A selection of speakers at the International Ayurveda Symposium 2026

Prof. (Dr.) Alathiyoor Narayanan Nambi

Prof. (Dr.) Alathiyoor Narayanan Nambi is a senior Ayurveda physician, teacher, and representative of the renowned Alathiyoor Ashtavaidya lineage of Kerala, a family tradition of classical Ayurvedic physicians that has shaped Ayurvedic clinical practice for generations.

He serves as Principal and Professor of Kayachikitsa (Ayurvedic Internal Medicine) at Ashtamgam Ayurveda Chikitsalayam & Vidyapeedham in Kerala, where he combines clinical practice, teaching, and research. His medical training includes both formal Ayurvedic education and many years of traditional apprenticeship under eminent physicians of the Kerala Ayurvedic tradition.

Prof. Nambi is widely respected for his deep knowledge of classical Ayurveda and his long clinical experience in treating complex chronic diseases, including metabolic disorders, rheumatic conditions, neurological diseases, and psychosomatic disorders.

Alongside his clinical work, he has been active internationally in research collaborations and Ayurveda education, including cooperation with European academic institutions and integrative medicine initiatives.

Through his lectures and teaching, he contributes to bringing the principles of classical Ayurveda into dialogue with modern medical and scientific perspectives.

Dr. Devi Narayanan

Dr. Devi Narayanan is an experienced Ayurveda physician, psychotherapist, and international teacher associated with Ashtamgam Ayurveda Chikitsalayam in Kerala, a well-known centre for classical Ayurvedic treatment and clinical training.

With many years of clinical practice, she is particularly known for her ability to combine classical Ayurvedic medicine with psychological and therapeutic approaches. In addition to her medical training in Ayurveda, she holds a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology and qualifications in counselling and clinical hypnotherapy. This interdisciplinary background allows her to address both the physical and psychological dimensions of illness.

Her clinical work focuses especially on integrative approaches to trauma, emotional stress, and psychosomatic disorders within the framework of classical Ayurvedic hospital treatment. Drawing from both Ayurvedic psychology and modern therapeutic methods, she supports patients in restoring mental balance and inner resilience.

Dr. Narayanan also teaches internationally, including for many years at Ayurvedic Point in Milan, where she trains students and practitioners in the practical application of Ayurvedic medicine and mind–body therapies.

Prof. Dr. Tanuja Nesari

Prof. Tanuja Nesari is one of India’s leading voices in Ayurveda and integrative medicine. She currently serves as Director of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, one of India’s most important institutions for Ayurvedic education, clinical practice, and research.

Previously, she served as Director of the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, one of the flagship institutions of the Ministry of Ayush and a central hub for the development of modern academic and clinical Ayurveda. In this role she played a key part in strengthening institutional structures, expanding international collaborations, and building interdisciplinary teams.

With more than three decades of experience as physician, researcher, and academic leader, Prof. Nesari has been instrumental in advancing Ayurveda within national and global health dialogues. Her work reflects key themes of the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, including the integration of traditional medicine into modern health systems, evidence-based research on non-communicable diseases, and the development of high-quality Ayurveda education.

Under her leadership numerous national and international MoUs and academic collaborations have been established, including cooperation within the framework of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO-GCTM). She has supervised nearly 100 postgraduate and doctoral scholars and authored more than 200 scientific publications and several books, including the German publication “Ayurveda heilt.”

Dr. Manoj Nesari

Dr. Manoj Nesari is a senior Ayurveda physician with extensive clinical experience and an important figure in the development of Ayurveda policy and public health in India. He has served as Advisor (Ayurveda) to the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, contributing to national strategies for strengthening Ayurveda within modern healthcare systems.

Alongside his policy work, Dr. Nesari is known as a clinician and lecturer who brings the insights of the classical Ayurvedic texts into contemporary clinical practice. His lectures often illuminate traditional concepts in a new light and demonstrate their relevance for modern health challenges.

His work resonates closely with the themes of the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, particularly the role of Ayurveda in strengthening resilience and longevity, understanding the relationship between doshas, agni, hormones and metabolism, and developing integrative approaches to chronic and lifestyle-related diseases.

Through his clinical practice, teaching, and international lectures, Dr. Nesari contributes to making classical Ayurvedic knowledge accessible and applicable for modern integrative healthcare.

Dr. Priyadarshan Joglekar

Dr. Priyadarshan (Salil) Joglekar is an experienced Ayurveda physician, educator, and internationally respected teacher of classical Ayurvedic psychology and philosophy. With decades of clinical practice and teaching, he is known for his ability to interpret the classical Ayurvedic texts in ways that illuminate their relevance for contemporary life and medical practice.

He teaches Ayurveda at Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya in Pune, one of India’s historic institutions of Ayurvedic education, where he contributes to the teaching of classical Ayurvedic knowledge and philosophy.

Dr. Joglekar’s work focuses particularly on the psychological and existential dimensions of Ayurveda, including the role of consciousness, emotional balance, and inner resilience in health and healing. Drawing from classical texts as well as long clinical experience, he explores how Ayurveda can guide individuals in facing profound life experiences such as trauma, illness, and the processes of life and death.

At the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, Dr. Joglekar will address the theme “Ayurveda and What Truly Matters in Life – Life, Death and Trauma.” His lectures illuminate how Ayurvedic wisdom can help cultivate resilience, meaning, and inner balance in times of personal and societal challenges.

Prof. Dr. Prasanth Dharmarajan

Dr. Prasanth Dharmarajan is a senior Ayurveda physician, researcher, and Associate Professor of Panchakarma at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, one of the leading academic and clinical institutions of the Ministry of Ayush. Coming from a family of traditional Ayurvedic physicians in Kerala, he combines deep classical knowledge with modern clinical practice and research.

He was among the early faculty members involved in building the clinical and academic structures of AIIA and played a central role in developing its Panchakarma department and national training standards for Panchakarma therapists in India. With decades of clinical experience, he is widely respected by patients for his integrative and highly effective therapeutic approaches, especially in complex chronic conditions.

His clinical and research work focuses on systemic regulation in Ayurveda, the mechanisms of Panchakarma, and integrative approaches to chronic diseases. At the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, Dr. Dharmarajan will address the Ayurvedic understanding of chronic and smouldering inflammation and explain the role of srotas, the body’s channel systems, in the development and treatment of inflammatory disorders.

Sascha Kriese BA Hons (Ayu)

Sascha Kriese, BA Hons (Ayu), Ayurvedic Practitioner, Ayurveda Physician (UK), is an experienced Ayurveda practitioner, pulse reader, and international teacher who has been active in the field of Ayurveda and holistic healing for more than two decades. He completed a three-year degree in Ayurveda at Thames Valley University London and received his training in pulse diagnosis in India under Dr. Pankaj Naram.

Through his clinical work, teaching, and mentoring, Sascha Kriese has supported many people in understanding the connections between physical health, emotional processes, and personal transformation. In recent years, his work has increasingly focused on the psychological and existential dimensions of healing, including trauma integration, shadow work, and grief processes.

At the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, he will speak on grief work in Ayurveda, exploring how Ayurvedic understanding of mind, consciousness, and emotional balance can support people in times of loss, transition, and the search for what truly matters in life.

Dr. Ananda Chopra (D)

Head of the Ayurveda department at the Habichtswaldklinik Kassel
Ananda Samir Chopra, MD, studied medicine and Indology at the University of Heidelberg. After his license to practice medicine, he spent one year in Kolkata, India, studying Ayurveda. Since 1996 leading physician of the Ayurveda Clinic Kassel. 2009 to 2011 scientific assistant in a research project on the modern history of Ayurveda at the University of Heidelberg. Furthermore, he is the 1st chairman of DÄGAM e.V. (German Medical Society for Ayurveda Medicine). In addition to his clinical activities, Dr. Chopra continues to be scientifically active in the history of medicine. Since his childhood he has been learning and practicing Indian classical music (Hindustani Sangit).

Prof. Dr. Shivenarain Gupta (IND)

Ayurveda Clinic Director, Professor, J.S. Ayurveda College, Vice Chancellor, Maganbhai Adenwala Mahagujarat University, India
Prof. Shivenarain Gupta MD (Ayu) is a physician and professor of Ayurvedic medicine from Nadiad (India). He earned his doctorate degree from the famous Ayurveda University of Jamnagar. Today he heads the Department of Internal Medicine at the P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital. As a professor of the affiliated J. S. Ayurveda College, he has succeeded in establishing one of the most prestigious pancakarma clinics in India, where patients from India and Europe receive help. He was awarded by IASTAM (India) for his achievements in teaching and appointed as Vice Chancellor, Maganbhai Adenwala Mahagujarat University in 2022. At the European Academy of Ayurveda, he has been one of the key teachers and academic head of training in Ayurvedic Medicine for many years.

Dr. med. Antonio Īśvara Morandi (I)

Neurologist and Ayurveda doctor

Antonio Īśvara Morandi is a neurologist and Vaidya (Ayurveda Academy, Pune (India) / Joytinat International College of Ayurveda). He has also specialized in Ayurvedic Panchakarma therapy (Ayurveda Institute Ashtavaidyan Thaikat Mooss', Thrissur).

He is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Ayurvedic Point, Milan and President of the Scientific Society for Ayurvedic Medicine Italy (SSIMA). He has been Advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on several working groups, including those focused on benchmarks for practice and training in Ayurveda and terminology in Ayurveda and the topic group of the Artificial Intelligence applications in Traditional Medicine under the AI4Health Project. Dr. Morandi teaches an elective course titled “Introduction to Ayurveda” at the Faculty of Medicine at the State University of Milan. He is also a member of the Commission on Non-Conventional Medicines for the Board of Medical Doctors in the Province of Milan.

He was honored with the title of Āyurveda Acharya in 2003. In 2017 he was awarded the prestigious IASTAM ZANDU Award for Research in Ayurveda. Dr. Morandi is a prolific author, having contributed numerous scientific publications and books. He is an active member of several editorial committees for scientific journals and is frequently invited to serve as Chairman, Keynote Speaker, and Guest of Honor at major international events on Ayurveda.

Theresa Rosenberg (D)

Practitioner of Natural Medicine, MSc in Ayurvedic Medicine
Theresa Rosenberg is a non-medical practitioner specializing in Ayurvedic medicine and completed studies in Ayurvedic medicine at the European Academy of Ayurveda. In her own clinic in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, she performs medical consultations, nutritional counseling, constitutional determinations, individual cures, and medical manual therapies. In addition to her clinic, she works as an Ayurvedic physician in the Rosenberg Therapy and Competence Center and as a lecturer at the REAA in Birstein. She is also an expert in Ayurvedic medicine for animals.

Kerstin Rosenberg (D)

Specialist for Ayurveda nutrition
Kerstin Rosenberg runs the European Academy for Ayurveda together with her husband. The internationally renowned specialist for Ayurveda and nutrition has been training people in Ayurveda nutrition and health counselling, psychology and therapy throughout Europe since 1996. She has 25 years of practical experience in Ayurveda and is in daily contact with patients, training participants and spa guests. As an author, she has published numerous Ayurveda books, which are among the best known works of Ayurveda literature.

Mark Rosenberg (D)

Director of the European Academy for Ayurveda
Mark Rosenberg heads the European Academy for Ayurveda and is managing partner of the Rosenberg Ayurveda companies. He has many years of experience as a management consultant, Vastu expert and Yoga teacher BDY/EYU. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of VEAT - Berufsverband Europäischer Ayurveda-Mediziner und -Therapeuten e.V. He was awarded the prestigious Vaidya Sundarlal Joshi Memorial Management Award by MGMS (India) to honour him for his outstanding management achievements in the field of Ayurveda. He also received the IASTAM Pandit Shiv Sharma Oration Award.

Carmen Durgā Tosto (I)

Yoga teacher, therapist, vice-director Ayurvedic Point
Carmen Tosto is the Co-Director and Co-Founder of "Ayurvedic Point" (Milan, Italy). She obtained her Yoga Teacher diploma at the Yoga-Sūrya Chandra Marga Institute under the guidance of Master Gabriella Cella (Yoga Ratna) and further enhanced her training with a diploma in Ayurvedic Therapy from the Joytinat International College of Āyurveda, under the direction of Swami Joythimayananda. She has also deepened her knowledge of Marma Point Therapy under the guidance of Vaidya Atreya Smith and specialized in Panchakarma Therapy at the Ashtavaidyan Thaikat Mooss' Ayurvedic Institute in Thrissur, India. In 2003, she was awarded the honorary title of "Āyurveda Acharya" by the Ayurvedic Institute Ashtavaidyan Thaikat Mooss - Kerala, India. She is the creator of the PMT - PranaMarmaTherapy© Method and the AYT - AyurvedaYogaTherapy© Method. Her main interest lies in the integration of Yoga and Āyurveda into medical practice and the clinical application of Panchakarma Therapy. She is the author of numerous publications on Āyurveda and Yoga and currently directs the Treatment Department at the Ayurvedic Medicine Center "Ayurvedic Point" in Milan. She is also the co-author of scientific publications in international specialized journals, conference presentations, and books. She teaches the elective course "Introduction to Āyurveda" at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan.