May 8, 2017

Meet Kris Quinones of Rasayana in Somerville

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kris Quinones.

Kris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from Franklin Pierce University in 1996 with a B.A. in Biology/Pre-med and spent the next four years working as an orthopedic and research assistant for several Boston area surgeons treating sports injuries and degenerative diseases. It wasn’t until 2000, after sustaining a severe hip injury while competing as a brown-belt in Tae Kwon Do, I discovered vinyasa yoga and the Astanga method. It became my primary rehabilitation and sparked what has become a lifelong study of holistic healing and living.

In 2007, I graduated from the Cortiva Muscular Therapy Institute and became a licensed massage therapist. Combing my previous knowledge of orthopedics and sports medicine, I’ve run a successful full time massage therapy practice in popular Davis Square, specializing in pain management and mindfulness-based practices for nearly a decade. My treatment approach is interactive and goal-oriented, with a dash of tough love when necessary.

My personal yoga practice eventually led me to Ayurveda – India’s traditional medical system – which shares a depth and antiquity that is parallel to the yoga tradition. It is at once a powerful natural healing approach for mind, body, and spirit, and a daily guide to the art of living. As a professional bodyworker, this was the doorway thru which I entered Ayurveda, and with additional training at the Kripalu Yoga Center I became a specialist in several of Ayurveda’s natural detoxifying and rejuvenation bodywork treatments.

In 2009, my backpacking wanderlust landed me in India herself. I advanced my studies at Dr. Partap Chauhan’s Jiva Institute for Vedic Studies in Haryana, India, under the direction of head physician, Dr. Kuldeep Solanski, BAMS with a focus on Ayurvedic theory, pancha karma therapies, and the creation of select medicinal herbal thailams. Wanting to keep up to professional standards in the United States, I eventually returned to the Kripalu School of Ayurveda in 2015 and became a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor and Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist.

I’ve always had a strong work ethic. I’ve always had a curious mind. I’ve always believed in the teach-a-man-to-fish-versus-giving-him-one approach to life.

So it was natural for me to begin offering diet and lifestyle consultations further support my client’s needs. Auto-immune disease, Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are all on the rise and people are demanding a better quality of life for themselves. In the face of so much evidence that life is full of adversity and pain, it is truly a radical act to be willing to feel good all the time. I like to help people break out of our culture’s collective devotion to speed. I like to teach about what’s saved my life a few times over, and I like to keep it real. Ayurveda speaks to people on a deep level. I think people are starving for that wisdom.

When I’m not working with clients, I enjoy the other aspects of my work and write a monthly electronic newsletter full of informational articles, tips, recipes, and product reviews, or I’m developing original workshops and professional bodywork trainings.

Has it been a smooth road?
Generally, yes. My work ethic has always allowed me to meet opportunities with my preparedness, and experience “success”. But three years ago I left my then group practice and attempted to open Boston’s first large, multi-practitioner full-service Ayurvedic clinic. My attempts were earnest but ultimately unsuccessful and it was the hardest and most heart-breaking time of my career. With a depleted life savings and a bruised ego I accepted the Universe’s answer and returned to Kripalu for some re-direction. This was the start of my training to be an Ayurvedic Health Counselor.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’ve touched a bit on my specialty and reputation in the previous questions. But I think what I’m most proud of as a company – what sets me apart from others – is my commitment to highly trained and dedicated relationship-centered care and my commitment to using organic and fairly traded herbs (when possible) from vendors that exercise sustainable agro-forestry practices.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! The Greater Boston Area has long been an international hub for intellectuals, artists, scientists and healers. Blooming in the wake of Yoga, which already has a world-wide presence, Ayurveda is emerging as an important global system of mind-body medicine. With so many medical schools, research facilities, and cutting-edge technologies available in Boston, the landscape for inter-disciplinary approaches is ripe for collaboration.

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