Saipriya Gowrishankar grew up in India in a large family of doctors and, from a young age, aspired to become a physician. She attended medical school in India, then worked at a women’s health and fertility clinic in Chennai. Twenty years ago she moved to the United States with her physician husband.
In the US she has worked in various hospital systems on clinical trials and research projects and settled down in Cleveland, Ohio. While doing a volunteer project for her spiritual teacher, she was charged with the collection and digitization of Ayurvedic scriptures found all over the world.
“I was amazed by all the knowledge I found in my Ayurvedic scriptural research,” said Dr. Gowrishankar. “I realized Ayurveda bridges the gaps in my medical knowledge that I don’t have answers for.”
During her research, she also heard about Maharishi’s revival of the role of consciousness in Ayurveda. She learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique in 2018 and enrolled in the online MS in Maharishi AyurVeda® and Integrative Medicine program in 2019.
“The first thing that attracted me to MIU was Consciousness-Based education,” said Dr. Gowrishankar. “I fell in love with Transcendental Meditation, and every day my enthusiasm increased.”
She left her job to focus on her studies and, in her second year at MIU, was offered a teaching assistant position. Upon her graduation last December, she became a graduate instructor. Dr. Gowrishankar discovered she loved teaching, so she decided to earn a PhD in health and physiology at MIU.
Dr. Gowrishankar plans to launch an integrative medicine private practice and collaborate with colleagues at hospitals in the Cleveland area to further her research on Ayurveda. “My friends in integrative medicine are very open to the concepts of Ayurveda,” she said. “I want to bring Ayurveda to the scientific community.”
Dr. Gowrishankar has also immersed herself in studying Maharishi Vedic Science℠ and Maharishi Jyotish℠ and looks forward to taking the TM-Sidhi® course.
MIU student Ymane Lakhlif grew up in New York City and competed in swimming throughout high school and college. She also earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of nine.
Yick Oi Janet Ho grew up in Hong Kong and has had an interest in language, literature, and Chinese philosophy from a young age. She earned a master’s degree in education and worked as a curriculum developer and coordinator for schools with special-needs students.
