We feel that our most unique features are:

1. Our authenticity and heritage – Kerala Ayurveda Academy is part of Kerala Ayurveda Ltd (KAL), an award-winning India-based, seed-to-shelf company. Kerala’s global footprint spans academies, clinics, hospitals, products, research and resorts. We teach the traditional principles straight from the Vedic texts with a comprehensive curriculum overseen by Academy Director Vaidya. Jayarajan Kodikannath, a Kerala native from an Ayurvedic family. Our faculty is comprised of Indian Doctors and highly experienced practitioners. Learn more about our unique heritage here.
2. Our flexibility – we call it “deep roots, modern voice” – our programs are designed to be convenient for the modern professional. Our robust eLearning system and live streaming technology enables students to attend classes online, and all classes are recorded & can be viewed later.
3. Our alumni benefits – We offer the most generous alumni benefits you will find! We wish to welcome students into the Kerala family and support their continued learning – our students are for life. Alumni receive continuing education, course content, including live access to the Weekly Virtual Classes. Discounts on continuing education short programs, wellness services and products. Learn more on our Alumni Services page.
4. Our commitment to advanced professional education – we offer all three levels of professional training in Ayurveda according to U.S. competency standards by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) as well as NAMA-approved “PACE” programs for continuing ed (Professional Ayurvedic Continuing Education). Students have an opportunity to study in the birthplace of Ayurveda at all levels through our India Immersions and Internships.

We opened in 2006 offering a 500 hour certification program. Over the years, we have expanded our programs to align with the growth of the Ayurvedic industry in the U.S.

We are proud to host a highly experienced team of faculty members trained at the Ayurvedic Doctor level by academic standards in India with clinical experience in India and the U.S. Learn more on our Faculty page.

Kerala Ayurveda’s purpose to serve as a source of authentic Ayurvedic education means that we do don’t dilute the Ayurvedic teachings from the Vedic texts. Our courses offer a comprehensive and original curriculum overseen by Academy Director, Vaidya. Jayarajan Kodkannath, and produced by our network of highly skilled Vedic scholars, doctors and faculty. Our materials are based on an Ayurvedic educational curriculum from Indian universities and is academically challenging and rewarding. The programs encompass all fields of Ayurveda including Ayurvedic philosophy, herbology, psychology, Ayurvedic Dosha imbalance management, research, clinical practice, and clinical application. We believe it is our responsibility to transmit Ayurveda just as it was written and practiced 5,000 years ago in a modern format for today’s professionals.

Kerala Ayurveda Academy is an Organizational Member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and our eligible programs are approved by NAMA to meet professional standards of competency in the U.S. We are also approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education in California state. The approval to operate means compliance with state standards as set forth in the California Private Postsecondary Act of 2009 and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

All of our short programs can be taken entirely online and include live streaming option. All live streamed classes are recorded for later viewing.

Students from all schools of Ayurveda are welcome to join our programs. Some prerequisites may apply.

• Several of our short programs have no prerequisite required, including: Ashtanga Hridayam, Introduction to Sanskrit for Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Skin & Beauty and our India Immersion trips.
• For Ayurvedic Assessment & Pulse Diagnosis and Ayurvedic Formulation Making, and Vedic Formulations: Clinical Applications, students are required to have a knowledge of the fundamentals of Ayurveda including Subdosha (equivalent to KAA 101 & KAA 102 in our AHC program).
• Clinical Case Discussions are appropriate for currently enrolled students or graduates of a level II Ayurvedic Practitioner or level III Ayurvedic Doctor program.

All of our short program classes are recorded. Currently, students have lifetime access to class recordings.

Please consult our most recent course catalog for information about tuition and fees.

Financial Aid: Kerala Ayurveda Academy does not offer state or federal financial aid to students at this time. If a student obtains a loan to pay for an educational program, the student will have the responsibility to repay the full amount of the loan plus interest, less the amount of any refund. If the student has received federal student financial aid funds, the student is entitled to a refund of the monies not paid from federal student financial aid program funds. If a student is eligible for a loan guaranteed by the federal or state government and the student defaults on the loan, both of the following may occur:

1. The federal or state government or a loan guarantee agency may take action against the student, including applying any income tax refund to which the person is entitled to reduce the balance owed on the loan.
2. The student may not be eligible for any other federal student financial aid at another institution or other government assistance until the loan is repaid.

NOTICE: Any holder of this consumer credit contract is subject to all claims and defenses that the debtor could assert against the seller of the goods or services obtained pursuant hereto or with the proceeds hereof. Recovery hereunder by the debtor shall not exceed amounts paid by the debtor hereunder. Kerala Ayurveda Academy does not have a pending petition in bankruptcy, is not operating as a debtor in possession, has not filed a petition within the preceding five years, and has not had a petition in bankruptcy filed against it within the preceding five years that resulted in reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. Sec. 1101 et seq.).

• The level I Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) program is 600 hours.
• AHC is a prerequisite for the level II Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) program, which is 900 hours.
• AP is a prerequisite for the level III Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) program, which is 2,500 hours.

Each of the three levels of professional certification are a prerequisite for the next level, so students must complete the Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) certification before the Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) program. Likewise, AP is a prerequisite to the Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) program.

• Holistic Ayurvedic Coach (HAC) can be taken entirely online via live streaming. In-person attendance is optional.
• Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) offers a one 5-day in-person practicum. The rest of the program can be attended in person or online via live streaming.
• Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) and Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) certification programs require partial in-person attendance. They cannot be taken entirely online.
• Completion of the AHC, AP, or AAP program allows graduates to sit for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association Certification Board (NAMACB) certification exam as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC), Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP), or Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP). The National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) sets competency standards for professional Ayurvedic education.

A college degree is only required for our level III certification. Program-specific requirements are as follows:

• For all of our Training Programs, students are required to possess a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Holistic Ayurvedic Coach (HAC) and Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) certification programs: no licenses or certifications in any field are required.
• Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) requires an Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) certificate or equivalent.
• Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) requires a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
• Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC), Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP), and Ayurvedic Clinical Specialist (ACS) all require Anatomy & Physiology as a corequisite. This means that the A&P requirement can be fulfilled during the course and must be completed prior to completion to meet the graduation requirements.

Learn more about the Anatomy & Physiology requirements here.

Yes! The minimum admissions requirement for our Ayurvedic Trainings is a high school diploma or equivalent.

General Policy: Attendance is monitored via attendance taken in-class and during live streamed sessions. Each certification program has a unique Attendance Policy. Please consult the most recent course catalog for details. If a student is absent from an in person or live streamed session, they may make it up at any KAA training location or via live streamed session, free of charge. If a student wishes to retake an in-class session, a make-up fee may apply. To make arrangements for all make-up or retake sessions, please contact Student Support at support@keralaayurveda.us.

A notebook and writing implement. KAA will provide classroom facilities and course manuals. The classes are taught in traditional, clean, well-lit classroom settings with tables and chairs for your comfort.

Please try not to feel anxious about the tests. The testing is conducted online in our elearning system at the student’s pace. There are three (3) attempts available for taking the test, and the highest score is recorded. The tests provide the student and the academy an opportunity to verify learning benchmarks are achieved for successful course progress.

Yes, since Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) covers all the curriculum of the Holistic Ayurvedic Coach (HAC) program, you will be eligible to receive the HAC certification once all the requirements are completed.

Digital copies of our course manuals are included in tuition for all programs. Print manuals are available at an additional cost. See individual Program Tuition and Fees in the course catalog for more information.

For students attending on-site, complementary water and tea is available at our center. Classes are scheduled between 8:00am-6:00pm U.S. Pacific Time. A 1-hour lunch break is provided. Students may bring lunch and are welcome to eat in our classroom. A breakroom is available in the building with a refrigerator, sink and microwave. KAA can provide recommendations for local restaurants.

Ayurvedic Doctors with a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery (BAMS) degree may join the Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) program directly as all the prerequisites are satisfied by their degree. An application is still required.

Vaidya is a Sanskrit word which translates to healer. It has been used as a designation for Ayurvedic physicians for thousands of years and signifies an Ayurvedic lineage. You may notice that many of our faculty hold this designation, in addition to their BAMS degrees, and this is due to their personal lineage, coming from families of Ayurvedic healers. Out of respect for the Ayurvedic family lineages, the title Vaidya is not used based on degree alone.

Ayurveda is not a licensed medical field, and therefore this Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) program, formerly titled Ayurvedic Doctor (AD), does not offer graduates a Doctorate degree. Graduates cannot use the designation “Dr.” in their name.

This program is designed to satisfy the Advanced Ayurvedic Practitioner (AAP) scope of practice in the US, as determined by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). It does not qualify you for practice in India as a BAMS Ayurvedic Doctor, nor does it qualify you to practice in any other location. Please check in with the regulations of your local state or country to determine your available scope of practice and whether this program will meet your needs

Our three levels of Advanced Professional Certification at Kerala Ayurveda Academy are aligned with the professional membership levels and their competencies set forth by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). 1. Level I Ayurvedic Health Counselors (AHC) focus on guiding clients with Ayurvedic lifestyle techniques for disease prevention. For more detail, please see the complete Scope of Practice: Ayurvedic Health Counselor. 2. Level II Ayurvedic Practitioners (AP) are trained with the additional skill set of disease management for handling more advanced conditions; their scope of practice involves more diverse assessment tools and the ability to map complex imbalances and their treatment protocol. Practitioners also possess a more extensive knowledge of herbs, Ayurvedic formulations and Panchakarma therapies to recommend clients. For more detail, please see the complete Scope of Practice: Ayurvedic Practitioner. 3. Level II Ayurvedic Doctors (AD) use the same assessment and protocol development skills as Practitioners, though with richer clinical training, deeper knowledge and a higher awareness of contemporary medical research and conditions. For more detail, please see the complete Scope of Practice: Ayurvedic Doctor.

Please see the above question and answer. Our AHC, AP and AD programs are aligned with three levels of professional competency, as set forth by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) – see above question.

• Competencies for the Panchakarma Technician (PKT) level of training are pending from NAMA.
• PKT can be taken on its own or as an add-on to the primary three levels of Ayurvedic practice.
• Our PKT program’s primary purpose is to provide education and hands-on training in the traditional Ayurvedic bodywork methodologies, going into more detail than the level I, II and III Counselor, Practitioner and Doctor certifications.
• The primary role of a Panchakarma Technician is to implement and perform the Panchakarma therapies. Depending on the Panchakarma Technician’s other certifications in Ayurveda, the scope of practice will vary in terms of breadth and the ability to design Panchakarma programs. As with general Ayurvedic practice, Panchakarma must be performed in compliance with local and state guidelines. For more detail, please see the complete Scope of Practice: Panchakarma Technician.

Holistic Ayurvedic Coach (HAC) and level I Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) programs provide graduates with enough training to setup a private practice as an Ayurvedic Coach or Counselor. Graduates can also use their Ayurvedic knowledge base to supplement an existing healing practice or help you create a niche in any industry. Graduates who intend to to work as a wellness practitioner may run their own business, or align with existing businesses, such as integrative health centers, alternative health practices and yoga studios. Our team is always happy to answer your questions to help you plan your professional future. For more detailed information about what you can do with your certification, read the HAC and AHC scopes of practice

Possibly, depending on your location and how you wish to practice. A license to touch refers to regulations for professions which involve physical contact with clients. These regulations are governed by each individual state in the U.S. Panchakarma involves a variety of bodywork therapies, some of which involve physical contact and some which do not. It is important for the student to check in with local state guidelines to understand which aspects of Panchakarma are compliant and which are not, and either adjust one’s practice accordingly, or pursue the required licensure.

Shamana includes therapies to balance the mind-body system energetics, or Doshas, without internal cleansing. All Panchakarma techniques which do not involve internal cleansing are called Shamana therapies, including various types of external oil applications e.g. Shirodhara, Kati Vasti, Udvarthana. Shodhana includes therapies for deep internal cleansing, requiring clinical knowledge of the disease process and body systems. In additional to individual U.S. state regulations, an individual’s training level in general Ayurvedic wellness will determine the scope of practice. In the U.S., Ayurvedic professionals are certified at three levels according to the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA): level I Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC) equivalent to KAA’s Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC); level II Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) equivalent to KAA’s Ayurvedic Practitioner (AP) and level III Ayurvedic Doctor (AD). The Panchakarma Technician (PKT) certification can be taken on its own or as an add-on to the primary three levels of Ayurvedic practice. As Panchakarma Technicians, all graduates of this program are qualified to design and implement Panchakarma plans including all Shamana therapies (abiding by local state regulations). To design and implement a Panchakarma plan including both Shamana and Shodhana, a level II or III Ayurvedic Practitioner or Ayurvedic Doctor is required for conducting a clinical assessment. The Ayurvedic Practitioner or Ayurvedic Doctor is capable of mapping the Samprapti, or disease process for the individual client, for customizing the Shodhana therapies. With this plan, the Panchakarma Technician may support, assist and perform the Shodhana procedures under the guidance of the Ayurvedic Practitioner or Ayurvedic Doctor (abiding by local state regulations).

Ayurveda is currently unlicensed in the U.S., which means the practice as a whole is not governed by the U.S.; instead, aspects of Ayurvedic practice are indirectly regulated by each state. Ayurveda is legal to practice, so long as practitioners are following their local state guidelines.

No. Ayurvedic practitioners are not licensed in the United States, and its practice is not regulated by state or federal agencies. Standards of competency are set by individual schools that have received state approval. Ayurvedic practitioners in the United States are advised on how to practice legally within a limited scope of practice so they are not viewed as practicing medicine without a license.

We might say that Ayurveda’s current status in the U.S. is analogous to the Chinese medical profession during its early years in the 1970s. While each state does not regulate the practice of Ayurvedic medicine itself, some aspects of Ayurvedic practice may fall within the scope of professions that are regulated. Students and graduates of the academy should be careful not to allow their practice to overlap one of those regulated professions unless they are licensed in that particular profession. Please contact your local state representative for more information about regulations in your area.

A bill has been passed in 11 states (California, Nevada, Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Idaho, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico) allowing the residents of those states to approach non-licensed healing practitioners with informed consent.

Yes, Ayurveda is currently practiced all over the United States.

While none of the U.S. states currently have Ayurvedic practitioners or physicians as primary care physicians, many of these well-trained professionals utilize their education and skills in combination with other healthcare related credentials.

Yoga Instructors, Massage Therapists, Registered Nurses, Nutritionists/Dietitians, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Medical Doctors and other healthcare professionals are recognizing and utilizing the benefits of educational training in Ayurveda.

The Ayurvedic Accreditation Commission (AAC) is currently accrediting schools to support future licensing initiatives throughout the U.S., and Kerala Ayurveda Academy is undergoing the accreditation process now.

Many Academy graduates use their Ayurvedic education to enhance pre-existing professional careers.

All of our graduates are able to practice Ayurveda in their everyday lives for personal health. An understanding of Ayurvedic principles enriches the quality of life in all aspects, not just physical well-being. The study of Ayurveda is truly a healing transformation during which students find a new level of emotional, mental and spiritual wellness. Additionally, graduates often change career paths or discover novel ways to apply their new Ayurvedic knowledge to their existing profession. There are many ways our students utilize their Ayurvedic education. Some of our students launch a practice as Ayurvedic Coaches, Counselors, Practitioners or Doctors. Many of our graduates incorporate Ayurvedic knowledge in their current practice as healers, such physicians, nurses, yoga teachers and massage therapists. Ayurveda complements all other healing modalities.