To achieve this, we have launched several initiatives to raise awareness about various health issues, such as PCOS-PCOD, infertility, digestive problems, skin problems, liver problems, children’s health, and blood sugar management. The founders’ ultimate goal is to make Ayurveda accessible to everyone, and to this day we continue to work towards it.

We have an educational program called PATH, through which we teach students from different countries the wisdom of Ayurveda, with the aim of promoting the power of Ayurveda worldwide to help people achieve vibrant health.

This year, during World Health Week, we are hosting students from 18 different countries who seek to enrich their understanding and expertise in Ayurveda. This course aims at spreading awareness about Ayurveda and teaching the generation of today the age-old ancient lineage of pulse reading and marma techniques. It is open to all students and participants across the globe, who are keen on learning Ayurveda methods and healing techniques.

The education course named “3-Year Healing PATH (Practitioner Training in Ancient Healing Secrets of Siddha-Veda)” is being launched in association with the Ancient Secrets Foundation, St Elisabeth University of Berlin.

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