Earlier this year, Ananda in the Himalayas joined my Breakfast Club’s global network as a Wellness Partner. I have always cherished being connected with this incredible team—their depth of knowledge in wellness and Ayurvedic practices goes far beyond passing trends and fleeting fads. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Naresh from the Ananda team, who shared some truly insightful perspectives on the world of Ananda.

Dr. Naresh Perumbuduri is a registered Ayurvedic medical practitioner with over 20 years of experience in Ayurveda and holistic healing. He comes from a distinguished Ayurvedic lineage spanning four generations, where each family practitioner, or Vaidya, developed specialized areas of expertise. Guided by timeless Ayurvedic principles, the family treated a wide range of health concerns through carefully prepared herbal formulations designed to promote optimal well-being.

Why is it increasingly important today to focus on holistic approaches specifically for women’s health, and where do you feel conventional treatments often fall short?

In the current era, women are facing complex, multidimensional health challenges. These challenges are not just physical, but also deeply emotional. They encompass hormonal, environmental, and spiritual dimensions. It is important to recognize the profound gaps in women’s healthcare which are understudied and underprioritized. Conventional treatments frequently fall short in several key areas. Women go through profound and continuous hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives – from puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, to menopause. These hormonal shifts deeply impact not only reproductive health but also mood, metabolism, bone density, cardiovascular health, and susceptibility to various conditions.

A holistic approach can address these dynamic shifts by supporting the body’s natural rhythms rather than just treating isolated symptoms. Conventional treatments often treat symptoms in isolation rather than examining & understanding or addressing the interconnected systems involved.

For example: women can have hormonal fluctuations that simultaneously affect mood, bone health, cardiovascular function, and cognitive performance etc. yet these are typically addressed by separate specialists without coordination. Modern women often juggle multiple roles, leading to high levels of stress, anxiety, and mental health challenges.

These emotional burdens are intricately linked to physical health, impacting hormonal balance, immune function, and digestive health etc. which conventional medicine often overlooks in routine care.

 How does Ayurveda—and Ananda’s unique approach—support women through key life stages like menstruation, fertility, and menopause?

 Ayurveda offers a comprehensive framework for women’s health across all life stages, viewing them as natural transitions rather than medical conditions. It has a profound understanding about each phase of life and explains the physical, emotional expressions in a detailed manner.

During menstruation we follow a unique approach based on Rajaswala Charya which refers to the specific regimen or lifestyle guidelines designed for women during menstruation. This methodology consists of various practices and recommendations to assist the natural process: specific regimen of rest, gentle activity, and a tri-dosha–balancing diet. We help guests correct their daily and seasonal routines to align with their menstrual cycle.

When a woman learns to align her diet, sleep, movement, and workload with each phase, it leads to a reduction in symptoms of PMS along with pain, energies & hormones self-regulate, fertility improves, and she develops a deeper body awareness that sustains healthy habits. Ananda’s fertility approach goes far beyond addressing physical symptoms to create optimal conditions in both body and mind for conception. We strongly recognize that fertility depends on the quality of reproductive tissues (shukra dhatu) and overall vitality (ojas).

Ayurveda is clear that four factors must align: Rutu (timing of the fertile period), Kshetra (the health of the reproductive organs), Ambu (nutritive fluids), and Beeja (healthy ovum and sperm). We optimise these through personalised routine adjustments, Vajikarana and Rasayana therapies, pre-conception (garbhadhan) protocols, and Panchakarma cleansing. When a woman transitions to menopause—Rajonivritti—we focus on balancing Vata, Pitta, and Kapha as the qualities of the doshas, tissues, metabolism, and ojas naturally decline with age. Supportive Rasayana, Panchakarma and Shamana (palliative) therapies, along with dosha-appropriate diet and herbal support, help her move through this stage comfortably and without complications.

What lesser-known therapies and lifestyle practices—both herbal remedies and beyond—have you found especially effective for supporting fertility and overall hormonal balance?

Based on my clinical experience and Ayurvedic research, we have created few unique therapeutic protocols & therapies to address women’s health. Here are some lesser known but highly effective therapies and practices for fertility and hormonal balance.

Garbhadhana Sanskar (Pre-conception Preparation) which goes beyond a simple diet or supplementation. This process emphasizes the mental, emotional, and spiritual preparation of both parents to enhance the reproductive function, systemic health, remove toxins or Ama & improve the quality of ovum/sperm. It involves various protocols related to detox, palliative therapies, diet, activities etc.

Panchakarma modalities: Panchakarma offers a complete reset at the physical, emotional, and energetic levels, creating the ideal environment for fertility to flourish naturally by removing the ama/toxins from various tissues, restoring the balance in hormones, enhancing neural pathways etc.

Uttara Vasti: Considered as intra uterine and intra vaginal therapy. Yoni Pichu: A tampon soaked with medicated oil is placed in the vagina for various gynaecological disorders. Yoni Prakshalana: vaginal douching with herbal concoctions. Koshta-Abhyanga: Therapeutic abdominal massage using MARMA points.

Marma-abhyanga: Marma in simple terms means points of the vital life force that control and regulate the flow of energy. Marma Abhyanga involves stimulation of these vital points (marmas) located at different anatomical sites on the body followed by a massage to regulate the flow of vital energy using specific Ayurvedic herbal oils.

For more on Ananda please visit their website: Ananda in the Himalayas