Somaraja

Purifiy . Re-Balance. Rejuvenate.

Mountain Medicine

Somaraja is an Ayurvedic clinic, spa, and retreat sanctuary located on one of five mountain peaks overlooking the city of Boulder, Colorado.

At an altitude of 7400ft., amidst the pine forests of Flagstaff Mountain, we are adjacent to the scenic expanse of Walker Ranch and the Meyers Gulch Trailhead. This wilderness preserve is an ecotone, a juncture of neighboring biospheres where the great plains meet the foothills and diverse wildlife thrives.

Experience the serene and sacred atmosphere of Flagstaff Mountain! We look forward to serving you.

—Neeshee Pandit, Menpa & Nicole Ortega, LMT

“We must strive to see people not only as they present themselves in illness, but more importantly as they would be in perfect health and balance, in full discovery of their true nature—unique in body, mind and spirit. ”
— J.R. Worsley
“The Hatha Yoga Pradipika and other similar yogic texts speak of the soma as ‘the nectar of the moon’. By pressing the tongue up through the roof of the palate and closing off the passage in the head above the sinuses and above the mouth, and entering into meditation, the yogis prevent the nectar of the moon from burning up in the ‘sun,’ which is the lower body or digestive region, the digestive fire of the navel. ”
— Adi Da Samraj

About Somaraja

We first opened our doors in 2015 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. In 2023, we moved to Boulder, Colorado and expanded our facilities and offerings to include Āyurvedic panchakarma retreats.

We offer private consultations and treatments to support individuals in cultivating greater physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Our services include: Ayurvedic Consultations & Body Treatments, Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, Tibetan Herbal Medicine & External Therapies, Vedic Astrology Readings, & Panchakarma Rejuvenation Retreats. View our full menu of services here.

Somarāja (Skt: सोमराज) means “Moon King” and is a reference to the Moon in the Sanskrit language. Somarāja (Wyl: soma radza) is also the name of a medical treatise attributed to the sage Nāgarjuna that was influential on Tibetan medical thinking. Originally written in Sanskrit, the treatise was first translated into Chinese and then translated into Tibetan by Vairocana. The content of the text reflects a unique confluence of traditions in its presentation of Chinese pulse diagnosis, Āyurvedic tridosa theory, moxibustion points, and descriptions of materia medica unique to the Tibetan plateau.

The name of the text also suggests the value of the Moon in medicine and spirituality. The Moon governs the plant kingdom and the circulation of the life-force in the human being. The Moon is the vital essence of bodily rejuvenation.  

As a name, Somarāja expresses the alchemy of healing, the transformation of yin and yang, and the cross-cultural nature of medical wisdom.

Somaraja seal by Tashi Mannox

Our Seal

Seal stamps are a traditional form of signature in East Asian cultures. Today, the seal functions very well as an iconic logo design. Our seal was designed by Tibetan calligrapher, Tashi Mannox, who learned the craft of traditional seal-making from Tai Situ Rinpoche.

The design is inspired by the mountain pine forest that surrounds our clinic in Boulder, CO. This led us to propose a design based on the spiral geometry found in the pinecone as a symbol of natural harmony.

Tashi explored the geometries of the pinecone, noting that it formed the golden section of the fibonacci spiral. From this, he discovered that five interrelating golden mean spirals are formed on a five-pointed star of construction grid lines.

Five is a significant number in medicine and spirituality—there are five elements, five phases, five virtues, five visible planets, five Buddha families. Five is the number of Heaven and Earth in correspondence, of the human being as an alchemical vessel standing in the center. The five spirals in the seal converge at a zero-point, suggesting the nature of emptiness and the hot point of moxibustion, from which the smoke-like qualities of healing and rejuvenation emanate.

The seal encompasses a range of symbolic meanings. Its circular symmetry suggests a mandala with the five spirals creating a sense of energetic motion within the image. The spirals are moving out from a central source, an image of evolution, growth, and expansion. In the original artwork, the smoke-like appearance of the spirals also resemble the outline of clouds and a mandala of dancing snakes.

The inclusion of a Sun / Moon motif is traditional in Tibetan-style seals. The Sun and Moon represent the union of wisdom and compassion, of consciousness and energy, of yin and yang. The addition of the Sun / Moon motif also lends an astrological resonance to the seal.

Menu of Services

Somaraja Menu of Services

 Follow us on instagram @somarajawellness

We journeyed from the foothills to the alpine tundra, climbing from 9,000ft to 11,500ft. The mountains felt like a mythical realm, with stories etched in ancient rock, pouring through the waterways. We walk and discover our soles, standing again on t
Wow! Graduates of Middle Way Acupuncture Institute! Words fail to express my respect and admiration for how you persevered and have grown through the ordeal of completing the Master of Acupuncture program. I send gratitude to everyone that has been
Summer in Colorado has its own magic. Photos from the Garden of the Gods, Denver Botanic Gardens, Somaraja clinic, and the Lost Gulch lookout (last photo). The Lost Gulch lookout is on the way to our clinic and only a few minutes down the road. We h
“Medicine and Empire” is an essay written by Tai Lahans, who passed away on May 31, 2024. Tai was one of my teachers at Middle Way Acupuncture Institute, where she taught two classes: Integrative Medicine and Public Health. I did not know
New essay: “Medicine and Imagination”. This is a somewhat shorter essay than most of my recent publications. Its style is less scholarly and more literary. “Medicine and Imagination” explores the poetic and perceptual basis o
Our new seal was designed by Tibetan calligrapher @tashimannox. The design is inspired by the mountain pine forest that surrounds our clinic in Boulder, CO. This led us to propose a design based on the spiral geometry found in the pinecone as a symbo
foothills of snow white pine blue fire and a rain of flowers a passage in the wild where wapiti walk— pointing to the moon.
🐉 Happy Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon! The Dragon is an archetype of transformation, much like the serpent in Indian culture. The Dragon is said to protect the wish-fulfilling jewel that bestows immortality, a metaphor for inner alchemy and th
My thoughts on Pluto in Aquarius is now published. This essay examines the transit of Pluto in Aquarius from historical, cultural, and psychoanalytical perspectives. Excerpt: Pluto enters Aquarius on January 20, after spending the last 15 years in
I wrote an essay in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that explored the relationship between epidemic diseases and war. Given the horrors of ongoing warfare in Ukraine and Gaza, the shared context of epidemics and war felt like a timely topic t
Happy New Year! 2023 was a pivotal year for Nicole and I: we moved from Kauai to Boulder in late-September after 12 years on the garden isle, an unexpected but positive shift in our lives. We are loving Boulder, its primordial geology, and the majes
With cold and brief days, winter can feel harsh and introspective compared to the brimming yang of summer light. However, the healthier we are, the more we value all of the seasons, and the way they represent the cycles of our lives. Āyurveda, Tibet
Turmeric is an Āyurvedic medicine that has become very popular in the West, much like Ashwagandha. In Āyurveda, every medicine comes with caveats and there are very few universal recommendations. Proper use of any medicine requires an understanding o
Happy Holidays! We are pleased to share some updates and lifestyle tips for the winter season. 1) We are happy to announce that “Wailua Healing Arts” is now “Somaraja”. We have opened our doors in Boulder for new and current
Partial lunar eclipse this Saturday Oct 28, beginning at 12:00pm and reaching maximum eclipse at 2:14pm Mountain Time. This upcoming lunar eclipse is not visible in the US, so its effects are not as potent as the solar eclipse in Libra earlier this m
Our first two weeks in Colorado have been magical at 7400ft near the summit of Flagstaff Mountain—an expansive wilderness where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. We are settling in and setting up, so stay tuned for exciting updates!