Ayurveda Schools and Careers Guide
| | Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu art of medicine and prolonging life, is based on the premise that mind, body and spirit are intimately connected—a belief that is becoming more popular in Western civilization alternative medicine. |
General Ayurveda Information
- What is Ayurveda?
- What is the history of Ayurveda
- How are Ayurveda and yoga related?
- What is the National Institute of Health's position on Ayurveda?
Careers in Ayurveda
Ayurveda Laws and Licensure
Ayurveda Tuition and Financial Aid
Ayurveda Accreditation
Choosing an Ayurveda School
Answers provided by the California College of Ayurveda.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda, which literally translated means "the science or knowledge of life," is the traditional holistic medical system of India. Although Ayurveda is practiced in India as a comprehensive health care system with eight branches, including pediatrics and gynecology, it has only recently become known in the United States. Ayurveda's premise that mind, body, and spirit are intimately connected is revolutionizing the way Westerners understand their body and their health. Ayurveda teaches that separating mind and spirit from the body creates physical imbalance, which is the first step in the disease process. It naturally follows that re-integration is the first step toward healing.
Based on the principle that disease is the natural end result of living out of harmony with our environment, Ayurveda views symptoms of disease as the body's normal way of communicating disharmony. With this understanding of disease, Ayurveda's approach to healing becomes obvious: to reestablish harmony between self and environment and create an optimal environment for health.
According to Ayurveda, each person has a constitution created at conception that determines basic physiology and personality. This constitution is the inherent balance of three doshas, or subtle biological forces which govern the functions of the body, known as Vata (motion), Pitta (metabolism), and Kapha (cohesiveness). There are infinite combinations and permutations of these three basic energies, and each person's constitution is a unique expression. Constitution determines what a person is naturally attracted to and what is experienced as repulsive, what is in harmony with his or her nature, and what will cause imbalance and susceptibility to illness. Because no two people are alike and no two presentations of a disease are alike, Ayurveda does not approach the cure of a disease as much as it approaches the cure of the person who has the disease.
To help individuals create an optimal environment for health, Ayurveda offers a group of treatments often referred to as "five sense therapies." Through its detailed science of diet and herbalism, aroma therapy, color therapy, sound therapy, and touch therapy (massage and marma therapy), Ayurveda recommends how to use the senses to interact with the environment to create balance. These recommendations are based on a person's constitution, current health imbalances, and the time of the year.
What is the history of Ayurveda?
Ayurveda dates back an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 years and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world. It is understood by many scholars that knowledge of Ayurveda spread out from India and influenced the ancient Chinese system of medicine, Unani medicine, and the humoral medicine practiced by Hippocrates in Greece. For this reason, Ayurveda is often referred to as the "Mother of all healing."
The knowledge of Ayurveda is believed to be of Divine origin and was communicated to the saints and sages of India who received its wisdom through deep meditation. Ayurvedic knowledge was passed down orally through the generations and then written down in the Vedas, the sacred texts of India believed to be the oldest writings in the world.
Written in Sanskrit, the Vedas cover a vast number of subjects from grammar to health care. The Vedas were written approximately 2500 BC or earlier. Current knowledge about Ayurveda is mostly drawn from relatively later writings, primarily the Caraka Samhita (approximately 1500 BC), the Ashtang Hrdyam (approximately 500 AD), and the Sushrut Samhita (300-400 AD). These three classics describe the basic principles and theories from which Ayurveda has evolved. They also contain vast clinical information on the management of a multitude of diseases expanded upon by later writings and research.
Recent History
Before Ayurveda began its recent renewal in the West, it went through a period of decline in India when Western medical education became dominant during the era of British rule. Ayurveda became a second-class option used primarily by traditional spiritual practitioners and the poor. After India gained its independence in 1947, Ayurveda gained ground and new schools began to be established. Today more than five hundred Ayurvedic companies and hospitals have opened in the last ten years, and several hundred schools have been established. Although Ayurveda remains a secondary system of health care in India, the trend toward complementary care is emerging, and Western and Ayurvedic physicians often work side by side.
Interest in Ayurveda in the West began in the mid 1970s as Ayurvedic teachers from India began visiting the United States and Europe. By sharing their knowledge they have inspired a vast movement toward body-mind-spirit medicine. Today Ayurvedic colleges are opening throughout Europe, Australia, and the United States.
How are Ayurveda and yoga related?
Ayurveda is the healing side of yoga, and yoga is the spiritual tradition from which Ayurveda emerged. Through yoga one prepares the body and mind for self-realization or union with the Divine. Through Ayurveda one supports the spiritual journey by maintaining body and mind in a state of balance and well-being. The paths of yoga and Ayurveda are so closely intertwined that it is hard to imagine traveling down one without knowledge of the other. Using the wisdom of Ayurveda, a yoga practitioner can choose asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing practices) and mantra (sacred sounds) specific to his or her unique constitution in order to maintain health. The Ayurvedic practitioner prescribes specific practices to prevent illness and assist the healing process.
What is the National Institute of Health's position on Ayurveda?
Written by the National Institute of Health
Ayurveda is India's traditional, natural system of medicine that has been practiced for more than 5000 years. Ayurveda provides an integrated approach to preventing and treating illness through lifestyle interventions and natural therapies. Ayurvedic theory states that all disease begins with an imbalance or stress in the individual's consciousness. Lifestyle interventions are a major Ayurvedic preventive and therapeutic approach. There are 10 Ayurveda clinics in North America, including one hospital-based clinic that has served 25,000 patients since 1985.
In India, Ayurvedic practitioners receive state-recognized, institutionalized training in parallel to their physician counterparts in India's state-supported systems for conventional Western biomedicine and homeopathic medicine. The research base is growing concerning the physiological effects of meditative techniques and yoga postures in Indian medical literature and Western psychological literature. Published studies have documented reductions in cardiovascular disease risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol and reaction to stress, in individuals who practice Ayurvedic methods.
Laboratory and clinical studies on Ayurvedic herbal preparations and other therapies have shown them to have a range of potentially beneficial effects for preventing and treating certain cancers, treating infectious disease, promoting health and treating aging. Mechanisms underlying these effects may include free-radical scavenging effects, immune system modulation, brain neurotransmitter modulation and hormonal effects.
What career opportunities exist for Ayurvedic practitioners?
Holistic healing and education is one of the fastest growing fields in the country. Once the province of a dedicated minority, alternative medicine has gained mainstream support. People are spending millions of "out of pocket" dollars on holistic care by accessing a rapidly growing network of natural medicine practitioners and resources. Integrative medicine is now viewed by many as the answer to America's spiraling health care costs and rising incidence of chronic disease.
Ayurveda is an important solution to this health care crisis because it offers a true mind-body-spirit paradigm, emphasizes self-responsibility, and promotes prevention through lifestyle changes. A well-trained Ayurvedic practitioner may choose to enter into private practice, join other health care practitioners at a wellness center, teach public education classes on Ayurvedic principles, supervise a pancha karma center, teach at an Ayurvedic college, and conduct workshops, seminars and retreats. Health care providers can enhance their current practice by offering their clients Ayurvedic services. The future is bright for Ayurveda and for those dedicated and competent practitioners who will make its wisdom available.
How is Ayurveda regulated in the United States?
Ayurvedic practitioners are not licensed in the United States, and its practice is not regulated by state or federal agencies. Standards of competency are set by individual schools that have received state approval. Ayurvedic practitioners in the United States are taught how to practice legally within a limited scope of practice so they are not viewed as practicing medicine without a license. We might say that Ayurveda's current status in the US is analogous to the Chinese medical profession during its early years in the 1970s.
In 1998 a diverse group of practitioners, many representing schools of Ayurveda in this country, began meeting to discuss the creation of state and national professional associations. These associations focused on licensing and certification issues and the important task of educating people on Ayurveda and its practices.
Today Ayurveda is becoming increasingly popular in Europe, Australia and the US and many Ayurvedic colleges have opened to meet this demand.
What kind of tuition can I expect?
Typically $1,000 to $2,000 per semester for the independent schools teaching Ayurveda in the US.
Is financial aid available?
The American schools may offer tuition discounts or private aid.
What organizations accredit schools?
At this point in time, the Ayurvedic medical degree is not recognized or regulated in the US or Canada. The college in New Mexico is registered with the State's Higher Education Commission
How long does it take to graduate?
The American schools are typically part-time "certification" courses that take one to two years to complete.
Where can I get training?
- Arizona
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts - Tempe
- California
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Aptos
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Foster City
- California College of Ayurveda - Grass Valley
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Los Angeles
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - San Diego
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - San Francisco
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Canada - British Columbia
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Training in Seattle, WA
- Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy - Vernon
- Colorado
- Heritage College - Denver - Denver
- Connecticut
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Delaware
- yama studio - Training in Baltimore, MD
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- District of Columbia
- yama studio - Training in Baltimore, MD
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Florida
- Heritage Institute - Fort Myers - Fort Myers
- Keiser Career College - Greenacres - Greenacres
- Heritage Institute - Jacksonville - Jacksonville
- Keiser Career College - Miami Lakes - Miami Lakes
- Keiser University - Pembroke Pines - Pembroke Pines
- Keiser University - Port St. Lucie - Port St. Lucie
- Keiser Career College - St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg
- Keiser University - West Palm Beach - West Palm Beach
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Idaho
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Training in Seattle, WA
- Illinois
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Kansas
- Heritage College - Kansas City - Training in Kansas City, MO
- Heritage College - Wichita - Wichita
- Maine
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Maryland
- yama studio - Baltimore
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Massachusetts
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Missouri
- Heritage College - Kansas City - Kansas City
- New Jersey
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- New York
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - New York
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - New York
- North Carolina
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Oklahoma
- Heritage College - Oklahoma City - Oklahoma City
- Oregon
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Training in Seattle, WA
- Pennsylvania
- yama studio - Training in Baltimore, MD
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Rhode Island
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Texas
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Austin
- Vermont
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Virginia
- Heritage Institute - Manassas - Manassas
- yama studio - Training in Baltimore, MD
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition - Training in New York
- Washington
- Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic - Seattle
- West Virginia
- yama studio - Training in Baltimore, MD
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