Dr. Harsha Vardan Raju exudes warmth, candor, and an innocence that is grounded in deep wisdom. I brim with sweetness whenever I’m in a room with him because I can feel his abiding care for whomever happens to be around him.

He is the eldest son of Dr. J.R. “Father” Raju and an Ayurvedic specialist in panchakarma, pulse diagnosis, sukhamarma as well as medical astrology. He effortlessly makes accessible even the most ancient Ayurvedic knowledge.

From the age of three, Dr. Harsha remembers his one strong desire: I want to be my father. Even before he knew what a Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor) does, he could see the guiding grace that his father embodied.

“Everything–from the time we wake to the time we sleep–is Ayurveda in a living body; that is what we see in Father and Father is our greatest inspiration,” he said.

Dr. Harsha grew up traveling the world alongside Father Raju and learned first-hand the dynamism of Ayurveda. From the verdant hills of India, to the forests of the Amazon, and the cold climes of Russia, Dr. Harsha experienced how Ayurveda always begins with what is locally available.

Just like riding a bike, the terrain upon which we ride determines the competencies we require.

As a child in the Netherlands, he was homeschooled in everyday subjects as well as in Ayurveda, Jyotish (astrology), Sthapatya Veda (architecture) and Gandharva Veda (musicology). “Different aspects of Vedic knowledge balance each other; one [subject] refers to another and another in order to create balance in society.”

We cannot silo the human nervous system, Dr. Harsha explained. Everything is interconnected. Our bodies interface with our environment and our environment holds the cues for our return to balance.

He first taught pulse diagnosis at the age of 7 to other children at school: “We experienced a Vedic principle: The more you give, the more knowledge expands.”

He described the playful way Father Raju taught him. “Every time we had a question, instead of answering directly, our father would give us a task so the knowledge would unfold, and we would discover the answers for ourselves. Father taught with no ego. He empowered us.”

Father Raju’s sincerity and humbleness continues to mark Dr. Harsha’s way for him. To be a good Vaidya is to enliven health consciousness in everyone. Instead of incessant discussions about diseases, Ayurveda is about the infinite ways to keep health alive.

For example, when one member in a family is not doing well, the healthy members nurse the ill one to health. Like this, when we enliven health consciousness, rather than dwell on diseases, we flow attention to maintaining existing health so the whole can bring healing to the unwell part.

Below continues our conversation.

Q: Can you say more about pulse diagnosis?

A: Pulse is one way among eight ways of diagnosis. It is an expression of the rhythm, pulsation, and heartbeat of a person. A Vaidya observes a person’s whole aspect when diagnosing; from the way they speak, to the way their skin looks, to the sense of touch we receive in the pulse.

Everything in nature is wavelength and frequency. Pulse is a language of wavelengths and frequency. Like any language, we can learn it. What is the blockage and where is the balance? If we need to get more information, we might also look at the tongue, the urine or stool.

Q: What is medical astrology?

A: In the Vedas there is a sloka that translates to: As is macro, so is the micro. Just as the seasons affect our bodies, so do the sun’s rays and the moon’s gravitational pull. Medical Astrology is the mathematical calculation of the movement of planets around us and the ways these planets influence our physiology.

Medical astrology calculates the location of planets—where they are at the time of our birth and at any given time—to glean information. When is it best to harvest certain herbs, for example, or when will it be more restful for the body to undergo surgery.

In medical astrology, we understand the moon influences the mind. So when the moon is in its fullest aspect, certain activities are not preferred because impulsiveness is stronger.

Q: You say everything in nature can be Ayurveda. This can feel daunting. Where does one start?

A: Start with one good habit at a time. There are no side effects to good habits. For example, begin sipping hot water. See how you feel. If you feel good, keep the hot water and add one more habit. Try to make lunch your biggest meal. If that’s going well, try sleeping before 10 PM and waking with the sun. Like this, we don’t overwhelm our system. We trust that if we put our attention on health and good habits, with time, more health and good habits will flow.

Q: Can you talk about Dinacharya—our daily routine?

A: Dinacharya is what we do from the time we wake to the time we go to bed. We take our inspiration from nature. For example, every flower wakes and blossoms in the morning. This is because waking up early—a little before sunrise—gives us strength and freshness. The day feels in our control when we wake up early.

In terms of food, in the mornings, we have a light meal. Something that is warm, cooked, and enjoyable. Our main meal should be at lunch time when the sun is high. Evenings: dinners should be easy to digest. Soups are good. We want to give the body rest. When the body is tired, digestion will be weak. On these nights it will be good to skip dinner.

In terms of exercise, Bala in Sanskrit means physical strength. Bala is strongest at sunrise and begins to diminish by sunset. To not stress the body, exercise should be done to half our body’s strength. When sweat begins to come to the forehead, it means we are crossing the half-strength mark of our bodies. We can build our endurance so this point is reached at increasing intervals, but it is not recommended to go past this indicator of half-strength.

Q: Often you recommend self-pulse. Can you talk more about this?

A: The body is always eager to address its imbalances; the way children rush to parents when parents come home to tell them about the occurrences of their day, the body offers up its imbalances in pulse.

We take our own pulse at different times of the day. Women with their right hand, feeling their left radial artery and men with their left hand, feeling their right radial artery. With the fore, middle and ring fingers.

Children from the age of 3 can do it. Begin with innocence. Notice when you feel your pulse: What does sitting feel like? What does digesting food feel like? What does tiredness feel like?

Information emanates from what is dominant. With time, you’ll start to notice patterns as well as when the patterns change.

Take the self-pulse course here.

Written by Cindy Wu for The Rajus Ayurveda.