What is Kaya Kalpa

Kaya Kalpa is the process of harnessing the sap of life.

At the core of Kaya Kalpa lies rasayana vidya, the ancient science of alchemy, designed to restore and further reinforce the intrinsic vitality of our youth and arrest the plunderous nature of aging. This age and time is clearly marked by a drastic decline in our strength, stamina, vitality, virility, retentive power, enthusiasm, and confidence. Kaya Kalpa holds the solution to this drastic decline. It stops the leakage of our psychosomatic resources, recharges our body and mind with their innate vitality and cognitive sharpness, and assists us in maintaining our youthful energy for our entire span of life.

Traditionally, rasayana vidya has been at the helm of yoga, ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Unani medicine, Siddha medicine, and western herbology. The masters who embody the source wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition have kept this tradition alive and intact. With this course on Kaya Kalpa, we aim to present the gifts of these master alchemists to the post-Covid world, and make our contribution to the urgently needed innovation in the field of integrative wellness.

Uniqueness of this Course in Kaya Kalpa

While presenting this course, we take into account the daunting reality we all face—there are over 100,000 man-made chemicals, of which an overwhelming number are deadly. Microplastic has reached Mt. Everest, never mind our lungs. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers have destroyed the micronutrients in our grains, fruits, and vegetables, and on top of this, we are cornered by GMOs and ultra-processed foods. Needless to say, our life today is highly impacted by this reality.

This ancient system of Kaya Kalpa begins with the acknowledgement that there has been an enormous change in the landscape of our biology, biochemistry, and biobehaviors, all leading to an alteration in our physical, mental, and spiritual capacities. Restoring, normalizing, and further enhancing these capacities is the first and foremost step of Kaya Kalpa.

In the designing of this course, we incorporate modern scientific studies on inflammation, metaflammation, and inflammaging; information available on toxins accumulated in our system and their impact on our health; the cause and effect phenomena of the vitality decline and neurodegenerative diseases; and finally, the vast amount of information available on the physical and mental causes leading to senescence and modern-day solutions to aging proposed by the scientific/medical community. We deploy the knowledge of ancient Kaya Kalpa in the light of this scientific understanding with the exclusive focus on reinfusing our vital organs and the faculties of our mind with the life-force needed to reverse aging and remain active through the last breath of our life.

The applied dimension of this course includes an in-depth study of 60 herbs that Kaya Kalpa experts have traditionally used for inflammation, detoxification, and rejuvenation.

The uniqueness of this course, however, lies in the understanding of the alchemical relationship between two herbs, and between their multiple active constituents. The alchemy of the herbs used here is based on matching the kaya kalpic properties of two or more herbs, and paying attention to how those properties simultaneously tackle inflammation, flush out toxins, and accelerate healing and rejuvenative processes. Herbs under study in this course are highly researched by the scientific community and published in acclaimed journals. From the study point of view, this course is a timely wedding of ancient wisdom and modern science.

The Sources of this Course

The study builds on three main sources:

1. Ancient scriptures, including Charaka and Sushruta Samita. The uniqueness of this course, however, comes from the inclusion of the secret science of alchemy documented in rare ancient texts such as Rasa-ratna-samuccaya, Bhaishajya-ratnavali, Gada-nigraha, Bangasena-samhita, Brihad Rasaraja-sundara, Bhava-prakasha Nighantu, Ashtanga Hridayam, and Rasa-tantrasara, also known as Siddhayoga Sangraha.
2. Score of scientific studies relevant to Kaya Kalpa, published in esteemed medical, nutritional, and pharmacological journals, sourced from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM) and currently available at the Kaya Kalpa Research Library of the Himalayan Institute.
3. Knowledge and experience that Pandit Tigunait gathered while living in the company of accomplished yogis, traditional vaidyas (ayurvedic practitioners), and master alchemists conversant in Siddha medicine, Unani medicine, folklore medicine, and metal- and mineral-based medicine.

Course Goals

• Gaining confidence in knowing Kaya Kalpic biomarkers, which can be used to assess our minimum and ideal levels of vitality of body and mind in pre- and post-adulthood, and being able to gain insights into the scope of our longevity and quality of life with a good degree of confidence.
• Gaining sufficient knowledge to design a Kaya Kalpic lifestyle to slow aging, prevent vitality from leaking, and refill the body and mind with vitality and vigor needed for resilient and joyful living.
• Gaining highly useful knowledge pertaining to inflammation, metaflammation, and inflammaging, and Kaya Kalpic tools to arrest them before they set their feet on the path of victory over our body, mind, and cognitive faculties.
• Gaining a deeper understanding and application of more than 60 herbs traditionally used in treating inflammation, detoxification, and revitalization.
• Being able to comprehend the potent alchemy arising from the combination of herbs and their active ingredients, and thus, being able to custom design a sensible approach for slowing biological aging and totally arresting mental aging.
• Becoming more enlightened and more diligent about our well-being, as well as the well-being of our clients, friends, and loved ones.

Course Format

This course is offered in 12 on-demand lecture sessions, which are 90 minutes long. Sessions will be released two at a time every Saturday. After every fourth session, there will be a 1-hour live faculty-proctored review session covering the contents of the previous four lecture sessions and a 1-hour live question & answer session with Pandit Tigunait.