Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D.(h), D.D., is a holistic physician, acknowledged spiritual teacher and researcher dedicated to natural healing and spiritual evolution. As the founder and director of The Tree of Life Foundation, he has spent decades promoting well-being through plant-based nutrition, integrative medicine, meditation, yoga and kundalini unfoldment. His expertise extends across multiple disciplines, including psychiatry, family therapy, homeopathy, Ayurveda, clinical acupuncture and holistic medicine. The New York Times describes him as a fasting guru.
With a diverse background that includes Jewish mysticism, yogic teachings and Native American traditions, Dr. Cousens strives to provide a comprehensive approach to natural healing and spiritual evolution. He applies these teachings through his nonprofit humanitarian foundation, which focuses on raising awareness of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being and evolution.
“We’re talking about a diet and lifestyle that supports physical and spiritual growth,” says Dr. Cousens. “It’s about creating peace in the whole person, making the individual super connected spiritually. We strive to impact all aspects of spiritual life, including the mystery and awakening of Kundalini, about which I have been an acknowledged world expert for over 50 years.”
Holistic healing and consciousness
According to Dr. Cousens, his contributions to holistic health and spiritual wisdom are rooted in his extensive education and life experiences. A graduate of Columbia Medical School, he has explored plant-based nutrition and holistic wellness strategies, a practice that research suggests could be beneficial toward hypertension and other common non-communicable diseases. His work seeks to promote “whole-person enlightenment” by integrating physical health with emotional and spiritual well-being and evolution. He has worked with individuals from over 128 countries, offering consultations focused on nutrition, natural healing, consciousness expansion and even liberation.
Beyond his medical expertise, he is an ordained rabbi, an acknowledged yogi and a four-year Native American Sundancer. His dedication to peace is reflected in his Sevenfold Peace process, which includes peace with the body, mind, family, community, all cultures, ecology and God. Dr. Cousens shares that his Sevenfold Peace philosophy is designed to align with the Essene tradition, emphasizing the importance of 100% organic vegan and 80% live food nutrition, meditation, yoga and kundalini unfoldment to maintain an open energy flow.
“We guide people to create peace by being peace themselves, living a lifestyle we believe will take one into liberation by working across all those seven levels,” says Dr. Cousens, who states that, at 82, he performs 1,600 push-ups, 2,000 sit-ups and other exercises every other day.
A prolific author and thought leader
Dr. Cousens has authored 13 books that explore the intersections of nutrition, spirituality, and holistic medicine. Among his notable works is Spiritual Nutrition, which discusses the impact of diet on spiritual awareness and physical health, and There Is a Cure for Diabetes, which offers a three-week holistic plan to promote and support a nondiabetic physiology.
Beyond writing, Dr. Cousens says he has led weekly world peace meditations since 1985, including sessions at the United Nations. He continues to teach individuals how to cultivate inner peace and connect with higher consciousness through guided meditation, yoga and kundalini unfoldment.
Upcoming seminar in the Dominican Republic
Continuing his mission of guiding individuals toward holistic health and higher consciousness, Dr. Cousens and his yogini wife, Shanti Golds Cousens, M.A., will be leading a spiritual fasting retreat in the Dominican Republic on June 1, 2025. The spiritual fasting retreat is designed to support participants in their journey toward successful fasting, meditation and consciousness expansion. Open to everyone worldwide, this retreat marks a return to in-person spiritual fasting experiences following a period of online-only programs during COVID.
Participants will engage in spiritual fasting under the guidance of Dr. Cousens and his wife. It is designed to offer participants a space for inner spiritual work and personal reflection. Unlike traditional fasting retreats, this program seeks to integrate physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness practices. As a medical doctor during the fast, he offers general guidance on nutrition and provides information for those with Type 2 diabetes and with hypertension.
In addition to fasting, the retreat includes TriYoga led by yogini Shanti Gold Cousens, assisted by Dr. Cousens, as well as daily meditations and discussion groups where participants can share their experiences.
At the healthy age of 82, Dr. Cousens, from his own experiences, says, “Many think that people will just get frail and weak with age. By example, we show that as we grow older, we can become stronger, more physically flexible, happier, and more consciously aware. We just have to work a little harder,” says Dr. Cousens.
For more information, go to www.drcousensspiritualfast.com, [email protected], and www.drcousens.com.
Photo courtesy of Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D.(h), D.D.
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