Meet the Innovators: David Frawley

Frawley was one of the first to bring Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology to the West.

By Holly Hammond

David Frawley is deeply trained in the classical yoga Vedanta tradition and was one of the first Americans to bring Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology to the West. He is one of the few Western Vedic scholars recognized in India, where he lectures and teaches, and where he has been honored by major spiritual and political leaders. He is author of more than 20 books, from technical studies to popular works, including Yoga and Ayurveda (Lotus Press, 1999). He is director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and president of the American Council of Vedic Astrology. He teaches in the traditions of Ramana Maharshi, Ganapati Muni, and Sri Aurobindo.

Frawley wants to see "a new yogic culture for the new planetary age." Yoga in the West "has only scratched the surface of the greater yoga tradition," he says. "The yoga community in the West is currently at a crossroads. Its recent commercial success can be used to build the foundation for a more profound teaching, aimed at changing the consciousness of humanity. Or it can reduce yoga to a mere business that has lost connection with its spiritual heart. The choice that yoga teachers make today will determine this future."

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