Clinical Ayurveda Internship

A 5-Week Training Program for Practitioners
Next Session: August 30 – Oct 4, 2023
Early Bird Application Deadline: July 1 2023

“Live and study with practicing physicians at an authentic treatment center surrounded by nature in Ayurveda’s homeland.”

The Clinical Ayurveda Internship at Vaidyagrama Healing Village is an opportunity for advanced students of Ayurveda to immerse in a multi-faceted learning experience right in the heart of India’s village life. You will spend 5 weeks living, learning, and practicing Ayurveda supported by a team of dedicated physicians, therapists and practitioners devoted to the heart and science of this ancient healing system.

We believe that Ayurveda is truly learned in the experiential mode. Hence at Vaidyagrama, our endeavor is to make learning a 24-hours-a-day relaxed learning experience rather than a limited classroom experience. You will become one of the family, engaged in every aspect of community life, learning from senior and junior physicians via classroom teaching, herb walks, medicine making, and service in the surrounding community.

The term “Gurukula” means clan or family of the teacher, and it implies a particular relationship between the student and teacher based on personal trust and faith in the learning process itself. Being in the presence of the teacher is primary, not reaching specific defined outcomes.

The tradition of Ayurveda is deeply rooted in this style of education, which can create new opportunities for growth and evolution for the student on multiple levels of being. For those accustomed to a more linear learning style, however, the unpredictable nature of learning this way can feel somewhat unsettling. It requires trust and reliance on the flow of the process.

Housed in a robust panchakarma treatment center attracting a diverse patient population, the Clinical Internship program offers the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of a wide variety of topics relevant to the science and art of Ayurveda.

Our curriculum includes the following components:

• Ancient Texts of Ayurveda: study of selected chapters from the Ashtanga Hridayam
• Patient Care: observation of senior physicians with residential panchakarma patients
• Herbology
• Medicine Making
• Basic Panchakarma Theory & Therapies
• Cooking for Health & Healing
• Organic Gardening & Permaculture
• Seva (Free Medical Camp, Village Meal Program, temple service, and other service opportunities)

Each session of the Clinical Internship has a different special educational focus during the final week of instruction. This year, we will focus on cultivating a more profound presence and relation with the spiritual reality. Our studies will move to the holy lands of Madhya Pradesh, where we will engage in a pilgrimage beginning in the town of Meheshwar, referred to as the Varanasi of Central India. Here we will participate in a 3-day Nakshatra Yajñya, cosmic fire ceremony, on the banks of the sacred Narmada River and end our time in the holy city of Ujjain, where we will visit many temples, including Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva.

This final part of the internship promises to be culturally and spiritually rich, designed for integration and transformation before your return home.

• Each day will include a variety of learning opportunities including discussion, lecture, experiential learning, demonstration, and personal practice. Students will have group classes as well as paired/individual teaching or clinical observation.
• Our classroom component will be anchored by an exploration of the ancient texts of Ayurveda, chiefly the Astanga Hrdayam. One of our senior physicians will guide the students through chosen chapters, providing interpretation and relevant clinical examples from personal experience.
• Students will also learn the basic theory behind panchakarma treatment, including the primary “karmas” or actions, and the rationale for the most common hands-on therapies conducted at Vaidyagrama hospital.
• In addition to classroom learning, students will rotate through several experiential learning components. Each student will be assigned to 2-4 patients and will be involved in their care throughout the patients’ admission. Students will visit the patients with their physicians on rounds, assist in making the medicine for those patients, study the herbs involved in those preparations, and learn the purpose and actions of their therapies.
• Medical campOutside of patient care, students will also learn aspects of organic gardening and permaculture as carried out in Vaidyagrama’s extensive herb and vegetable gardens. There will be cooking lessons focused on preparing sattvic, fresh, vegetarian meals.
• Students will also be encouraged and supported to develop their own dinacharya, or daily personal care routine, to integrate what they are learning into their own lived experience. This may include practicing Agni Hotra fire ceremony, Hatha yoga, pranayama and body care.
• Our emphasis is on experiential learning designed to expose students to the broad scope of Ayurveda and what is possible in Ayurveda treatment. This program does not equip students to perform panchakarma therapies, nor to prescribe herbal formulations, which require more extensive specific training than the breadth of this program allows.

• This program is intensive and immersive in nature. Each day will be filled with a variety of learning experiences, yet the precise content, curriculum and structure will depend partly on the patients who are in residence at that time and other variable influences.
• Classes will be held Monday through Friday and some Saturdays, with most Sundays free for rest, integration, and excursions to experience the surrounding areas.
• The sample class day outlined below provides a sense of the intensity and variety of a typical day in our program. It is just an example, and some days will vary considerably from this model.

• Vaidyagrama is a dynamic place, and engaging in learning here requires flexibility and a willingness to go with the flow. While the information provided here is intended to give you as clear a sense as possible of what you can expect, you must be ready to experience the unexpected!

Our program is supported by a team of Program Coordinators, who will serve as student liaisons throughout the application process as well as on-site during the Internship. Each is a trained Ayurveda Practitioner in their home country with client experience, as well as an educator skilled at sharing Ayurveda with a variety of audiences.

Studying at Vaidyagrama was much more than just a course. Learning Ayurveda while also embracing and cultivating the disciple of a traditional Ayurvedic lifestyle, was a complete experience. The daily routine of rising early, morning and evening Agni Hotra and prayers, eating Ayurvedic food, satsangs, interacting with patients and being a member of the Ayurvedic community put all the Ayurvedic teachings into practice.

Learning traditionally with the doctors from the ancient texts encouraged me to enquire deeper into my Ayurvedic knowledge and understanding. The Doctors and therapists shared their knowledge generously with such dedication, and gave ample time to explain and answer questions.

My experience studying at Vaidyagrama was one that remains in my thoughts and heart daily. The Vaidyagrama community welcomes everyone as part of the family with incredible love and unity. If you are a student of Ayurveda looking for a traditional, authentic place of study to further your knowledge then I would highly recommend Vaidyagrama.

~ Alicia Hay, Adv Dip. Ayurveda, BSc Sports Science & Nutrition, Australia

• The Clinical Ayurveda Internship is designed for individuals who have already studied Ayurveda in a structured academic program for at least a year, so they can readily integrate the experiences and information included in this program.
• Successful applicants will have completed a professional Ayurveda training equivalent to 600-1000 contact hours. While exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis, the expectation is that all students will already have at least an introductory clinical level of knowledge of Ayurveda. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• In addition, applicants must show a certain level of personal maturity and a readiness to thrive in our less-structured style of learning. They must be able to adapt to changing circumstances without attachment to personal expectations. They must show an appreciation for the needs of their fellow students and the larger community of which we are part.

The application process consists of the following 3 steps:

1. Submission of a written application including:
   • Application form
   • Academic letter of recommendation
   • Video statement of interest
   • $50 non-refundable application fee
2. Personal interview with a Program Coordinator via video-teleconference (after acceptance of written application)
3. Payment of a non-refundable deposit to hold your spot (after full acceptance into the program)

Written Application

• The written application allows us to gather relevant information about your background and intentions for participating in the program. Please take some time with the questions, as we are interested to know more about you to ensure a good fit with our unique immersive environment.
• You must also submit one letter of recommendation from an academic teacher/professor or a supervisor/mentor who has been involved in your Ayurveda education thus far. We also request a brief video statement of interest, in which you tell us in your own words why you are interested in our program. The non-refundable USD$50 application fee covers the expenses incurred to review each application.

Download the written application form and instructions for submission here:

Personal Interview

After your application has been reviewed and conditionally approved,

• Our Program Coordinators will contact you to schedule a video-conference interview (via Zoom). This is a required step in order to be considered for the program. In the written application, you will be asked to indicate what days/times you can be available for the interview.
• The interview is an opportunity for us to get to know you beyond your written materials, to understand your learning priorities, and to make sure we will be able to meet your needs during the program.

Deposit

Upon acceptance into the program,

• You must submit a USD$500 deposit to hold your spot.
• All final balances must be paid by August 1, 2023.

Application Calendar

We have a rolling admissions process. We will review applications as they are received and schedule interviews accordingly.

• Early Bird Application Deadline: July 1
• Final Application Deadline: July 17
• Full Balance Due: August 1

• USD $6995 for 5 week program
• Early Bird Price: USD $5995
• Must submit written application by July 17, 2023

What’s Included in Program Cost?

• All hours of classroom instruction, observation, and hands-on training
• Double accommodations with western-style bathroom for 6 weeks
• 3 simple vegetarian meals each day for 6 weeks in residence at Vaidyagrama
• Field trips to visit medicine manufacturing unit, local temples, village medical camp, etc.
• Selected volumes of English translations of the ancient texts of Ayurveda (yours to take home with you)
• Airport transfer from/to Coimbatore Airport in Tamil Nadu at beginning and end of program

What’s Not Included in Program Cost?

• Airfare to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
• International visa fees or other personal travel-associated expenses
• Optional local weekend excursions
• Any food purchased off-site on field trips or shopping excursions

• Please feel free to contact us. We will do our best to answer any questions you may have.