Educational
Services
Making knowledge of ayurveda available to every
home.
The Ayurveda Medical Group offers authentic comprehensive knowledge
following the guidance of ancient classical texts of ayurveda and in
alliance with the structure of courses taught in ayurveda institutions
in India.
These courses aim to create people well educated in the knowledge of ayurveda
who can then bring this knowledge of wholistic health care to their own
family and community through courses, seminars, writing in newspapers
journals, media and involvement in research projects.
Check the Upcoming Events page
for current and future course offerings.
The Ayurveda Medical Group offers a number courses on ayurveda
differing in length, intended audience, degree of detail, and focus, in
order to meet the needs of all who are interested in learning about
ayurveda.
These lectures and seminars provide an introduction to ayurveda
and to how it uses `body language' and self diagnosis to evaluate one's
current state of health and detect any imbalance, either just beginning or
in the initial stages. These lectures introduce how, once an imbalance has
been detected, the cause and type of imbalance can be known, and how the
imbalance can be corrected - nipped in the bud - by simple but profound
methods of diet, herbs, lifestyle and routine.
Learn how your constitutional make up can be understood in terms of
three fundamental aspects: vata, pitta, and kapha and,
based on this, how to individualize your diet and lifestyle for effective
and comprehensive wholistic health. This allows one to live life in
accordance with the laws of nature that regulate the functioning of the
human physiology and apply the knowledge and techniques of harmony with the
rhythms and cycles (daily and seasonal) of nature.
In the health seminars, participants will evaluate their own mind/body
type with the assistance of the instructor, and will be given take home materials
to help them integrate what they have learned into their daily routine.
Both the introductory lectures (which are free) and the health seminars
(for which there is a fee) can be customized to suite the needs of
particular groups. Please contact Ayurveda
Medical Group to arrange a lecture or to get more information.
Utilizing the ayurveda science of life, this
course will provide you with a working knowledge of the principles
governing consciousness-based body/mind health maintenance. Basic
understanding of plant and human physiology will be expounded in the
context of the principles of ayurveda and modern medicine. Topics to
be covered include body constitution, food, herbs, detoxification
techniques, yoga and meditation.
This course is offered both through Memorial University's Life Long
Learning programme, and through the Ayurveda Medical Group. It is
the first part of a four part certificate course.
This course deals with concrete and practical techniques
of:
- Using one's body/mind type
for prevention and correction of imbalance. Includes personal
evaluation!
- Pulse diagnosis - a simple
easy to learn technique for early detection and understanding of imbalance.
- Diagnosis of imbalance
based on the characteristic features of imbalanced dosha.
- Customizing one's wellness
program according to body/mind type by proper use of diet, lifestyle
and routine.
- Learning to restore balance
through implementing the principles of ayurveda, including yoga,
detoxification, herbs and diet.
This course is the second part of a four part certificate course.
A certificate programme is being developed which will consist
of four parts: first, foundations of ayurveda (described above),
second, ayurveda methods of diagnosis using pulse and body language,
third, understanding the principles and use of the healing qualities of
herbs and diet (pharmacology of ayurveda) for the prevention of
disease, for restoring balance, and for treatment of chronic diseases, and
fourth, the therapies of ayurveda: a multi-modal approach including
diet, herbs, yoga, meditation, lifestyle and panchakarma
(purification therapies).
The following courses deal with specific aspects of ayurveda.
If there is truth to the
saying "You are what you eat!" then this course promises a
healthy and healing approach to eating. In this hands-on session you will
learn the principles of dietetics, the healing qualities of foods, the food
for different body types, and cooking for the family and how to customize
foods through seasoning and spices. The course includes supplies for the
preparation of two meals.
Self pulse reading is a traditional technique for both
diagnosing illnesses that have arisen and also for preventing disease by
detecting imbalances before they become fully blown illnesses.
The details of one's state of balance or imbalance can be felt in the
vibrations of the pulse because of the close interaction between the
cardiovascular system, the brain and nervous system, and all the organ
systems of body (in a similar way, conventional medicine uses blood work
and the vibrations of ECG, EMG, EEG, etc. for the diagnosis of
various diseases). The blood carries nutrients to and wastes away from the
tissues that make up each organ of the body. If the tissue of an organ is
in a state of imbalance it will consume too much or too little nutrients or
will produce too much or too little waste, creating specific vibrations in
the pulse related to that tissue and its functioning. These vibrations are
expressed as some combination of the three basic principles of movement,
transformation, and structure. In pulse diagnosis, these vibrations are
felt by placing three fingers (index, middle, and ring) on the radial
artery - each finger tip sensing one of the three basic principles. As the
sense of touch is refined, one can move from determining the general state
of balance/imbalance of these three principles, to knowing the organ or
system that is in imbalance.
The course will cover an introduction to the fundamental principles of ayurveda
- the three dosha - including their characteristics, functions,
locations in the body, signs of balance and imbalance in them, and what
factors increase or decrease them (allowing imbalance to be restored to
balance). One will learn what each of the three dosha feels like in
the pulse, what a balanced pulse feels like and the signs of an imbalanced
pulse in relation to the three dosha. This pulse diagnosis course
will enable a person to remain in touch with their own physiology and find
their own baseline/reference pulse and to detect deviations from it, and
thereby both detect imbalances and determine the type of imbalance so they
can then make changes to their diet and lifestyle to restore balance.
This course, offered in conjunction with trained yoga
teachers, teaches postures, breathing and meditation and how they relate to
and are applied in ayurveda to improve individual health and well
being.
Yoga restores balance to, and creates complete harmony of, body,
mind and spirit so that these three are established in a state of unity.
Three aspects of yoga which are introduced in this course are asana,
pranayam and meditation. Asanas (postures) open, strengthen
and relax your body through neuromuscular coordination. Pranayam,
which are various gentle and rhythmic breathing techniques, liberate and
regulate the flow of prana (biological energy) to move through and
energize all of the parts of the body through neuro-respiratory
coordination. Meditation is a simple, natural and effortless technique that
leaves the practitioner to gradually experience finer states of awareness,
and ultimately to the source of awareness - consciousness, which brings
greater clarity and mental peace.
Courses on panchakarma (a purifying, curative and
rejuvenating treatment -- more on
panchakarma) are offered in two formats - one more compact format
designed for those who already have professional training as a massagist,
and another for those without prior training. Both formats cover the same
material.
The purpose of the programme is to enliven and enrich the innate healing
quality available in everyone. Through this carefully designed training
programme, the therapist learns to tap his or her innate healing ability
located in the inner silence of pure consciousness. This healing influence
flows to the patient through the therapist's intention and healing touch,
restoring balance and harmony to the patient's physiology. The patient
leaves with a pleasant and relaxing experience and receives the
rejuvenative, revitalizing and restorative effects.
The programme provides a wealth of healing wisdom at the therapist's
finger tips. The healer learns to give a treatment that is personalized to
the individual according to their unique constitution. The individual's
particular imbalances and weaknesses are treated specifically but in the
context of the whole.
Training involves theoretical and scientific understanding of the
rejuvenation programme, its modalities (techniques) and their mechanism of
action as well as practice in the application of the specific treatments.
The courses will be offered as three modules and the knowledge acquired in
each module can be applied before completing the following modules. The
number of hours given (for example, ~10(5M) hours) is an estimate of
how much time is required to complete each module - the number is
parenthesis is for courses offered to people who are already trained massagists.
LEVEL I
Fundamental PK Techniques: ~150 hours
This introductory course covers techniques that form the
essential basis of PK, such as abhyang, swedan, oil shirodhara,
head massage (with an emphasis on marma points) and feet massage. Includes
basic understanding for Pancha Karma, familiarization with materials,
herbs, and methods of preparation.
~50 hours.
100 hours of hands-on experience at a designated health
center is required for the completion of this course.
Upon completion, a Pancha Karma Technician
Level I Certificate will be awarded.
LEVEL II
Rejuvenation Programmes for Balance: ~160 hours
Prerequisite: Fundamental PK
Techniques
This second level course covers the knowledge needed to
perform a variety of programmes ranging from a 1 day taste, to a 3-5 day
preventive programme, to a 10-14 day intensive programme. This will include
training for abhyang, ksheerdhara and takaradhara
(these are similar to shirodhara but use different mediums), pizichil,
nasya, pinda swedna, purgative therapy and enemas. An overview of
marma points through facial treatments will also be included. An
introduction to Ayurveda will be the basis of this course.
~60 hours.
100 hours of hands-on experience at a designated health
center is required for the completion of this course.
Upon completion, a Pancha Karma Technician
Level II Certificate will be awarded.
LEVEL III
Advanced Techniques of PK: ~110 hours
Prerequisite: Rejuvenation
Programmes for Balance
This final course in Pancha Karma Technician Training
covers special techniques such as eye and ear treatments, shirobasti,
garshan, heart and back treatments, and specific anti-stress
massages. The training is completed with detailed instruction in Marma and
Aroma Therapies based on Ayurvedic Principles.
~60 hours.
60 hours of hands-on experience at a designated health
center is required for the completion of this course.
Upon completion, a Pancha Karma Technician
Level III Certificate will be awarded.
This therapy is an excellent complement to panchakarma
therapy as it addresses specific injuries and weakness in the physiology. Marma
means "vital significance" or "essence" - each marma
point is associated with, and is the essence of, a particular area or
system of the body - it regulates the area and coordinates the functioning
of the area with the body as a whole. Marma points, which are the
junction points or meeting points of the physiology (one or more of organs,
vessels, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, bones) and consciousness
(brain and nervous system), are described in ancient ayurvedic texts as
being 108 in number and as having great therapeutic value. They are
therapeutic because they are points of concentration of energy and
intelligence which are connected to, regulate, and coordinate the different
organs and systems -- by treating the marma points, the
corresponding organs and systems are effected.
The marma therapy training course, requires participants to have
completed the panchakarma training module Rejuvenation Programmes
for Balance, is given as two modules. The number of hours given is an
estimate of how much time is required to complete each module.
- Marma Therapy, Part I:
Foundations:
The first module provides a thorough understanding of what these marma
points are, their different forms, and their structure and location in
the body. ~32 hours.
- Marma Therapy, Part II:
Applications:
This course goes on to give an overview of how imbalances or diseases
of to marma points are diagnosed using symptoms, and goes into
detail on how the disorders and imbalances are treated by applying
specific combinations of herbal aroma oils and gentle massages to the
afflicted marma points. ~32 hours.
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