Ayurveda, Yoga, and Alchemy

The first module will be an introduction to the history of Ayurveda, or classical Indian medicine. We will discuss the roots of the tradition, its literature, and its main concepts. We will also look at some of the most important ayurvedic substances, and delve into ayurvedic formulations, examining what they can tell us about continuities and changes in ayurvedic thought. This week will set the ground for examining the links between Ayurveda, Yoga, and Rasaśāstra in the following modules.

The second module will examine the historic connections between Ayurveda and Yoga. There are two parts to this history. The first is how yoga is featured within ayurvedic literature. We will be discussing passages from some early ayurvedic treatises in which a path of yoga is described and will examine in what way this path of yoga was part of ayurvedic thought and practice. The second part is about how health and wellbeing are addressed in yogic contexts. We will survey historic yogic practices for maintaining, restoring, or optimizing health and query whether or how these are linked to ayurvedic medicine.

The third module is an introduction to the Indian alchemical and iatrochemical traditions. We will trace the emergence of alchemical literature, examine the motivations and aims of alchemical practitioners, and explore the technologies and procedures they developed. We will discuss the transformative nature of alchemical practice, and the material culture connected with its theories of transmutation. You may or may not learn how to make gold....

In the fourth module, we will explore the shared histories of all three disciplines, focussing on the disciplines' rejuvenation and longevity practices. We will examine whether yogis, ayurvedic physicians, and alchemists had the same, or at least overlapping aims and whether they also shared practices. Finally, we will query the impact of these historical encounters and exchanges for modern incarnations of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Rasaśāstra.