About the maker

Trained in Yoga in the Himalayas and in classical Ayurveda under Dr. V.K. Verma in Varanasi, India — certified to practice Ayurveda and Panchakarma therapy, with a decade of experience and hundreds of clients from around the world.

A name I didn't choose.

The path to this work began far from it. More than twenty years ago I was an engineering student in Egypt — unwell, restless, searching — for knowledge, for self-understanding, for something I couldn't yet name. The path laid itself under my feet, one step at a time, and eventually, my seeking led me to India.

I first travelled there in 2014 to expand my study and practice of Yoga — the discipline, as it was originally taught over centuries. I lived and volunteered for nearly a year at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Nainital, in the Himalayas. My days there were spent between Yoga and philosophy study and practice, and the daily work that kept the ashram running. It was there that people started calling me Babaji. The name was given, it grew on me and never left.

Two scenes from Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Nainital — preparing food in the ashram kitchen, and meditating in the Samadhi hall
On the left, kitchen seva — the daily volunteer work that runs the ashram. On the right, morning meditation in the Samadhi hall.

The following year, I found Ayurveda — or did it find me? I began studying under Dr. V.K. Verma — Guruji — in his clinic and Panchakarma center in Varanasi. He taught the classical way: learning the theory, undergoing every treatment myself, then practicing under his watch, with clients of many nationalities, before ever working alone. Six months with him laid a foundation that everything since has been built on. At the end of it he certified me to practice Ayurveda and Panchakarma independently — the certificates I still hold — and by the spring of 2016 I was working on my own.

Two scenes from Varanasi — practicing pulse reading at a village health camp, and a morning fire ceremony
On the left, practicing Ayurvedic pulse reading at a village health camp held by Dr. Verma near Varanasi. On the right, the morning fire ceremony — part of the Vedic daily life, which Ayurveda lives inside.

What followed.

Over the years I've taught Yoga, led Yoga and Ayurveda retreats in Egypt and India, held Ayurvedic consultations and treatments, and worked with people according to each individual's constitution and circumstances — the way of Ayurveda. And for the sake of my personal journey, I've never operated on a fixed schedule or from a single place — the work has always moved with me.

Two scenes from years of teaching — a large outdoor Yoga class in Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, and a smaller retreat teaching session on a Himalayan terrace
On the left, a morning Yoga class in Al-Azhar Park, Cairo. On the right, leading a Yoga and Ayurveda retreat in the Himalayas.

I invited Guruji to Egypt twice — in 2018 and again in 2023. We gave courses and saw clients together. He diagnosed, I prepared. Some of the formulations you'll find here come directly from that work: classical preparations, adapted by him for the herbs and conditions of this region.

Two scenes from Guruji's 2018 visit to Egypt — teaching a course in Cairo, and sourcing herbs together at a traditional Cairo herbalist
On the left, Guruji teaching an Ayurvedic course in Cairo, 2018. On the right, sourcing herbs together at one of Cairo's old herbalist houses.

Everything I offer now comes out of that path — the training, the years of practice, the work with Guruji. I've continued it mindfully, and at my own pace. Dokkan Babaji is where that practice takes shape and is shared — in the products I prepare by hand, and in the consultations, treatments, and teaching that carry the same tradition forward.

— Babaji