Here are 4 important things to consider when you are in your information gathering process:

1 – Do you want to learn more about how to connect with Nature and the Divine and how to heal yourself and others around you?  Or do you want to become an Ayurvedic Clinician, perhaps an Ayurvedic Doctor someday?  Maybe both?

At Yoga Veda Institute, we believe that Ayurveda is best introduced through direct personal experience. This means that to fully embrace the teachings, the student of Ayurveda must first develop an inner awareness and practice in their own lives.

From that space of inner-knowledge and personal experience, the future Ayurvedic clinician is able to share their very personal experiences with others.  We do not believe that Spirituality and Science are mutually exclusive. 

We teach Ayurveda in it’s full expression – Spiritual – Science – Consciousness –  Divine – Medicine.

2 – Are you drawn to Ayurveda for the Spirituality component or to something else? 

At Yoga Veda Institute, we believe that Ayurveda IS a spiritual practice emerging from the Vedas and taught through mantra, ritual, and Divine connection (as taught in the ancient texts). As many schools attempt to westernize or apply the Scientific Method to Ayurveda – they have opted to remove the spiritual teachings entirely.  Many will argue that there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach.  It’s true that when Ayurveda is used purely as a clinical and scientific based medicine, benefits abound.  However, by reducing Ayurveda to its purely functional and clinical aspects, we are not using Ayurveda to its fullest potential.  We believe that Ayurveda as a spiritual and consciousness based medicine and science are not mutually exclusive and should be taught, hand in hand.

3 – Are you looking for personal 1:1 attention and hand holding?  

We want to be clear.  If you desire a lot of personal 1:1 attention and hand holding – our program may not be the best program for you. Students with strong intrinsic motivation and who take responsibility for their own unique path do the best in our program.

At Yoga Veda Institute, our mission is to make quality Ayurvedic education accessible to as many people as possible.  We do this through putting our world-class faculty in front of students from around the globe at a fraction of the cost of other traditional Ayurvedic programs available today.  We take it a step further with our scholarship program, making these teachings even more accessible to our global community of students from all corners of the world for whom otherwise would not be able to learn this sacred science.

In order to create that level of accessibility, we must trade small class sizes and 1:1 personal attention.  We’ve opted for lower tuition costs – and larger class sizes.  However, our Student Counselors are available weekly in our “Office Hours” for students who need a little extra guidance.  Our team is also available to support you via email as much as you need.  However, students who are used to small class sizes and who are not self motivated may struggle in this program. 

It’s not unusual to have 100 students in our classes.  Students who thrive in our program recognize that they must take responsibility for their own learning process.  That they must hold themselves accountable for showing up to class.  And that they must reach out if they have any questions or are stuck on a topic.  Ours is not a program for students who need hand holding. For those students, an in-person training and 1:1 mentorship style program is recommended.  

While we do have qualified mentors that we have pre-approved, their mentorship services are not included in the price of tuition.  And while we do have onsite clinical training, the vast majority of our program is online – and students must take responsibility for their own educational journey. 

4 – Do you want to study in person – or do you need a mostly distance (online) program? 

Many programs offer an onsite component to their program and ours is no exception.  As safety and public health allows, we will once again begin to offer in-person training twice (2x) per year at our partner center in Sebastian, Florida.  These trainings are OPTIONAL and NOT INCLUDED in the current published tuition rate.  

Yoga Veda Institute’s entire program may be completed fully online.

Students who prefer face-to-face learning should select a program that is close to home, or may choose to move to one of the amazing campuses that offer in-person classes year round.  Yoga Veda Institute is not that school.  We are an online learning platform that hosts twice yearly in-person week-long experiences.

Once you know where you stand regarding the questions above, it is a good idea to reach out to schools with some important questions.  Here are my suggestions:

1. What is the focus of your Ayurvedic program?  Do you focus on personal development or on clinical practices?
2. Do you teach Ayurveda as a spiritual practice?
3. What is the level of personal attention this program provides?  
4. Do I need to travel to meet any certification requirements?

During your information gathering process, be sure to send these questions to all of the schools on your list.  This will help you to make the best informed decision for your future Ayurvedic educational journey.