A Day filled with Aveda Stories and History

First off, we need to say that we’re having trouble uploading pictures to the blog due to a slow connection, so unfortunately our current posts won’t have the benefit of visual storytelling.  We did have a wonderful day Saturday seeing first hand the birthplace of Aveda.  This was a really meaningful day for everyone, as it allowed us to learn more about the history and legacy of the company and reminded us how proud we all are to be a part of it. 

We started the day touring the organic herbal garden of the lovely and kind Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Upadhyay.  The extensive garden is filled with traditional ayurvedic plants. Everyone loved learning about the various plants and how they are used in ayurvedic remedies and practices.  

The group enjoys the vetiver aroma.

Kristine and Dr. Upadhyay.

Next we visited the Swami Rama Ashram, the place where Aveda’s founder studied ayurveda.  We enjoyed a meditation session followed by the best chai many of us had ever had.  Dr. Upadhyay led us on a tour of the ashram, which is situated directly on the Ganges River with spectacular views of the Himalayan foothills. 

Entrance to the Swami Rama Ashram.

 

Beautiful views on the Ganges.

After a delicious Indian lunch in the town of Haridwar, we were honored to be welcomed into the home of the Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Upadhyay.  The doctors have advised Aveda for over 30 years on ayurveda and product development.  They shared stories and photos with us from the very early days of Aveda in the late 70’s and proudly showed us their own garden and herbal products.  We were all inspired by our visit with the doctors and came away with many stories to share with our friends and colleagues back home.  The group felt very special to receive such tremendous warmth and hospitality from the Upadhyays. 

The group receives thoughtful gifts from the Upadhyays.

From the Upadhyays we headed to an aarti ceremony on the Ganges.  Traffic delayed us so we missed the start of the ceremony, but we were still able to see many lanterns being lit and people taking their holy dip in the river.  It was a beautiful sight and really a privilege to watch families share in this cleansing ceremony. 

On the way back to Ananda, Marc shared a third chakra lesson with the group on the bus.  This was a perfect way to close a day filled with Aveda heritage and ayurvedic immersion.