About
Denise O’Dunn
Hello! My name is Denise, although I also answer to Yashoda Ma and Gray-Ga.
I am the founder of Balance & Bliss® Ayurveda and Yoga. My professional education and training have qualified me to practice as an Ayurvedic practitioner, yoga instructor and massage therapist.
I didn’t know when I started studying hatha yoga as a teenager in 1969 that the door had just opened to my future professional path. In the early 1980’s I received an invitation to apprentice with my yoga teacher and in 1985 I received certification as a yoga instructor from the United Yoga Institute of New Mexico.
Balance & Bliss
Our Story
Founded in 2001, Balance & Bliss® is a family owned and operated healthy lifestyle company that offers services, classes, and products for balanced living, based on the sister sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga. Balance & Bliss® provides education, clinical assessment, lifestyle & dietary recommendations, self-care practices, and cleansing & restorative therapies, based on Ayurveda, to help you achieve a balanced state of wellbeing.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a system of preventative health care, rejuvenation and longevity. Originating in India, Ayurveda means, Ayu “life” and Veda “knowledge or science”, so it can be interpreted as the “science of life.” Known as mankind’s oldest healing system, dating back between 3500 and 2500 B.C., Ayurveda defines disease as an imbalance of our unique constitution and restores health by removing the sources of the imbalance rather than treating the symptoms of the disease.
Ayurveda is also a way of life that promotes wellness by teaching us to honor our individual makeup, while consciously following the rhythms and cycles of nature.
Doshas
Derived from the five great elements, the Doshas are the three regulatory principles and dynamic forces that contribute to the existence of all things.
Vata is the subtle energy consisting of the elements of ether and air. The qualities of Vata are light, cold, dry, mobile, subtle, clear and rough.
Pitta is the dynamic force comprised of the elements of fire and water. The nature of Pitta is light, hot, oily, mobile, liquid and sharp.
Kapha is the stable form composed of the elements of water and earth. The characteristics of Kapha are heavy, cold, oily, static, gross, cloudy, smooth, slow, wet, dense and soft.
Clients
I had an absolutely amazing experience in my Ayurveda session with Denise O’Dunn. The personal evaluation and lessons in Ayurveda were in depth, yet easy to understand. Denise has a remarkably calm and nurturing manner and it is immediately obvious she knows what she is talking about. I was given plenty of practical advice and inspiration for living a healthier, happier life. I learned that this lifestyle is not about giving up anything, but rather maximizing healthy choices that lead to a better life.
C.D. Washington, NC