The Govt. has established 1,50,000 wellness centres in India and encourages research in integrative health and wellness, says Union Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya at Heartfulness Headquarters

Press Release

• 17-12-2022

• Heartfulness launched its first International Integrative Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Conference, 2022 
• Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya delivers Keynote Address at the 3-day conference as over 500 delegates worldwide make their presence at Kanha Shanti Vanam 

Hyderabad, 17 December 2022: The Heartfulness Institute hosted the first international conference on Integrative Health & Wellbeing (IHW) that was held in Hyderabad between 16-18 December at Kanha Shanti Vanam – the Headquarters of Heartfulness. This one-of-a-kind conference was a fusion of conventional and integrative holistic approaches to health and wellness backed by research. The conference was supported by several national and international institutions of prominence.  

Hon’ble Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare & Chemicals & Fertilizers – Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya delivered the Keynote Address at the conference and was joined by Shri Kamlesh Patel – Global Guide of Heartfulness Meditation. Dr. Mandaviya had a detailed tour of the facility of which he was in full appreciation and also had a one-on-one interaction with with Rev. Daaji.  

The other dignitaries who were present at the event were Dr. M. R. Jayaram - Chancellor of the University and Chairman of Gokula Education Foundation (GEF), Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati (Author, Secretary General of the Global Interfaith WASH), Dr. Randeep Guleria (Ex Director – AIIMS), Prof. Anup Thakar (Head of the Department, Panchakarma – Gujarat Ayurved University). Dr. Jayaram Thimmapuram, MD - York, PA, USA – Academic Internal Medicine Hospitalist and Fellow of Integrative Health and Medicine chaired the conference.  

Being the first of its kind, the IHW conference was attended by 500 delegates worldwide, including physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals. Established and budding researchers, students, and wellness enthusiasts also attended this grand event. Essentially, this conference was open to those interested in pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical approaches to health and wellbeing. The medical fraternity included members across allopathy and AYUSH streams of medicine.  

Hon’ble Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Govt. has established 1,50,000 health and wellness centres established across platforms that promote meditation, yoga, and all aspects and activities pertaining to integrated health and wellbeing. We want to open research that recognises the spiritual dimension. We must encourage through public private partnership. The research should not be restricted to Govt. labs only and we must open doors for private researchers as well. We would like to give opportunities for research at Kanha Shanti Vanam as well in the future.” He added, “One does not have do big things to be great. It is only through commitment and dedication of work, one becomes great. It is the strength of our traditional science. When we look at the lifestyle of our ancestors, we can see how they had lived long with no recourse to medicine. It is because of ample physical activity and eating healthy and the knowledge coming through observation. We believe in ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’. It is not just helping our countrymen but also the peoples of the world. We sent out medicines to 150 countries during the lockdown without hiking prices that would otherwise be a way of taking advantage of the crisis. The world came to rely on India because of helping the mankind in the perilous times.” 

Speaking on the inauguration, Shri Kamlesh Patel ‘Daaji’ said, “There is a whole lot of understanding now among the educated, and research has also proven that emotional and mental wellness can have an impact on one’s overall health. Science has begun to recognize this as well. I am happy to see the eminent physicians and researchers having joined us here at Kanha Shanti Vanam. I hope this is an enlightening program on integrative health and wellbeing. Surely the coming decade belongs to this stream, and we have more and more people benefit from this holistic approach to wellness.” 

“Heartfulness is doing a beautiful job in teaching people how inner wellness represents physical mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. Modern science too has begun to understand that there an intrinsic connection between these elements and  how harmony between these elements can be healing and therapeutic at multiple levels. We want people to understand as to why it is important to pay attention to our inner selves,” said Dr. Jayaram Thimmapuram.  

The theme for this first conference of IHW was “Inspire, Innovate and Integrate” which explored the integrative practices for overall health and wellbeing. The conference intended to make the well-researched traditional and wisdom practices of health and wellbeing available to all. It also sought to nurture a renewed sense of wellbeing to impact those around us.  

Experts and thought leaders shared their research, experience, and wisdom through presentations, panel discussions, and workshops. The conference welcomed abstract submissions from participants in the fields of conventional as well as traditional practices. The selected abstracts were included in the conference proceedings as oral and poster presentations.  

The key speakers at the event were Shri Kamlesh Patel ‘Daaji’ – Guide of Heartfulness; Dr.  Mansukh Mandaviya - Honorable Minister of Health and Family Welfare; Dr. Rollin McCraty, Director of Research, HeartMath Institute; Vaidya Shri Rajesh Kotecha, Honorable Secretary to the Ministry of AYUSH, India; Dr. M. R. Jayaram, Chancellor, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences; Dr. Randeep Guleria, Ex Director, AIIMS; Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa - Associate Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Mr. Eddie Stern – Author, Celebrity Yoga Teacher; Dr. Sara Lazar - Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School; Dr. Rollin McCraty - Director of Research at the HeartMath Institute, USA, professor at Florida Atlantic University;  Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati – Bestselling Author - Hollywood To The Himalayas: A Journey of Healing & Transformation; Dr. P N Ravindra – Professor, NIMHANS; Dr. Ranjani Iyer - Director, Heartfulness Program for Schools; Dr. Snehal Deshpande – Director of Heartfulness CME, India, Dr. Krishnamurthy Jayanna - Professor and Dean, Faculty of Life and Allied health sciences, MS Ramaiah University of applied sciences; Dr. Sachin Ranade - Senior Editor, Nature Neurosciences, Vaidya Shri Rajesh Kotecha among others.  

The esteemed speakers discussed in detail the complexity of health to the common citizens; patient-centric healthcare to empower patients to choose and integrate different approaches of medicine into their life; and cultivating a holistic approach to emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. The conference hosted panel discussions, presentations, workshops, exhibitions, networking, yoga, and meditation as part of the agenda.  

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