The Enlightened Self Care of Ayurveda
Swasthavritta
- Format: YTT Themed Intensive Module
- Instruction Time: 14 hrs (200-hr, or Cont Ed), 150 hr AWCP (300 and 500 hr)
Ayurveda is the knowledge (veda) of life (ayus). This knowledge is universal, but more importantly, it is personal. With this knowledge we live true to ourselves and we remain vital, healthy, and conscious. Yoga and Ayurveda were historically understood within the context of each other. As parallel paths, one was always followed with an understanding of the other. To be a skilled yogi, we must understand our nature from the perspective of Ayurveda, and vice versa.
Ayurveda is divided into two primary teaching streams: the Ayurvedic clinical practice of medicine and the self guiding life wisdom practices known as Swasthavritta. Swasthavritta is the Ayurvedic body of wisdom and practices that inform and inspire right livelyhood and actions in the world (sadvritta) given one’s unique nature, and empowers the individual to self care. Similar to a Yogi, a Swastha is one who is established in one’s true self, and who acts and lives in accordance to one’s own nature. Swasthavritta sheds light on the primal relationship between the self and nature, with a simple message: just be you.
At the moment of our conception the cosmos recreates itself in miniature and a one-of-a-kind stellar event results in our own unique nature (prakriti) that differs from all others. No two of us the same. From the moment we appear in the world we strive to find our place in community, in conection with others, and still be ourselves. How do we care for this unique individuated self? Conformist one-size-fits-all trends, diets and medical treatments do not work for everyone.
Weekend Structure
“Swasthavritta: The Enlightened Self Care of Ayurveda” is a Themed Weekend Program split into four independent, but related, courses: a Friday evening 2-hr introduction into the life teachings of ayurveda and swasthavritta, followed by three 3-hr courses divided over a Saturday and Sunday on the core lifestyle topics of foods, cleansing and rejuvenation. With eleven hours dedicated to the subject, more time is available to explore the material in a personal manner, allowing time for students to both learn theory and practice as well as inquire into the uniqueness of their own lives.
Though the course is designed as a long themed course with benefits to taking all four courses, students are free to take any course or all four courses depending upon their own unique interests and time constraints.
Yoga Alliance: This program satisfies Yoga Alliance requirements for anatomy and physiology, philosophy, lifestyle and ethics, and elective hours.
Course Sections
Course 1
SADVRITTA: Living True to Oneself in Yoga and Life (2 hrs)
Offered Friday evening
In this introductory lecture, we will explore the inner teachings of the self within Yoga and Ayurveda as the grounding for those living a yogic life. We will explore outer versus inner truths, self knowledge (swasthavritta), self study (svadhyaya), pure satvic living (sadvritta), and living according to the unique truths of our own personal nature (prakriti). All are welcome.
Course 2
SWASTHAVRITTA: The Enlightened Self Care of Ayurveda (3 hrs)
Offered Saturday morning
The Introduction to Swasthavritta section can be offered as a Friday evening intro to the weekend, or on a Saturday morning. In this course we will explore the basic elements of both Ayurveda and Swasthavritta as the lifestyle inner teachings of Ayurveda and as a grounding for those living a yogic life. The fundamentals of the Vedic 5 Element and Tri Dosha Theories that will be used in the preceeding courses of the weekend will be covered. The focus of the intro course is self knowledge (Swasthavritta), self study (Svadhyaya), satvic pure living (Sadvritta), and the uniqueness of our own constitutional nature (Prakriti).
Course 3
Light on Food: The Yoga and Ayurveda of Enlightened Nutrition (3 hrs)
Offered Saturday afternoon
Ahara is the raw, primal state of the body’s nutritional life essences (rasa). Food is captured prana. Prana is life energy. So our life, intelligence, mental clarity, happiness, and strength are all dependent on the quality of food. Anything we take in will directly effect our yoga practice, and ultimately the quality of the bodymind. The physical body is developed by food, it grows on food, and thus, many physical diseases are caused by inappropriate and sometimes toxic foods. Likewise, the subtle or pranic body is also effected by the quality of our foods. Therefore, we have to be very careful about what we eat. Food is, in fact, so sacred in ayurveda that the preparation, cooking and eating of food is considered a spiritual sadhana (practice), known as ahara sadhana. This course will review the dynamics of ayurvedic nutrition and it’s insights into a spiritual approach to food and eating that can be life changing. We will look at the impact of physical and subtle toxins in our foods, the emotions and how to free ourselves from attachments to inappropriate foods, and how to access and utilize the most prana from a satvic diet. There is no medicine comparable to food appropriate to one’s unique constitution.
Course 4
DINACHARYA: Daily Practices and Routines in Ayurveda (3 hrs)
Offered Sunday morning
A daily routine (dinacharya) is absolutely necessary to bring radical change in body, mind, and consciousness. Routine helps to establish balance in one’s constitution. Our bodies are rhythmic by nature. The heart beat carries its own particular rhythm, described in the Vedas as synchronized to the pace of our steps upon the earth. Ayurveda views all disease as rooted in the interuption of one or more of our natural biorhythms. Researchers refer to these biorhythmic fluctuations as “biological tides”. Intrinsically, the natural desire of our body is to maintain healthy cycles. Healthy cycles maintain the body, while erratic or broken cycles create disease. This course will review the 6 primary cycles with which the human body has adapted, and practices (daily, evening and seasonal) which can be easily employed to create a deep stability within the bodymind.
Course 5
RASAYANA: Rejuvenation, the Sacred Juice, and Slowing the Aging Process (3 hrs)
Offered Sunday afternoon
Ayurveda describes a sacred juice or sap within us that when preserved through life defines our youthfulness and longevity. As with all things in life, the practice of yoga will either cultivate or deplete this juice. Otherwise known as ojas, or rasa, the fluid body is an often overlooked aspect of yogic physiology. Strong heating practices are known to dry the fluid body, drying up the tissues, joints, and nervous system, robbing the tissues of needed ojas and vitiating Vata dosha. The tissues then lose suppleness and become increasingly vulnerability to injury. Rasayana practices and lifestyle awarenesses are key to a healthy and long term practice. This course will introduce the practitioner to the fluid body and methods of rejuvenation known as Rasayana Chikitsa that can be done at home, including daily warm oil massage (abhyanga), the use of oils such as ghee in our diet, ayurvedic nutrition, Vata reducing lifestyle tips, as well as daily and seasonal health routines.
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