We teach the integration of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. They are not taught as separate entities. Below is the story of why I started teaching this way, what I saw happen in the Pancha Karma clinic that changed my path, and how the Sarasvati Institute's lineage approach (science and soul together, embodiment as the goal) shows up in the curriculum today.
Why I started teaching Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy together (the Pancha Karma clinic story)
I started studying Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy at the Ayurvedic Institute in 2004 and then went on to work in a Pancha Karma clinic in Massachusetts as the resident Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist in 2006. The clinic would recommend that the PK clients add Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy onto their program, but it was optional.
What we learned through this experiment was that the clients in the Pancha Karma clinic who added Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy to their PK protocol had more success and comfort in the process of Ayurvedic cleansing. Adding in the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy portion really helped them to integrate the power of PK into their bodies and lives. They would take the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy skills with them and would often stay with weekly Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy sessions after Pancha Karma was completed.
How the integration changed Pancha Karma client outcomes
It was such a fulfilling experience watching these PK clients blossom as they awakened the natural law within themselves. I saw with my own eyes how Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy had a synergy that made them exponentially more effective when practiced together.
We all know they are sister sciences, but back in the early 2000s it was hard to find anyone who was truly integrating them into practice. I was so inspired by the results of our PK clients who we taught Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy that I decided that this was my path in life.
Modigliani says, "You have one real duty in life: to SAVE YOUR DREAM." My dream was to share the integration of these ancient sacred sciences that had saved my life and had given me so much joy as I watched others awaken their own natural healing powers when I shared it with them.
My teacher had always told me to define myself by what inspires me. I had pondered on that for years, but when I witnessed the power of the integration of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy, I GOT it.
Inspiration comes from the soul, and your dharma is your soul's dream. My dharma was to teach Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy. Fast forward 20 years and I am proud to say that our 800-hour Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy program is an IAYT accredited program and is NAMA recognized.
Why Sarasvati is a lineage school (soul, spirit, and science together)
Our students say the depth of personal connection, as well as the ability of our faculty and curriculum to make this ancient knowledge accessible, is why they continue to sign up for future programs. Our school is laid out in stand-alone modules. Someone has to recommit to go onto level two and level three to be able to complete the program to become a C-IAYT, NAMA Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, and become eligible to take the NAMA Ayurvedic Health Counselor board exam.
We embrace the science of Ayurveda and Yoga as much as we embrace the soul and spirit of Ayurveda and Yoga. We are lucky that we have the ability to do that, since I know from my experience teaching Ayurveda at colleges, universities, and medical schools that the soul-and-spirit portion must be omitted in some organizations.
We are a lineage school that embraces the soul and spirit of the Vedas.
How we teach Ayurvedic assessment (pulse, tongue, and Doshic reading)
Our focus on learning Ayurvedic assessment (pulse reading, tongue reading, and all forms of Doshic assessment) allows our students to truly understand and recognize Doshic imbalance.
Our goal is to move someone from a vague concept of Doshic imbalance to a tangible, concrete understanding of how we use all of the tools from Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy to help our clients learn to create balance and harmony within themselves. That comes from first creating harmony and balance within ourselves.
There is a never-ending focus on personal integration of these sciences for the purpose of Svasta (embodiment).
Why "embodiment" is the one-word summary of our program
If there is one word to sum up our goal and intention for our students, it is EMBODIMENT.
Susan Bass holds a Master of Science in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine from Maharishi International University. She is NAMA Board Certified at the Ayurvedic Doctor level of study as well as a NAMA Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist and a Certified Yoga Therapist through IAYT. Susan is the chair of the AAC AYT Program Accreditation Subcommittee and the NAMA AYT Membership Subcommittee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Sarasvati Institute's program unique? The integration of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy as one curriculum, not two. Susan Bass started teaching this way in 2006 after watching Pancha Karma clients have better outcomes when they added Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy to their cleansing protocols. The school is also a lineage school that embraces the soul and spirit of the Vedas alongside the science.
What does "lineage school" mean at Sarasvati? We embrace the soul and spirit of Ayurveda and Yoga alongside the science. Many colleges and universities have to omit the soul-and-spirit portion of these traditions; as an independent lineage school, Sarasvati does not.
What's the one-word summary of the program's goal? Embodiment. Or in Sanskrit: Svasta. Everything in the curriculum points toward students personally integrating the knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy in their own bodies and lives.
What credentials can Sarasvati graduates earn? C-IAYT (Certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists), NAMA Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist (NAMA-AYT), and eligibility to sit for the NAMA Ayurvedic Health Counselor board exam.
How long has Susan been teaching this way? Susan started studying Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy at the Ayurvedic Institute in 2004 and began the resident-therapist role at a Pancha Karma clinic in Massachusetts in 2006. The Sarasvati Institute itself is now 20+ years into this work.