THE TEACHERS

Ayurveda is held by a lineage, not by one teacher.

Susan Hiera Bass leads the school. Nine other faculty bring training from India, the United States, and the lineage rooms of Vedic philosophy, classical medicine, plant healing, and clinical research.

Each one is rooted in classical Ayurveda. Each one brings their own specialty to the program.

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RECOGNIZED BY

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.

FOUNDER · SCHOOL DIRECTOR · LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Susan Hiera Bass · MS, ADLC, C-IAYT

In 2003, Susan left a career at The Wall Street Journal after Ayurveda and Yoga saved her life. She went on to study 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 also holds a BA in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of Mississippi.

She founded the Sarasvati Institute in 2015. She collaborates with Kaiser Permanente and UCSF on research using Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy to support breast cancer survivors during recovery. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the National University of Natural Medicine, where she has taught how to build an Ayurvedic Practice, Toxicology, Methods of Evaluation and Panch Karma.

Susan is the author of Ayurveda: The Genes of God, endorsed by her teacher Dr. Vasant Lad. She is Board Certified through NAMA and IAYT, and holds the C-IAYT and ADLC credentials. Her work is the same as it was at the beginning: to help students remember and integrate the wisdom of the ancients that is already inside of them.

Read Susan's full bio →Read Ayurveda: The Genes of God →Talk With Susan

WHY TEN

Ayurveda is held by a lineage, not by one teacher.

Susan teaches every class live. The faculty teaches alongside her. Each teacher carries one current of the tradition forward, from Vedic philosophy to clinical medicine to plant healing to the supervised practicum.

We hold the highest standards for our faculty. Each one is rooted in classical Ayurveda. Each one brings their own specialty to the program. Students study with every one of them over the arc of the curriculum.

LINEAGE & PHILOSOPHY

The lineage carriers.

Susan Hiera Bass

MS · ADLC · C-IAYT

Founder, School Director, Lead Instructor

Susan 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 also holds a BA in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of Mississippi. She founded the Sarasvati Institute in 2015 and is the author of Ayurveda: The Genes of God, endorsed by Dr. Vasant Lad.

Mamta Bhatt

AHC · AYT · RYT-500

Vedic Philosophy

Mamta Bhatt comes from a long line of Ayurvedic Vaidya’s in Gujarat, India. She has been teaching Vedic Philosophy at The Science of the Soul Center since 2015. Mamta is fluent in five languages, including Sanskrit. She is a graduate of the Sarasvati Institute Advanced Program.

Arun Deva

DASc · AP-NAMA · AYT · E-RYT 500 · C-IAYT

Ayurvedic Foundations and Psychology

Arun Deva is a NAMA āyurvedic practitioner, āyurvedic yoga therapist, yoga therapist, and a certified teacher of vinyāsa krama yoga. He has served on both the National and State Āyurvedic Associations’ Boards, and chaired NAMA’s Committee for Āyurvedic Yoga Therapy, creating for the first time, an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist category. Born and raised in India where he began his yogic studies, Arun Deva has made his home in Los Angeles since 1977.

CLINICAL MEDICINE

The clinical lens.

Vaidya Anita Misra

BAMS · MS

Case Studies and Advanced Modules

Vaidya Anita completed her Bachelor in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery from India in 2001 and her Masters of Science in Integrative Medicine from Maharishi International University in 2015. She has been teaching as an Adjunct Professor and leading student clinical practicums at Maharishi International University since 2015. Vaidya Anita is the chief consultant for Soul-Physio-Lifestyle Ayurvedic Center in Irvine, CA, and the founder and director of Nature Natural Ayurvedic Life-care wellness and panchakarma center in Bhubaneswar, India. She also has a line of organic products comprising herbs, oils, spices, and cereals since 2004.

Dr. Vivek Shanbhag

ND-USA · MD-Ayurveda · BAMS · CYEd

Advanced Faculty

Dr. Vivek Shanbhag is a California Licensed Naturopathic Doctor with thirty-five years of experience as an Ayurveda MD, Professor and best-seller author. He is the Founder and Medical Director of Natural Medicine and Ayurveda Clinic and Pancha-Karma Center in San Jose, California. Dr. Shanbhag serves as the Founding Dean of the School of Ayurveda and Natural Medicine at University of Silicon Andhra in California. He is the best-seller author of Intro to Ayurveda by Keats Publishing.

PLANT MEDICINE & PHARMACOLOGY

The plants and the pharmacy.

David Crow

L.Ac.

Clinical Herbalism and Meditation

David Crow is a plant medicine expert, clinician, medical consultant, researcher, educator and author. He is a specialist in Chinese, Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicines and their spiritual lineages. Licensed as an acupuncturist in California in 1984, he was one of the first Westerners to train in Chinese medicine and one of the few to study Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine in traditional internships in Nepal and India. He is co-founder of Floracopeia, an essential-oils company supporting sustainable ecological agriculture, and the author of four books including Plants That Heal, In Search of the Medicine Buddha, and Sacred Smoke.

Hiranyacharya Goverdanam

BAMS

Ayurvedic Pharmacology

Hiranyacharya Govardhanam received her Bachelor’s in Ayurvedic Medicine from Dr. NTR Health University in India, in 2011. She is very committed to bringing awareness to ancient Ayurvedic Practice. She has been practicing Ayurveda for eight years and was awarded Ayurvedacharya, Ayurvedic Professional, in India.

April Hansen

Marma Therapy and Essential Oils

April Hansen is a Registered Nurse and an Ayurvedic Yoga Consultant. She has a background in Reflexology, Reiki, Pediatrics, and Trauma Surgery. She has specialized training in Ayurveda, Yoga, and Holistic Health Coaching and believes that helping individuals achieve their highest vitality is her life mission. April is a graduate of The Sarasvati Institute of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy.

PRACTICUM & PRACTICE

The practicum.

Joy du Pont

AHC-NAMA · AYT-NAMA · C-IAYT

Program Director and Advanced Practicum Supervisor

Joy du Pont is an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist who works with individual clients to help them find balance and take back control over their health, life, and wellbeing. Joy is a Board Certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, AYT-NAMA, Certified Yoga Therapist, Certified Oncology Yoga Teacher, RYT-500, Certified Herbalist, and Reiki Master Teacher. Along with Susan, Joy is working as a practitioner on a research project through Kaiser Permanente and UCSF using Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy to support breast cancer survivors in their recovery. Joy is the Program Director for the school, Supervisor in our Advanced Practicum Module, and a faculty member.

Mary Thompson

NAMA-CAP

Advanced Practicum Teacher

Mary Thompson has been an experienced educator and a heart-centered mentor to Ayurvedic practitioners for over two decades. Having taught Ayurveda for over twenty years, she finds joy in supporting her students as they step into their professional lives as Ayurvedic Health Counselors and Ayurvedic Practitioners. Mary is a lead teacher in the Advanced Practicum Module.

STUDY WITH THESE TEACHERS

Want to study with these teachers?

Susan is available to talk with you about which path is the right next step.

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