Hi there!
I am so glad to have you here.
Thank you so much for your kind attention and interest in my story.
I really hope that by understanding where I came from,
You will be able to receive even more benefits from everything I will be sharing around here with you.
So,
Let's go on to chapter 2 of this story,
The story about how an anesthesiologist ended up here on Insight Timer.
Well,
I got back to Brazil still determined to not ever go back to the surgery rooms.
All I did was meditate and study Ayurveda.
As I carried on with my studies,
The initial excitement that had overwhelmed me soon gave space to doubts and confusions.
What was I to do with all this new knowledge?
You see,
Out of India,
Where Ayurveda is a recognized medical practice,
You cannot work as a physician with it,
At least not here in Brazil.
Neither are there courses that will give me the same formation.
What was I going to do?
I never saw myself as an Ayurvedic therapist.
What is an Ayurvedic therapist anyway?
It's a form that many people outside of India work with this holy science of life.
I am not at all criticizing,
But just never felt that that was my path.
After all,
I am a physician,
And the majority of people that work with Ayurveda here in my country come from other backgrounds.
I even started feeling strange in my own classroom,
As if I did not belong there.
My first contact with an Indian teacher came as soon as I found myself learning Sanskrit,
The sacred and divine language in which all of the knowledge of the Vedic culture was passed on generation to generation,
The language of the gods,
The language in which Ayurveda was transmitted.
It's impossible for me not to feel a visceral attraction to it from the beginning.
So,
I was referred to a Sanskrit teacher from India and started my journey into a whole new way of even thinking about a language.
Up to this day,
These weekly encounters with Priya are sacred moments in which I not only learn Sanskrit,
But also much about Indian culture with all of its aspects.
We even share recipes.
Isn't that something nice?
As I continued studying with a teacher here in Brazil,
I got the opportunity to have some classes with an Indian Ayurvedic physician.
Oh,
Those classes with Dr.
Nivitita made my mind blow.
I felt a warmness invade my body with every lesson.
I do not know how or where did I get the idea,
But I managed to pick up all the courage inside me and ended up asking her if she would teach me.
And you know what?
She accepted me as her private student.
Oh,
With my heart filled with gratitude,
I carry on my studies by her guidance till this day.
Finally,
I saw myself aligned with a purpose.
We worked together with the goal of not transforming me into an Ayurvedic therapist nor an Ayurvedic physician,
But with something that is genuinely my gift as an Ayurvedic anesthesiologist.
Bringing Ayurveda to the anesthetic setting is a task that was made to fit me in so,
So many ways.
I just had not made peace yet with going back to the surgical room.
I had made a promise to myself that I would not go back to that life.
The most precious thing for me was the time I had to be more at my home,
More with my family,
More with my meditations,
And more with my studies.
Well,
That would not last very long.
One day,
I received an invitation that I was certainly not waiting for.
A former friend and surgeon asked me if I would accept to work at a small public hospital near my house.
He knew that I was not working and so I would have the time.
As chief of the surgery service,
He was reorganizing the whole staff.
I would have to be there three times a week,
During the day,
To attend the elective surgeries.
No night shifts,
No working on weekends,
And no working on holidays.
So funny now,
How when you are in the flow of your life,
Everything seems to be in place.
At first,
My mind was like,
No,
No,
No,
No,
No.
But as I was learning how to make decisions based more on my heart and less on my brain,
I did not give that thought much importance.
I took a deep breath in and said,
Yes.
And that was how the universe gently sent me back into the surgical ward.
To my surprise,
This was a place that I truly felt connected with from the first day.
The whole hospital staff was so nice to work with.
I felt at home.
There are so many people there truly compromised to do their best for our patients.
And my 24 years of experience as an anesthesiologist was much needed there.
The hospital was going through profound changes and now had medical students and residents to accommodate.
But the best part of it all,
I had permission to introduce Ayurvedic practices in all the aspects of our surgical patients' experience.
Everybody there was not only open to learn,
But more than willing to incorporate these new practices for the benefits of our patients.
I still find myself thinking,
When would I expect this to happen,
Even in my wildest dreams?
I began giving lectures,
Teaching practical abilities to these students,
Organizing the pre-operative management and the post-operative caring routines.
I found myself working with all my love in everything that was done,
Dedicating myself to our patients and our staff with so much joy.
I could not feel more peace with my profession.
I had never felt so empowered and so grateful for my job.
Thank you so much for your kind and gentle attention.
You cannot imagine how important this is for me.
Hoping to be with you for Chapter 3 of this story.
With all my love and gratitude,
Namaste.
