Ayurveda: The Art of Being is an in-depth documentary looking at one of the world's oldest systems of holistic healthcare. Travelling the world, we are introduced to practitioners at work in India, Greece, and the United States. Considering the varieties of Ayurvedic medicine shown, there is much here that might strike one as being "new age" material, although alternative ways of thinking can appear to be eccentric.

At the risk of sounding callous I will say that this film only gains a focus and momentum when the World Trade Center towers come into view. Late in the film a New York ayurvedic doctor talks about his experience as a practitioner.

He says: "Diseases that I encounter are diseases of excess . . . . coronary heart diseases. We have obesity which is maybe the common denominator of many diseases. Again, it is a disease of accumulation of excess. Arthritis which is the accumulation of unhealthy material in the joints. It's all about over-consumption, and not only of food, but of impressions, of sensations. There is too much stimulation. There is too much being offered. And in a sense we are a world, a society of over-nourishment."

A POV shot shows the sky past the legs and feet of a yogi doing a headstand on the banks of the Ganges. The scene cuts to a view looking up at one of the Word Trade Center towers, and then cuts again to a yoga class of young people somewhere in New York. It's uncanny and makes for uncomfortable viewing.

This might be imbuing Ayurveda with more of a political message than it intends. However, its main flaw is that it tries to cover too much territory before arriving at a point where one could even make such a judgment. Lacking a strong editorial direction or even a voice-over to guide the viewer, it requires a lot of patience. The viewer is left to create a large amount of continuity out of the dialogue and scenes that wander aimlessly. It's too bad that it takes so long to really get going.