Dr. Dharshi Jayasekera is one of the well-known naturapathic practitioners in Sri Lanka and her practice integrates Ayurveda, conscious breathing, acupuncture and yoga, all rooted in her belief that true healing begins with self-awareness.
Dr. Dharshi’s journey into healing was never conventional. In her early years, she pursued a career as a primary teacher, teaching children between the ages 8 and 12. When we asked how she knew that she had the healing abilities, she reflected on how people often felt their pain ease through her therapeutic touch. She clarified that it was not something mystical or “possessed”, rather, it was about understanding the body, creating awareness and applying precise therapeutic touch to the right areas to help the pain ease naturally.
When Life Had Other Plans for Her
During her time in education, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis affecting her hip joint and making it extremely painful to walk or even sit for long periods. At the same time, she was facing other health complications, including thalassemia and womb-related issues. She recalled that Western Medicine offered little relief and doctors were unable to provide a long-term solution to her condition at the time.
No one, at the time, could have imagined that these painful health struggles would become the very turning point that guided her toward her true calling.
Dr. Dharshi explained to us that during this difficult period of her life, a friend introduced her to meditation. At the time, Dr. Dharshi was a devout Christian and had even spent 8 years as a “Servant of God” before becoming a teacher. Therefore, meditation was unfamiliar territory for her. Yet, her years in religious life had already made her powerful, particularly with the practice of praying deeply for others. But then, when she realized that praying for the well-being of others alone does not satisfy her salvation to find herself, she started her journey into meditation.
Her Journey from Faith to Inner Awakening
When she was introduced to meditation, her journey deepened. She travelled to India and completed a 10-day Vipassana meditation program at Igatpur, Mumbai. There, she learned discipline, self-observation and a fundamental truth: meditation has nothing to do with the outside world and it is entirely an inward journey.
It was also during this time that she was introduced to yoga; something she had never encountered/heard before. In 2007, yoga was still not widely discussed in her circles but she later had the rare opportunity to learn directly under Sadhguru at the Isha Foundation, India, completing an intensive 21-day program that included strict yogic practices and a vegetarian discipline.
What she experienced during this period was transformative. She recalls witnessing her body heal the pain that once restricted her from any movement. For the first time in years, she felt completely free within her own body through what she had been learning.
Returning to Sri Lanka, she began teaching yoga. For her, yoga was not just physical exercise; it was a science of calming the body, disciplining the mind, and sharpening concentration. Curious about her own transformation, she pursued further studies in yoga therapy and naturopathy at S-VYASA University, Bengaluru.
While studying in Bengaluru, she was learning under the guidance of Shri Shri Ravishankar. There, she refined her Pranayama techniques and with every lesson, every retreat, she felt her life unfolding in a “new form”, which is clearer, lighter and more purposeful.
Her Journey Did Not Stop There
She immersed herself in Pranayama (conscious breathing techniques), recalling her guru’s words: “If you don’t breathe properly and connect with your breathing, you’re disconnected from life itself.” This realization led her to deepen her practice in Anapana meditation, a form of breath awareness.
She also completed more than fifteen 10-day Vipassana retreats, each time reconnecting more deeply with herself. And she believes that everything required for holistic healing, including mind, body and spirit is interconnected through conscious breathing.
In 2013, she came back to Sri Lanka and started teaching Yoga as a Yoga instructor and today, many of her earliest yoga students remain with her. These individuals who began their journey years ago as young students are now in their 70s and 80s.
Remarkably, many of them live without any chronic pain and without dependency on medication. They maintain impressive physical flexibility and mental clarity as well.
Healing With Awareness: Yoga, Breath, and the Art of Pulse Diagnosis
When Dr. Dharshi decided to formally practice naturopathy, she faced a major challenge: Sri Lanka did not yet have a licensing system for the field. Determined to pursue her calling, she enrolled in a degree in Ayurveda at ITCM in Gampaha to get the certificates necessary to obtain the official license. She expanded her skills by learning cupping and acupuncture under Dr. Tennakoon from the Colombo Ayurvedic Hospital.
Though she is trained in multiple modalities, she highlighted that her mainstream practice focuses on Yoga, breathing techniques, acupuncture and Ayurveda, particularly in treating heart patients.
“There are many people who were advised to undergo heart surgery by doctors,” she shared, “they come to me and through breathing techniques, I have helped them release heart blockages naturally.”
Dr. Dharshi also possesses an extraordinary ability: pulse diagnosis. With no formal training, she accurately reads a patient’s pulse, intuitively determines where the problem lies in their body and advices how to heal it. When doing so, she clarifies that this is not a supernatural power or possession. Her practice is rooted in self-awareness, meditation and breathing, while she maintains deep respect for all religions equally.
“I believe in Dhamma and I strive to discipline myself according to Seela (moral conduct). This discipline extends to my patients when they come to me. Regardless of their occupation, I become their servant. I touch each of them with respect, love, empathy and focus to the extent that it allows me to truly feel what they are experiencing,” she explained.
One favor she asks from everyone reading this article, ” If you have a tree at home, start loving that tree loudly and dearly and whenever you are tensed or your health struggles seem to overpower you, hug that tree. The relief you’ll feel is unimaginable and inexplicable. You will heal yourself through the love you and your tree develop towards each other.”
For Dr. Dharshi, healing was never about miracles. It was about awareness, discipline, breath and reconnecting to the intelligence of the body.
She conducts group healing sessions, travelling to small villages to teach topics such as pelvic awareness. She emphasizes practical education and is always open to discussions.
For those interested in learning from her or arranging a session, she warmly invites you to contact her directly to explore how her teachings and therapies can support your well-being.
Contact her: +94 77 222 7573
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