• By Nancy Vala. Wrote this for the Yoga Center of Minneapolis where James Bailey will be doing consultations and workshops May 11-14, 2012.

Letters trail after James Bailey’s name like knots on a kite string: LAc, Dipl Om, Dipl Ayu, Dipl CH, E-RYT500. They signify mastery of a wide range of subjects – Ayurveda, Chinese Herbology, Yoga, Acupuncture, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine; they also exist as signposts of a lifelong exploration into the true nature of well being. I talked with James from his home in California where he has a private clinic, Sevanti Wellness. He was wearing what looked like an Irish fisherman’s sweater pushed up to the elbows. He has gingery hair, freckles, an open countenance and an air of relaxation and good health.

As a third-generation healer (his father is a surgeon), James Bailey was always interested in practicing medicine. With a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA, an interest in epidemiology and tropical medicine and a deep respect for Dr. Albert Schweitzer he made his way to Africa and India. While studying and working there he had three near-death experiences: a bout of malaria in Ghana led to delirium, parasites nearly bled him to death in southern India, then the parasites returned later that year in northern India. Each time he was healed by a combination of traditional medicine, music and herbs, with more intensive treatment of the parasites in the U.S.

If you were a cat you would already have lived three of your nine lives. But these near-death experiences led you to study traditional medicines, including Ayurveda.

I was learning to play the balafon [traditional xylophone] in northern Ghana when I acquired malaria. In Ghana, the musicians are also the healers. My teacher gave me a bitter tea to drink and played music throughout the night. I was delirious with fever and lost consciousness, and then went into a healing trance and a long deep sleep. When I awoke in the morning the fever and malaria were gone and so was my conventional view of medicine and healing.

You write “medicine and healing is a relative and creative paradigm that in most cultures rises from natural understandings”.

The more we recognize each individual as authentic and unique, the more we see the crisis or disease as unique as well. Each person has an enormous, fascinating story to tell that comes from their karma, their choices. We’re not renunciates, we’re householders, karma manufacturers by necessity.

What do you mean by ‘karma manufacturers’?

As householders we need to create the karmas of partner, family, friends, and work relationships for our survival. These karmas are necessary to life and yet create much of the drama and suffering we endure. Traditional yogis were/are karma destroyers. Modern western yogis are householder yogi hybrids. We need these karmas and yet we work consciously to destroy those karmas that are unhealthy. We’re walking a middle path between liberation (moksha, release, absence of karmas) and family life (karma manufacturing). Tension often arises between the desire for liberation and the desire for connection and intimacy.

You say that the best medicine for the health of the nadis is exercise, including a daily practice of Hatha Yoga. Is that a bit like housecleaning, breathing fresh air into the practice in order to do the rest of the work?

Yes, exactly. The function of the nadis is to receive and circulate Mahaprana, or cosmic prana, that exists in the world around us. Hatha Yoga is a way to connect with, acquire and organize Mahaprana into ourselves. Yoga harmonizes the energetic balances and leads to a feeling of moksha, or liberation, in the body. Some ancient yogis were so in balance with the elements of their natures – the ida [lunar, abstract, yin] and pingala [solar, linear, yang] that they were considered androgynous.

Are both Sun and Moon practices necessary? Do we need a little of each?

The main thing to avoid is what I call Conformity Yoga. Krishnamacharya gave a different yoga to Iyengar than he did to Pattabhi Jois. Study yourself and listen to your body’s inner wisdom, be aware of your behaviors. We can keep a fundamental faith in ourselves and avoid trends.

Can you give an example of a trend?

A few years back, here in California, there was a trend toward eating raw food. Pittas were very happy but Kaphas had a lot of trouble with this diet. Once you gain an understanding of your own body you can say ‘I see me. I see that this food is not good for me.’

Can knowledge of Ayurveda be applied in a teaching environment?

Yes, even a superficial knowledge of the doshas can be helpful. Vatas can be encouraged to be a bit more grounded; Kaphas need to build fire and sweat. You could ask those in the back of the room to switch places with those in front.

Tell us a little bit about your workshops at the Yoga Center.

The first one is Sadvritta: Living True to Oneself in Yoga and Life. We will participate in a dialogue about healing. Issues sometimes arrive in our lives in ways that are untrue. Through self-observation in yoga and ayurveda we can begin to understand the unique truths of our individual natures; this knowledge has the power to translate into behavioral shifts. The second workshop is Cycles of Change: Renewal and Rebirth in Yoga. This concerns the psychology of change using Hinduism and Vedic philosophy. The third workshop is Sankalpa: The Maha Mantra of our Life Purpose. Sankalpas are expressions of our personal dharma that define and guide our life’s spiritual journey.