Editorial

Auroville is not short of doctors and therapists. They work not only with the body but some work also with subtler levels of the being. A number of therapists work independently from home, others practise in one or more of the five major health and healing centres.

The origins of the Auroville Health Centre in Kuilaypalayam date back to the very beginnings of Auroville, and though it has always focussed upon the health of the local villagers, as was Mother’s wish, quite a number of Aurovilians benefit from its services.

Quiet Healing Center has been functioning since the 1980s. It has developed into a popular health spa and wellness center, offering a wide variety of natural healing therapies. Meanwhile Vérité community has been focussing for many years on health and wellness in addition to ecological concerns, collective process and spiritual ‘practice-in-action’.

The ‘Wellness Centre’ at Arka offers various body and massage treatments, as well as acupuncture and physiotherapy, while Pitanga Cultural Centre offers activities in the fields of physical education and culture.

The newest kid on the health block is Santé, the first phase of Auroville’s Institute for Integral Health, which was inaugurated on 15th August, 2015. Its mission is to create an effective, low-cost healthcare system for Auroville based on the integrative practice of medicine, which includes not just western allopathic but also many other healing modalities.

Given the number of healing facilities and therapists one might suppose that we are an extremely unhealthy community. However, the plethora of healers and healing facilities is more a reflection of the fact that Aurovilians are very conscious of the need for a healthy body, as well as mind and spirit, to support and collaborate in the yoga of transformation pioneered by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

In this issue we do not attempt an overview of such a vast and complex topic. Rather, we attempt to gauge the health and scope of our present healthcare system by talking to some of our doctors and therapists. We also cast a glance at what is being done to introduce ‘wellness’ to our younger children.