Mini Masters (Yoga) Program

MiniMasters@VaYU is an innovative program that is designed to provide with a formal education in the art and science of Yoga, along with evidence-based methods to apply these ancient techniques to mitigate common diseases.

MiniMaster@VaYU is designed around two core principles: Flexibility and Relevance.

-          Flexibility: YOU decide how deep you wish to explore these topics. With 4 levels of certification, you can choose what best fits your needs and your budget

-          Relevance: Each level is complete within itself, by giving you both a strong theoretical foundation and a practical application.

MiniMasters@VaYU consists of the following 4 levels:

  1. Foundational, or Level 1 (7 credits) is designed to acquaint you with the basic philosophy and practices of yoga.

Courses studied are:

    • (Required) YMS 101 – Basis of Yoga Therapy: study the yogic theory of disease and health, and get a strong foundation in mind-body medicine
    • (Required) YMS 103 – Ancient Yoga Texts 1: study the foundational texts of Yoga such as the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and certain Upanishads
    • (Required) YMS 104 – Yogic Practices: solid grounding in the practice of various yoga postures (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), and advanced practices like mudras (gestures), bandhas (locks) and kriyas (purifications)
  1. Intermediate, or Level 2 (8 credits) has the dual goals of (a) teaching you how to mitigate common disease conditions through yogic interventions and (b) learning about cutting-edge research on the benefits of Yoga. Taken together, these two aspects for the basis of “evidence based treatment”.

Courses studied include:

    • (Required) YMS 201 – Yogic management of common ailments: stress, respiratory diseases (bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, COPD, infections), hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, obesity and thyroid disorders
    • (Required) YMS 501 – Biomedical Science and Research: Psycho-physiological model of yogic action, examination of current research in the areas of asanas, breathing practices, meditation, physical health and performance, mental health, and use of yoga in clinical settings. You will also study targeted research on special populations such as children, elderly, school and workplace settings, prisons, etc.
    • (Optional) Choose one of: YMS 403 – Prenatal and Postnatal yoga, YMS 404 – Basic Clinical Yoga Therapy, YMS 407 – Principles of Ayurveda.
  1. Advanced, or Level 3 (8 credits) is our specialized yoga therapy track where you will learn yogic management of various diseases from two perspectives: (a) long-term management of chronic conditions and (b) yoga at the bedside, where you will examine how yogic techniques can be applied not only as part of rehab, but also as part of immediate recovery right after major clinical intervention.

Courses studied are:

    1. (Required) YMS 202 – Yogic management of Musculo-skeletal, gastro-intestinal, gynecological, and renal diseases
    2. (Required) YMS 303 – Yogic management of Neurological and psychological diseases; yoga in cancer recovery; and yoga for disorders related to pregnancy and childbirth
    3. (Required): YMS 404 – Basic clinical Yoga therapy
  1. Eligibility to upgrade to MS (Yoga), MS/PhD (Yoga), or PhD (Yoga). For specifics, See VaYU Academic Course Catalog (Click here).

Apply Now!