"I believe that spirituality is beyond psychology and religion in our life," Kumar said. Since a personal health crisis, followed by open-heart surgery in 1998, Kumar finds himself increasingly mindful of the 4,000-year old practice of Ayurveda, which employs yoga, nutrition, exercise, meditation, massage, herbal tonics and sweat baths.

Ayurveda is quite trendy with celebrities and athletes these days, perhaps in part because of the popularity of yoga. Its most famous advocate in the West, Deepak Chopra, has added to its élan.

In addition to being a clinical psychologist who has worked with the state Department of Health's developmental disability division for the past 16 years, Kumar operates the New Life Center in Honolulu, where he practices hypnotherapy and wellness counseling during evenings and weekends. He also teaches yoga and meditation at the center.

Kumar's most recent credential is author of the book "The Secrets of Health and Healing," outlining his approach to holistic health. "I'm connected with the universe, so I like to heal others," Kumar explained.

The book includes chapters on massage, yoga, relaxation, affirmations, gems and stones, diet and weight loss, fasting, vitamins, and love and sex.

While Ayurveda has had a presence on Kaua'i for about a year, through the guidance of Dr. Kishirsagar Suhas at the Kaua'i Holistic Medicine Clinic, it is just beginning to make inroads on O'ahu. Kumar has partnered with Suhas to offer a certification program in Ayurvedic medicine. The first series, begun in September 2004, attracted 17 students who hope to complete the program next month and go on to an internship, on Kaua'i, O'ahu or in India. Classes are offered at the Pan Pacific Cultural Center in Manoa.

Dr. Mina Ganapathy, an internal medicine specialist at Straub Clinic & Hospital, is just completing the first one-year course in Ayurvedic medicine. She became interested in Ayurveda when patients began asking about it. "There's been a renaissance of Ayurveda in India, so there's a lot of attention being paid to it there," she explained.

She said she doesn't know yet how, or whether, she will incorporate Ayurveda into her medical practice; she is learning it "more for my own cultural knowledge and to see how it might fit into my practice and my life," she said. "It's amazing the similarities between their concept of the human body and ours. Wow! They knew these things 4,000 years ago!"

Kumar sells Ayurvedic herbs and medicines in his shop, India Emporium on South King Street. While a 2004 Harvard Medical School study found dangerous levels of lead, mercury and arsenic in some herbal remedies from India, Kumar says that these appeared in liquid forms of the medicines. He sells them only in pill form and from companies (called Himalayan and Banyan) he has carefully researched, which have been in business more than 30 years.

Dr. Kanthi De Alwis, Honolulu medical examiner, grew up surrounded by Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka.

Her family's gardener, Garlis (whose last name she never knew because he was always called Vedamahttya, which means "medicine man"), was her best friend. She spent evenings at his side while he mixed herbs and essential oils to create Ayurvedic medicines.

"I was influenced by him to go into medicine," she said. "My parents used Ayurvedic medicines for minor trauma and pain-related symptoms, and they really worked." She still uses an Ayurvedic medicine when she feels the onset of a cold or gastro-intestinal symptoms.

Here are a few of the Ayurvedic teachings that Kumar employs: