Heartfulness Institute partners with ITRA Jamnagar to advance integrative health, Ayurveda research and sustainable wellbeing

2026-09-09 10:22:06 Health and Fitness

Hyderabad, 9th September 2026: Heartfulness Institute (HFI), a non-profit organisation and part of the wider Heartfulness movement guided by Kamlesh D. Patel (Daaji), has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, an Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, to strengthen collaboration in Ayurveda, integrative health, education, research, training and environmental sustainability. Mr Kamala Kannan, the CEO of Heartfulness Wellness and Prof. (Dr.) Tanuja Nesari, Director, ITRA, in the presence of Shri Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Ayush.

The partnership brings together Heartfulness Institute’s work in wellness, yoga, meditation and environmental conservation with ITRA’s expertise in Ayurveda education, research and healthcare. The collaboration will focus on developing academic and research opportunities while promoting a holistic approach to health and wellbeing that combines Ayurveda with practices such as yoga and meditation.

“This partnership reflects Heartfulness Institute’s commitment to bringing together the wisdom of traditional practices with education, research and community wellbeing. By working with ITRA, we hope to strengthen evidence-based integrative health, expand opportunities for learning and research, and create healthier and greener campuses through our wellness and environmental initiatives,” said Mr Kamalakkannan TV, CEO of Heartfulness Wellness.

The two institutions will undertake joint research projects in Ayurveda and complementary and integrative health, including areas related to wellness, disease prevention, and management. They will also collaborate on national and international research proposals and sponsored research opportunities, along with capacity-building and skill development programmes, workshops, continuing medical education programmes and certificate and diploma courses.

The collaboration will extend to academic activities such as conferences, seminars, symposiums, expos and exhibitions. Student and faculty exchange programmes will also give researchers, academicians, and students from both institutions opportunities to share knowledge and access academic and research facilities.

“ITRA has always been committed to advancing quality education, research and healthcare in Ayurveda. This collaboration with Heartfulness Institute will help us strengthen academic exchange, collaborative research and training in integrative health, while also supporting biodiversity and sustainable development within our campus. We believe this partnership will create meaningful value for students, researchers and the larger healthcare ecosystem,” said Prof. (Dr.) Tanuja Nesari, Director, ITRA, Jamnagar.

An important part of the partnership will be Heartfulness Institute’s technical support to ITRA in developing biodiversity and green zones across its campus and operations. Drawing on its environmental initiatives, including Forests by Heartfulness, the institute will support medicinal plant programmes, horticulture gardens and biodiversity enhancement, while also providing technical inputs for curriculum development and refinement of treatment protocols. Both institutions will work together to promote a clean, sustainable and eco-friendly campus environment.

About Heartfulness:

Heartfulness offers a simple set of meditative practices and lifestyle changes, first developed at the turn of the twentieth century and formalised into teaching through the Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945 in India, to bring peace, happiness, and wisdom to one heart at a time. These practices are a modern form of Yoga designed to support contentment, inner calm, stillness, compassion, courage, and clarity of thought as the first step towards a purposeful life. They are simple, easy to adopt, and appropriate for people from all walks of life, cultures, religious beliefs, and economic situations who are over the age of fifteen. Ongoing training in Heartfulness practices continues in thousands of schools and colleges, and over 100,000 professionals meditate in corporations, non-governmental organisations, and government bodies worldwide. More than 5,000 Heartfulness Centres are supported by many thousands of certified volunteer trainers and millions of practitioners in 160 countries.