APA Journal Autumn 2026

Letter From The Guest Editor

Dear APA Family,

By the time this reaches you, our evenings have begun to draw in, the light softening as nature turns inward. The body registers these subtle seasonal shifts long before the mind catches up.

This has been a season marked by celestial rhythm, with a total solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse occurring in a single month. While modern astronomy views this as mere mechanics, Vedic tradition sees it as a rare window where Rahu and Ketu obscure the luminaries, bringing subconscious dimensions forward for reflection and inner transformation. Growing up between Kashi and Lucknow, I remember my grandmother pausing her daily routines during eclipse hours to sit in Dhyaan - a practice rooted not in fear, but in deep respect for a cosmic hinge point. We now approach another such hinge: the Autumn Equinox on 23 September. In Ayurveda, this seasonal junction (Ritu Sandhi) invites us to honour natural rhythms over rigidity, slowing our pace and nourishing our digestion as the doshas fluctuate. That spirit of alignment shapes this autumn edition.

Inside, we explore transforming the fiery Pitta imbalance of anger, creating supportive living spaces through Vastu Shastra, sustainable Panchakarma breakthroughs in autoimmune care, and classical uses of Valmika Mrittika. As practitioners holding space for others, I invite you to take a moment for yourselves - and read this edition slowly, the way autumn is meant to arrive.

Dr (Ayu) Akanksha Bhardwaj, BAMS, MBA
APA UK Committee