A new approach to cooking.
Our Orientation
Our work seeks to connect people to the yoga experience of everyday life. That is, the experience of conscious connection to oneself, to others, and to life on all levels, and in the most basic ways of nourishing ourselves and each other. We are ever-conscious of how the vast majority of Americans (especially urban professionals) are prone to being “unwell” due to their eating habits and stressful lifestyle. Our mission seeks to heal this.
Our Approach
With each learning experience, we promote the conscious preparation, sharing, and enjoyment of healthy food as the basis for health and wellness. Our programs aim to provide practical takeaways, active participation, theory and application, and the opportunity to connect with each other over fresh and wholesome food, all while having fun. We recognize the value of formal and informal aspects of learning, thus our events take place in a mix of atmospheres: a living room, classroom, and/or kitchen table.
Our Mission
We are a nonprofit organization that promotes health, wellness, and holistic living to urban professionals. We offer a variety of educational, health, and social programs aimed at bringing holistic living to everyday life.
Our Current Offerings
Our current offerings include public and private virtual cooking classes, private dining events, topical immersive workshops that include dining, and an Ayurvedic Nutrition and Culinary Training (ANACT). The introductory and seasonal hands-on cooking classes illustrate how the preparation of food is a platform for wellness, especially as it is relevant for urban professionals. These classes touch on menu planning, all aspects of food preparation, as well as useful insights from the underlying science and philosophy of Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda (SV Ayurveda). Our ANACT program offers a deeper course of learning in these and other related areas. Each educational offering is built upon a communal environment in which participants support and learn from each other.
Our Background
Bhagavat Life was formed in 2005. As practitioners of bhakti yoga, we originally sought to find a way to educate and train other practitioners within this tradition. But it soon became apparent that our program offerings would be of practical value to the larger general public.
After relocating to New York’s East Village in 2009, we reshaped our work to include cooking classes, dining events, a subscription-based food service, and eventually our restaurant Divya’s Kitchen in Manhattan. Along the way, we were struck by the power food has to connect people with nature, each other, and themselves. Ultimately this realization became the foundation of all our programs.
