Ayurveda Short Courses

Ashtanga Hridayam

Ashtanga Hridayam is one of the three major literary works of Ayurveda. This text was composed by the eminent scholar Vagbhatta. It contains 7,120 verses written in a poetic style for an easy recital.

Written in the second half of the seventh century AD, Ashtanga Hridayam is considered to be the heart (hridaya) of the eight branches (ashtanga) of Ayurveda. It presents an account of Ayurvedic knowledge in a simple and understandable way. The concise textbook continues to serve as a root source for Ayurvedic philosophy and teachings. It focuses on the development of clinical practice skills in the field of Ayurveda. It has six sections and 120 chapters.

The first section, called Sūtrasthāna, is the foundation for clinical training in Ayurveda. This section is organized like the skeleton of a prescription, with all the basic elements of an Ayurvedic prescription elaborated sequentially in clusters of chapters.

Ashtanga Hridayam Course VI Overview

Ashtanga Hridayam Part VI of the course will include Sutrasthana Chapters 16-20. These chapters deal with the administration of the major therapies in Ayurveda. A deep knowledge of these topics are essential for developing clinical skills in cleansing therapies.

Chapter 16 called Snehavidhiradhyāyaḥ deals with principles of administration of oils and fats as a preparation for cleansing procedures.
Chapter 17 called Svedavidhiradhyāyaḥ deals with principles of administration of fomentation therapies as a preparation for cleansing therapies.
Chapter 18 called Vamanavirecanavidhiradhyāyaḥ deals with the administration of therapeutic emesis and purgation.
Chapter 19 called Vastividhiradhyāyaḥ deals with the administration of therapeutic enema.
Chapter 20 called Nasyavidhiradhyāyaḥ deals with the application of nasal cleansing therapy.

SCU’s Ayurveda program is offering this course in collaboration with Amrita School of Ayurveda at the Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham, an Indian university. The course will be taught by Vaidya P. Rammanohar. This 100% online course is taught on Monday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.

At the end of the Ashtanga Hridayam VI class, students will:

Learn essential Sanskrit terminologies of Ayurveda related to Pañcakarma and will be able to use them without translations.
Learn how to plan and administer snehana procedures as a preparation for cleansing procedures.
Learn how to plan and administer svedana procedures as a preparation for cleansing procedures.
Learn about the procedures for administration of Vamana therapy
Learn about the procedures for administration of Virecana therapy.
Learn about the procedures for administration of Vasti therapy
Learn about the procedures for administration of Nasya therapy.

No reimbursement will be given once you are registered for the course.

Course Schedule

This course is delivered 100% online with set attendance times every Monday evening from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST. The course runs for 15 weeks.

Start date: September 8, 2025, 6 pm to 8 pm for 15 weeks

Course Cost

Course fee: $300

Early registration fee (before August 15th): $250

Faculty

SCU’s Ayurveda program is offering this course in collaboration with Amrita School of Ayurveda, Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham (University). The course will be taught by Vaidya P. Rammanohar from Amrita University.

VAIDYA RAM MANOHAR PUTHIYEDATH

Vaidya Rammanohar Puthiyedath, received BAMS and MD (Ay) degrees from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru respectively. He has been contributing in the field of Ayurvedic research for the past 33 years.

He currently serves as Director of Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda and Research Head of Amrita School of Ayurveda managed by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the number one private University in India. He served as faculty in several institutions such as University of Essen, Germany, Southern California University of Health Sciences, USA, European Academy of Ayurveda, Germany, and Ayurvedic Point, Italy. He is an approved guide for the PhD program in Ayurveda at Amrita University.

He is part time Member of National Commission for Indian System of Medicine, Govt of India, the apex body that regulates Ayurveda education in India. He is Research Advisor (History of Science) for Indian National Science Academy (INSA)and also the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Government of India. He has served as a Member of the Scientific Committee of National Institute of Ayurveda, the WHO Expert Group for development of International Standard Terminologies for Ayurveda, theTask Force for Interdisciplinary Research in AYUSH for COVID-19, Ministry of AYUSH as well as the Kerala State Task Force for Ayurveda Interventions in COVID-19.

He served as member of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Government of India, Advisory Board of Central Sanskrit University and Member of working group to formulate Educational Policy for Integrative Medicine, Niti Ayog, Government of India.

He has over 100 publications, including research papers published in peer reviewed indexed research journals as well as contributions in chapters for books.

Admissions Requirements

PREREQUISITE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

None. This course is open to all students who want to learn Ayurveda, Ayurveda professionals, or other health care practitioners who would like to have a more in-depth understanding of Ayurveda classical literature. Completion of Part I, II, III, IV, or V is not necessary to understand and enjoy Part VI.

Acceptance to SCU as a student is not required to attend this course and students do not earn university credit or a grade.

Refund Policy: No refunds are available for this course.