Ayurveda: the Art of Being

2002 Documentary

Ayurveda: The Art of Being is a documentary about the ancient health-care system Ayurveda, which means "The Science of Life" in Sanskrit. The oldest continually practiced medicine in the world, Ayurveda traces its origins to centuries of observations of humans, animals, and plants. At its core, it is an herbal science that is said not only to heal the body, but the spirit as well. Without narration, the film takes a look at several Indian practitioners of Ayurveda who explain how they came to study the medicine and how worldwide interest in their work has grown. A major strength of this film is that it is an eye-opener for the uninitiated westerner, revealing the untapped values of an arcane healing doctrine while demystifying its methods.

Director: Pan Nalin

Starring: Brahmanand Swamigal, Vaidya Narayan Murthy

Reviews

  • Writer-director Pan Nalin's film is at its best when he focuses on the meticulous, hands-on preparation of herb- and mineral-based drugs; it's also genuinely provocative to hear Ayurvedists argue that healing should be a vocation rather than a career.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • A sometimes eye-opening, if overlong, German-Swiss documentary on a holistic health system that's been practiced, mostly in India, for more than 500 years.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    19 January 2013

  • As a believer preaching to an audience of believers, he (Nalin) feels no need to offer proofs or anything even approaching a rational argument.

    Dave Kehr - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • For the most part, though, Ayurveda speaks in subtitled Asian cadences to an affluent international audience primed to believe.

    - Village Voice

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Feature Documentary

    Galway Film Fleadh (2002)

  • Best Documentary

    Los Angeles Indian Film Festival (2003)