Sarasvati Ayurveda Institute
Sarasvati Foundations cohort resting in savasana on warm wood floors
LEVEL 1 · 300 HOURS · NAMA PACE · YOGA ALLIANCE

Foundations of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Yoga.

300 total hours of study in the Ayurvedic approach to nutrition, digestion, detoxification, the tridoshic theory, and how to successfully bridge and integrate Yoga with Ayurveda.

Become an Ayurvedic Wellness Advisor. 95% live online with Susan and the faculty. Rolling admissions.

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RECOGNIZED BY
National Ayurvedic Medical AssociationInternational Association of Yoga TherapistsAyurvedic Accreditation CommissionYoga AllianceAmerican Yoga Council

National Ayurvedic Medical Association™ (NAMA), International Association of Yoga Therapists™ (IAYT), the Ayurvedic Accreditation Commission (AAC), Yoga Alliance and American Yoga Council Recognized and Approved Program.

WHO THIS TRAINING IS FOR

Who this training is for.

Medical & Healthcare Professionals

Are you a nurse, doctor, therapist, or another healthcare professional who wants to add ancient wisdom to your offering to clients? This training will give you tools to help guide your clients into holistic healing.

Health Coaches & Healers

Ayurveda is a perfect complement to health coaches, massage therapists, and other healers. It helps ground you in a credible knowledge base that opens a door of new possibilities for clients.

Yoga & Meditation Teachers

Are you a Yoga or Meditation teacher wanting to increase your service offerings to clients? You'll leave this training feeling full of new tools to go deeper with your students.

Lovers of Wisdom

Are you someone who loves ancient wisdom, and wants to apply the principles of Ayurveda to your own life? You certainly don't need to be a professional to take this course. Many of our students take the course just to improve their own health.

After completing our Foundations training, you will have:

  • Certificate of completion as an Ayurvedic Wellness Advisor from the Sarasvati Institute.
  • A 300-Hour RYT Yoga Alliance certificate of completion.
  • The required pre-requisite for our National Ayurvedic Medical Association™ and International Association of Yoga Therapists™ approved advanced certificate program.
WHY SARASVATI

Why Choose Sarasvati Institute?

  1. 1. Spirit & Science

    Our instructors equally embrace the spiritual traditions of Ayurveda, and applications using modern science and physiology. You’ll walk away from this course with extensive experience and knowledge of both.

  2. 2. Embodied Learning

    We believe Ayurveda is a sacred transmission that comes from being around embodied practitioners. Our curriculum is deep and nuanced, it is not taught solely in a lecture format. We structure our course to mirror the way Ayurveda was traditionally taught in Vedic times. We value a more experiential and integrated approach to learning.

  3. 3. Professional Certification

    Sarasvati is one of the few Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy programs accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists™, recognized and approved by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association™ as well as registered with Yoga Alliance. You’ll have all your bases covered.

  4. 4. Radically Improve Your Health

    The 300-hour program includes an Ayurvedic spring and autumn cleanse. The Ayurvedic ghee cleanse is a pivotal process that many students say is the single most effective thing they have ever done to improve their own health.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Our approach is to fully embrace both the sacred traditions and modern science.

Foundations of Ayurveda is about learning the foundational principles and applying them in all facets of life.

Susan teaches every class live, in the lineage of ancient masters who carried these teachings forward. The curriculum is designed to integrate the Vedic concepts at a cellular level, in community with students from around the world.

THE FULL CURRICULUM

What you'll study over the year.

Twelve months of live cohort study with Susan and the faculty. Each weekend builds on the last, from foundational principles to self-assessment to seasonal practice.

  • Ayurvedic philosophy, history, and practice.
  • The Dinacharya, or the Ayurvedic Daily Routine.
  • In-depth physiology of the digestive process.
  • Ayurvedic informed yoga routines.
  • How to create a balanced state at a cellular level.
  • The Three Guna's of Nature (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas), the 10 pairs of opposites in nature, and how to use them to cultivate overall balance.
  • The 5 elements of Nature (Pancha Maha Bhutas) and how to use them in self-assessment.
  • How to identify a person's primary Doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha), and their primary areas of imbalance.
  • The sub-doshas for specific self-assessment of areas of imbalance.
  • Self-assessment tools of Ayurveda including pulse, tongue, and eyes.
  • Specific lifestyle guidance in each month & season.
  • Recommendations for setting up a healthy home and how to support clients in setting up a healthy home.
Susan Hiera Bass portrait
LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Susan leads every class. Live on Zoom, never pre-recorded.

Susan has been training people in Ayurvedic Medicine and Yoga Therapy for twenty years. She studied with Dr. Vasant Lad at The Ayurvedic Institute and the Kripalu School of Ayurveda from 2004 to 2015 and earned her Master of Science in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine from Maharishi International University. She is Adjunct Faculty at the National University of Natural Medicine, and collaborates with Kaiser Permanente and UCSF on research using Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy to support breast cancer survivors. She is the author of Ayurveda: The Genes of God, endorsed by her teacher Dr. Lad.

Read Susan's full bio →
FACULTY

Susan and the faculty teach this program.

Susan Hiera Bass
Susan Hiera Bass
MS · ADLC · C-IAYT
Lead Instructor.
Hiranyacharya Goverdanam
Hiranyacharya Goverdanam
BAMS
Ayurvedic Pharmacology.
Arun Deva
Arun Deva
DASc · AP-NAMA
Ayurvedic Foundations and Psychology.
Meet the full faculty →
THE LOGISTICS

Schedule, tuition, and credentials.

Length12 sessions over 1 year
Hours300-hour, Yoga Alliance RYT
Format95% live online via Zoom (5% pre-recorded)
Class times1 weekend a month. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific.
AdmissionsRolling. You can join any month.
Tuition$3,950 paid in full. $4,940 in 13 installments ($500 deposit plus $370 per month for 12 months).
Certificate of CompletionAyurvedic Wellness Advisor. 300-hour RYT, Yoga Alliance.
cohort start datesAugust 7-9, September 11-13, October 9-11. November 13-15, December 11-13.
cohort start datesJanuary 15-17, February 12-14, March 12-14. April 9-11, May 14-16, June 11-13.
FROM FOUNDATIONS GRADUATES

From the students who walked the program.

My experience was transformational. I learned about how my mind-body works, what I'm doing that's hindering who I am, how to cleanse my body from toxins and much, much more. Susan teaches the content beautifully.
★★★★★FIN EMM · NOV 2025 · 300-HOUR GRADUATE
★★★★★
“I received so much from the 300 hour program. Susan shares her knowledge freely.”
Danni FransSep 2022
★★★★★
“I am very grateful to have been able to study at SIAYT with Susan Bass in the 300-hour program.”
Allison CummingsOct 2019
★★★★★
“Learning each month many simple ways to live Ayurvedically.”
Kayley DeanMay 2026
★★★★★
“Susan is a goldmine of ancient Ayurvedic knowledge.”
Francesca FarrellOct 2024

See all 85 reviews on Google →

A lotus leaf, Nelumbo, beaded with water
CERTIFICATES EARNED

The certificates of completion that you receive.

The Sarasvati Institute of Ayurveda & Yoga Therapy is an alternative to large, institutional Ayurveda Universities, with all the same certificates of completion in Ayurveda and Yoga. Our programs allow you to apply all your hours at the Sarasvati Institute to our certification programs approved through the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.

After completing the first year, level one, Foundations training, you'll receive a certificate of completion as an Ayurvedic Wellness Advisor from the Sarasvati Institute. This is the required pre-requisite to enter our NAMA and IAYT advanced study certificate programs.

Additionally, 200-hour Yoga Alliance instructors can take this training to become 500-hour Yoga Alliance registered, just like any other 300-hour RYT advanced yoga teacher training.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Before you apply.

Do I need to be a healthcare or yoga professional?

Are you someone who loves ancient wisdom, and wants to apply the principles of Ayurveda to your own life? You certainly don't need to be a professional to take this course. Many of our students take the course just to improve their own health.

Can I do this while working full-time?

This training is great for busy, working professionals as we meet one weekend every month, all year.

What if I have to miss a class?

We allow students flexibility for their timeline of completion. If you have to miss a weekend session, you can watch the missed class on recording, or make up that particular session the following year when it's taught live.

When does the next cohort start?

We use rolling admissions. You can join any month. Upcoming start dates: August 7-9, September 11-13, October 9-11.

READY?

A sweet, purpose-built community.

If our approach resonates with you, we welcome you to our sweet, purpose-built community.

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