Deepen your knowledge of the science of ayurveda and become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor! In this exciting and comprehensive ayurvedic training program, you will expand upon the foundational ayurvedic knowledge you gained in the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program. You will explore more complex concepts of the vast and engaging science of ayurveda and broaden your scope of practice.

Nationally recognized and certified by NAMA, the Ayurvedic Health Counselor program is only available to those who have completed the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist training program or an approved comparable program. If you are looking to make ayurveda into a career or feel your dharma is in the supportive health care industry, this program is for you! As an Ayurvedic Health Counselor you will be able to work with preventative healthcare and the promotion of health, primarily through the suggestions of diet and lifestyle changes. The Ayurvedic Health Counselor program is a nationally recognized professional certification program that will open up new doors for your holistic health and wellness career.

Ayurvedic Health Counselor Unit 1: Advanced Digestion and Nutrition

In this unit, we will start our exciting journey of building on the knowledge gained in the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program and take a deeper dive into the practical and engaging science of ayurveda. In this session you will:

  • Revisit the six stages of digestion and work with the concepts of rasa (taste), virya (potent energy), and vipaka (post digestive effect)
  • Become more familiar with how to use the ayurvedic concepts of diet and nutrition to understand how poor digestion can lead to imbalance, the formation of ama (toxins), and disease
  • Compare and contrast the western and ayurvedic perspective of digestion
  • Learn about the four possible states of agni (digestive fire) and how they affect health and balance
  • Classify food in terms of the five elements, gunas (qualities), and the groups of food according to the Charaka Samhita (classical ayurvedic text)
  • Discover specific ayurvedic dietary guidelines for personal and professional use
  • Receive support with basic Sanskrit usage and pronunciation to assist with the integration of key ayurvedic terms
  • Experience specific yogic practices to enhance, nurture, and support agni

Digestion and nutrition are the cornerstones of ayurveda, and therefore play a key role in the successful application of ayurvedic principles in client consultations. This unit considers how everything we take in—from food, to thoughts and experiences—can either enhance or deplete our consciousness as well as our health. Drawing from classical ayurvedic texts and the transformative practices of yoga, get a deeper look at agni from both a theoretical and a practice oriented perspective. Further understand the digestion of food, thought, and experiences; the absorption and assimilation of these digested elements into the cells; and the elimination of what we no longer need. Learn how the balance of all these processes dictates the state of health on every level, both for yourself and for your clients.

Take the first step toward an advanced career in ayurveda and become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor!

*To fulfill the requirements for professional membership with NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, 50 supervised client contact hours are required.

Requirements for Ayurvedic Health Counselor Certification:
  • Completion of all four units of the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program, or comparable foundational program
  • Completion of the Torchbearer Program: 10 supervised case study phone calls
  • Completion of all eight units of the Ayurvedic Health Counselor program
  • 50 supervised client contact hours obtained through the Torchbearer phone calls, on-site supervision, and Ayurvedic Health Counselor supervision phone calls
  • 200-hour yoga teacher certification from a Yoga Alliance recognized yoga school (participation in the program without this prerequisite is permitted, however 200-hour certification must be obtained before Ayurvedic Health Counselor certification may be issued)

This program has been recognized by and is registered with NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association).

Please contact our certifications department for more information about this and other recognized programs at [email protected].

*Accommodations are not included in the tuition price.