my teacher

The following is a message on our lineage from my beloved teacher and the director for the CENTER FOR AYURVEDA, Mela Gaskins Butcher.

‘Mela was born to a family of yogis. Her mother and father were both disciples of Paramahansa Yogananda, and were active participants in the weekly temple teachings of Self Realization Fellowship. This organization took and takes as its mission the education and advancement of the Kriya Yoga spiritual principles, which also include the Ayurvedic Principles. 

Mela grew up with weekly attendance of the temple meetings and was raised in a household where daily spiritual practices of meditation, mantra, and pranayama were the norm. At the age of 15 Mela began her two year Kriyaban training offered to sincere Self Realization students. She completed this course and received her initiation as a Kriyaban at the age of 17. 

It was at one Self Realization retreat in Encinitas California that Mela met her Sat Guru, Dr. Jyoti Ananda. An Ayurvedic Physician of 40 years at the time of their meeting, this began a life long Guru disciple relationship between Dr Ananda and Mela. 

Mela completed her Masters of Science from University of Washington and continued her studies with Dr Ananda in a 5 year in depth training in Ayurvedic Medicine and Psychology. Dr's Dadlani and Soni completed the full team of three presiding Gurus.

Mela was graduated by her presiding gurus in 1990, majoring in internal medicine and minoring in psychology. She opened the Center for Ayurveda in September 1990 in Seattle Washington. 

In order to pass on her classical training before retirement, Mela has taken on a small coterie of remarkable students in order to pass the mantle (parampara) of this Wisdom medicine to the next generation of deeply insightful and loving humans. We know you will find your Center for Ayurveda trained Ayurvedic Practitioner to be a counselor of the highest order. We wish you clarity health and freedom on your path of wholeness.’