To study ayurveda is to learn how the mind, body, and spirit are interconnected to the world around us. Ayurveda is referred to as the “sister science” of yoga and focuses primarily on lifestyle practices that support health, balance, and self-transformation. Our unique 120-hour Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist certification program incorporates yoga as the foundation for studying ayurveda. The training is a combination of live and pre-recorded classes divided into four modules, each consisting of three days, that are available for playback at any time.
In our Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist training program, you will learn the core concepts of ayurveda, including the six tastes of ayurveda, psychological and emotional concepts, and the lifestyle and philosophical applications of this ancient wisdom. You’ll learn how simple implementations of ayurvedic diets and routines can create profound transformations in your life and the lives of others. You’ll experience firsthand the rejuvenating power that comes from balancing the doshas through aligning your actions with the seasons of the year, stages of your life, and phases of the day. Immerse yourself in ayurvedic study with an enthusiastic online community, add a new dimension to your yoga teaching and personal practice and become an Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist!
When you enroll in this comprehensive ayurveda program, you will learn the knowledge and skills needed to:
Design dosha-balancing asana sequences for different seasons, times of day, and specific age groups
Use ayurvedic recipes and food and spice combinations to address imbalances and promote health and vitality
Create a practical lifestyle plan for yourself and your students based upon specific needs and goals
Offer one-on-one ayurvedic consultations with a nutrition and lifestyle focus
Confidently teach ayurvedic wellness principles in the classroom
Understand how an ayurvedic diet and ayurvedic lifestyle principles support the practices of yoga
The Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist training includes the following topics:
How cultivating prana (life force) and ojas (deep vitality) can regulate and support agni (digestive fire) for optimal health
An in-depth study of the doshas (ayurvedic constitutions), gunas (psychological tendencies), vayus (“winds” or movements of prana), and koshas (sheaths, or the layers of our being)
How to teach asana and pranayama to kindle agni and circulate prana for optimal energy management
The alchemy of yoga and ayurveda
Diet and lifestyle adjustments to support daily, seasonal, and stage-of-life changes
How to identify and address vikriti (constitutional imbalances) using asana, pranayama, deep relaxation, and meditation
Unit 1: The Macrocosm and Microcosm of Ayurveda and Yoga
Unit 1 is the foundation for all Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist modules, and it’s where you’ll begin your journey of using the tools of ayurveda and yoga. One of the oldest medical systems in the world, ayurveda is rich with simple methods to support your health. This session focuses on the foundations of ayurveda, its relation to yoga philosophy and practice, and how it can make you feel more at home within yourself. You will begin learning the basics of creating sustainable daily practices that support the balance of an individual’s constitution, including their physical body, mental body, and sense of purpose. Yoga teachers and practitioners alike will discover how to work with asana, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation practices to support balance and overall well-being from an ayurvedic perspective.
Using interactive group work, lecture, and practice, you’ll:
Learn more about the philosophical and spiritual foundations of ayurveda
Discover how yoga and ayurveda support and complement each other
Become more familiar with ayurveda’s tridoshic theory (vata, pitta, kapha)
Know the difference between prakriti (unique elemental nature) and vikriti (current state of imbalance)
Begin to understand how to use the yogic practices of asana, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation to move toward greater wellness and balance
Identify how your yoga practice supports your health and overall sense of well-being as you move through the different seasons of life
Be able to practically implement ayurvedic and yogic concepts into daily routine, diet, and lifestyle management plans for clients and students or your personal use
Upon completion of Unit 1, you’ll understand the following concepts:
Purusha (pure consciousness) and prakriti (universal nature)
The elements that manifest in the body and mind (koshas and doshas)
The three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha)
How the ayurvedic clock relates to the time of day, the four seasons, and different stages of life
How to determine your physical type (dosha prakriti) and your current imbalance (vikriti)
The energetics of asana and how to structure yoga classes from an ayurvedic perspective
Unit 2: The Psychology of Ayurveda and the Physiology of Yoga
In Unit 2 you’ll learn the technical aspects of the bio-psycho-spiritual connections in ayurveda. Our primary focus will be on the architecture of the mind, its energies (gunas), and the body-mind’s vital essences (prana, tejas, ojas). We’ll dig deep into asana, pranayama, and meditation from the sub-dosha perspective of ayurveda.
Upon completion of Unit 2, you’ll understand the following concepts:
The architecture of the mind and its energies or gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas)
The subtle essences of the doshas (ojas, tejas, and prana) and how they manifest in the body
How to create practices to help maintain balance during seasonal changes
The key practices to address vata, pitta, and kapha imbalance
The relationships between the sub-doshas and specific actions, organs, and emotional states
Unit 3: Improving Our Digestion of Food, Thoughts, and Actions
In Unit 3 you’ll apply the historical and technical knowledge you gained from the previous units to physical, emotional, and mental practices. You’ll look closely at the factors that affect digestion and assimilation in the body and the mind, as well as the techniques that regulate your physical, mental, and spiritual digestive fires (agnis).
Upon completion of Unit 3, you’ll be able to:
Use the six tastes to create a balanced diet
Use internal and external practices to regulate agni (digestive fire)
Develop clinical awareness of asana, pranayama, meditation, and diet/lifestyle as it relates to digestion and assimilation
Make ghee, kitchari, seasonal veggies, churnas, and medicinal teas essential to ayurvedic practices.
Unit 4: Clinical Use of Ayurveda and Yoga
In Unit 4 you will learn how to integrate the information from the first three units into the clinical application of working with private clients. We’ll review physiology, psychology, ayurvedic treatment plans, dinacharya, lifestyle, and subtle body practices of yoga. You’ll also learn about the uses of tongue and pulse diagnosis.
Upon completion of this module, you will graduate as a Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist. This ayurvedic education can serve as a supplement to your existing business and an extension to teaching students in a one-on-one setting.
As a Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, you’ll be able to:
Design and implement ayurvedic yoga classes to address dosha imbalances
Add ayurvedic practices to one-on-one sessions with yoga clients
Offer ayurveda 101 educational programs
Create individual treatment plans for clients
Create seasonal ayurvedic cooking and cleansing programs
Begin the Torchbearer program to support you as you implement ayurvedic tools into your work
The full schedule is:
Unit 1: The Macrocosm and Microcosm of Ayurveda and Yoga Session 1
Smarana: Remembering Who We Really Are
The Six Philosophies of Life: Shad Darshan
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Session 2
Awakening to Who We Are: Elements, Gunas, and Doshas
The Role of Daily Routine to Bring Balance: Dinacharya
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Session 3
Energetics of Asana and Pranayama for Dosha Balance
Putting It All Together and Moving On
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Unit 2: The Psychology of Ayurveda and the Physiology of Yoga The content of this unit is pre-recorded and will be available to complete anytime between Units 1 and 3. Join Kathryn live on April 29 for a Q&A session 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Unit 3: Improving Our Digestion of Food, Thoughts, and Actions
Friday, July 16
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: What Is Ayurvedic Nutrition?
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: Rasa, Virya, Vipaka…Oh My!
On-Demand Yoga Class
On-Demand Cooking Class
Saturday, July 17
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: Ayurveda's Six Tastes to Nourish Body and Mind
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: Integrating the Six Tastes Into Our Daily Meals
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Three On-Demand Cooking Classes
Sunday, July 18
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: All About Vata, Pitta, and Kapha With Food and Beverage
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: Off You Go! Moving Into the Next Phase
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Four On-Demand Cooking Classes
Unit 4: Clinical Use of Ayurveda and Yoga
Friday, October 22
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: Ethics and Scope of Practice
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: How to Complete an Intake
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Saturday, October 23
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: Live Treatment Intake Client 1
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: Intake Review and Q&A
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
Sunday, October 24
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT. Session 1: Live Treatment Recommendations Client 1 and Q&A
3:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. Session 2: Wrap Up, Clinical Applications, and Review
Two On-Demand Yoga Classes
