Become A Ayurvedic Health Counselor
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.
Requirements for Ayurvedic Health Counselor Certification:
Completion of the Torchbearer Program: 10 supervised case study phone calls
Completion of all four units of the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program, or comparable foundational program
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 certifications@himalayaninstitute.org.
*Accommodations are not included in the tuition price.
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.
*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.
After registration, you will receive instructions for how to join the Zoom Webinars from your remote location. Unit 1 will be offered as 8 Zoom Webinars from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on the following dates:
January 8th, 2020
January 9th, 2020
January 22nd, 2020
January 23rd, 2020
February 5th, 2020
February 6th, 2020
February 19th, 2020
February 20th, 2020
Ayurvedic Health Counselor Unit 2: Ayurvedic Anatomy and Physiology I
In this session you will:
Understand the definition of health according to ayurveda and how we apply this understanding in our work with ourselves and our clients
Take a deeper look at doshas and subdoshas as life forces that are responsible for health as well as the formation of disease in the body
Become aware of how the doshas become imbalanced and then affect tissues, organs, and channels in the body
Consider the relationship between the human body and the external environment as critical to understanding and applying ayurvedic concepts
Be introduced to the concept of dhatus (tissues) and their role in supporting the structure of the body and containing the doshas
Learn more about the seven dhatus and how they are nourished in order to support life
Receive support with basic Sanskrit usage and pronunciation to assist with the integration of key ayurvedic terms
According to the Sushruta Samhita (ancient ayurvedic text), the definition of health is “One who is established in Self, who has balanced doshas, balanced agni, properly formed dhatus (tissues), proper elimination of malas (waste products), well functioning bodily processes, and whose mind, soul, and senses are full of bliss.” This is a fitting introduction to our study of ayurvedic anatomy and physiology. Together, we will explore what this means for us and for our clients in terms of supporting health, balance, and well being. You will be introduced to the concepts of dhatus (tissues) and malas (waste products), as well as their specific functions in the disease process, and learn how this understanding can be used to support healing.
After registration, you will receive instructions for how to join the Zoom Webinars from your remote location. Unit 2 will be offered as 8 Zoom Webinars from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on the following dates:
March 4th, 2020
March 5th, 2020
March 11th, 2020
March 12th, 2020
March 25th, 2020
March 26th, 2020
April 8th, 2020
April 9th, 2020
Ayurvedic Health Counselor Unit 3: Ayurvedic Anatomy and Physiology II
This unit is our second installment of ayurvedic anatomy and physiology beyond the doshas. New in this session is the introduction of the concept of srotas—the channels through which energy and nutrients flow throughout the body. In this session you will:
Become more even more familiar with the properties ofagni
Learn about the 13 main forms ofagniand their functions, includingjathara agni(the main form of agni)
Be able to recognize the signs of healthyagnicompared to the signs of impairedagni
Consider the relationship betweenagniand thedhatus
Be introduced to the concept ofsrotas(channels) and their role in supporting health
Learn to recognize signs and symptoms of vitiatedsrotamsi(channels) and possible causes of these disturbances
Go deeper into ayurvedic anatomy and continue your in depth study of agni (digestive fire) as the root of a healthy life, including its properties, 13 main forms, and signs of healthy and impaired agni. We will explore the relationship between agni, the dhatus (tissues), and the balanced or imbalanced flow through the srotamsi (channels) and overall health and well being.
This session marks the halfway point in your journey toward an advanced career in ayurveda as 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.
Ayurvedic Health Counselor Unit 4: Etiology and Pathology
This unit is our comprehensive exploration of the ayurvedic perspective on disease. According to the Charaka Samhita (ancient ayurvedic text), the aim of ayurveda is twofold: “to prolong life and promote perfect health,” and “to completely eradicate the disease and dysfunction of the body.” There is as much importance given to the maintenance of health as to the treatment of disease, and its focus on identifying the root cause is what sets ayurveda apart from western medicine. Together, we will explore the concept of vikriti (doshic imbalance) as the root of disease, and how identifying this imbalance can halt the disease process and support a return to health and balance.
In this session you will:
Take a deeper look at vikriti (doshic imbalance) as the root cause of disease
Become familiar with roga nidana (causes of disease) and its three categories
Consider abnormal states of the doshas, dhatus (tissues), and malas (waste products) in relation to disease
Revisit the importance of healthy and stable flow through the srotamsi (channels in the body) in terms of supporting health and preventing disease, and what causes excessive flow or blockage in these channels
Apply your knowledge of shamana (pacifying) and shodhana (detoxification) to decide how to most effectively balance the doshas
Learn about nidan panchak (the five causes of disease)
Use samprapti/kriyakala (the six stages of disease) to further understand the disease process according to ayurveda
Contemplate the role of agni (digestive fire) and ama (toxins) in the development and progression of disease
Discover the concept of ashtavidha pariksha (eightfold examination) as a set of tools for identifying the current state of health
You are now more than halfway through your journey toward an advanced career in ayurveda as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor!
Unit 4 will be offered as 8 Zoom Webinars from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on the following dates:
June 24th 2020
June 25th 2020
July 8th 2020
July 9th 2020
July 22nd 2020
July 23rd 2020
August 5th 2020
August 6th 2020
After registration, you will receive instructions for how to join the Zoom Webinars from your remote location.