Helping people to find their purpose in life, their soul?s goal, is the work of yoga therapist and Ayurvedic consultant Sanjay Kumar.

In Bermuda this month to give a series of workshops and one on one consultations, Mr. Kumar?s diary has been booking up fast.

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian way of life which focuses on healing by keeping the both the physical body and the energies of the body, in balance.

In Southern India the practice is handed down through generations in a family. Mr. Kumar although born in India, moved with his parents to the US when he was very young.

Other family had also immigrated including an aunt who passed on her knowledge of Vedic astrology, and an uncle who is a yoga master.

?It?s been in my family for 1,500 years,? he said. A student of the Vedic sciences for almost 20 years, Mr. Kumar started the company Living Your Light about three years ago.

?It is about promoting creative, conscious living,? he said. ?It is really about allowing people to understand and to have the capacity to live and radiate the divine light of their soul from a space of freedom, joy and abundance.?

Mr. Kumar explained that the root of many people?s illnesses and problems is that they are living in a manner where they are disconnected from their spiritual self.

As an Ayurvedic consultant he says he gives people permission to tap into their own wisdom.

?As opposed to knowledge, your wisdom is something only you can discover,? he said. ?No guru can give you the answers, but rather can provide you with the tools you might need to discover and embody your wisdom.

?When you tap into your wisdom this is the soul?s wisdom and knowing this wisdom allows you to align with the universe. In aligning with the universe you co-create with the universe and experience joy and happiness.?

Ayurveda teaches that at conception we are all in perfect health and that through birth and existence engaging in improper eating, emotions and behaviour have the cumulative effect of taking us out of balance ? illness.

Ayurveda is a precise and individualistic science. Conventional western medicine is much more general, offering diagnosis based purely on symptoms.

In Ayurveda the symptoms are seen in relation to the individual?s body type, emotional state and body energies. This means that two people may be given completely different ways to rid themselves of a cold or headache.

Mr. Kumar explained that he also advises people what to eat and what specific yoga postures are best for them to gain optimal health.

Again, this advice is very specific and not all postures are good for all people, even if they are suffering the same symptoms. In his one-on-one consultations Mr. Kumar does a Vedic birthchart which he says is like ?a spiritual road map?.

?It tells when there are times that are opportune for growth and expansion and when there will be limitations.?

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Mr. Kumar is at the Health Coop on the South Shore Road in Warwick. He is offering two-hour workshops this Saturday and Sunday and next weekend.

Interested people should phone the Health Coop 236-0336 on or contact Mr. Kumar at jaykumarsfearthlink.net.