Alex Duncan

My interests include Ayurveda (which I teach), yoga, music, technology and science (I have a PhD from Glasgow University in Electronics with Music).

Musical Projects

See www.alexandreasduncan.com

Why I ‘do’ Ayurveda

I have always been curious about how things work and felt a need to get to the bottom of them! I have also always had an impulsion to share information with others – you could say I am a compulsive educator (my long-suffering wife Sharon would have to agree). I just love to help people understand things.

While completing a PhD in electronics and music, I came across Ayurveda and it struck me as an incredibly logical and intuitive way of looking at the human condition – both physically and psychically.

Before I knew it I was hooked, and since that moment there has been no turning back. The marriage of my engineering background and Ayurveda's somewhat esoteric approach has been interesting to say the least. I like to think of my life as one man’s experiment to see how the best of these two worlds can successfully come together.

Central to Ayurveda is the concept that nature heals. When the right foods and medicines are used in a natural, unprocessed form, they help our minds and bodies attain optimal health. In a similar way, engineering design has found some of its best solutions by closely observing nature’s most elegant designs.

I teach Ayurveda because I feel I can help people achieve better health and happiness in a way that respects nature rather than trampling all over it.

Yoga

Although I have no formal qualification in yoga, my whole life has been a gentle apprenticeship into this discipline. My mother Frances Yates claims she used to take me along to the British Wheel of Yoga teacher training weekends in 1975. I would have been about 1 year old. By my teens, I was starting to use yoga in my daily life. I remember my grandmother (now in her 90s and still teaching yoga) showing me some breathing techniques to use before exams. But it wasn't until I left home and went to Glasgow University in 1992 that I began practising regularly.

I have attended Hatha Yoga classes on a regular basis and done workshops with teachers like Peter Sterios & John Evans. My own Hatha teacher, Fiona Morton, has been studying with Shandor Remete (founder of Shadow Yoga), whose style of yoga I worked with for many years.

Another teacher who has featured prominently in my yoga education is Muz Murray (mantra master). I enjoy the combination of Hatha Yoga and dynamic Tantric Chanting. I have produced a Sanskrit Alphabet Chanting CD from this experience.

Most recently, I studied with Atreya Smith (European Institute of Vedic Studies). I find that Ayurveda provides an ideal bridge between practical daily life (staying healthy and happy) and the spiritual discipline of yoga.