The California College of Ayurveda is pleased to introduce the Ayurvedic Health Practitioner Interns 2015. Interns have completed their academic studies and work under the supervision of experienced clinical instructors. This semester’s talented group of interns comes from throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.

Ayurvedic Health Practitioner (AHP) interns work on supporting patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle that is in harmony with their constitution. Patients learn about their constitution as well as the nature of any imbalances. They will also receive support to adjust their diet and lifestyle accordingly and to normalize your digestion and elimination. As part of the Ayurvedic program, an intern can include ayurvedic herbs, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound and mantra, and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy. This is is the best of preventative health care! For those who have a specific condition and are looking for clinical management through Ayurvedic Medicine, they should consider having a consultation with an Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist intern or graduate. 

Interview with Kat from California

1)  What inspired you to study Ayurvedic Medicine?

It is something I have been curious about and drawn to ever since I first started hearing about it, even though I didn’t really know what Ayurveda was about.  The more I learned about Ayurveda, the more it resonated with me.  I appreciate understanding the manifest reality in terms of the 5 elements and how that can translate into an understanding of the qualities of everything as a way to guide our selves back into balance.  I appreciate the holistic model of health, where we take into consideration the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual components of the being, brining mindfulness to everything we take in, food, sound, impressions, thoughts, etc.  I appreciate using diet and lifestyle to address imbalances in our life, and addressing the root cause of any disharmony, rather than treating symptoms alone.  The knowledge of Ayurveda feels like a deep remembering of inherent truths embedded within my being, resonating true for me.

2)    What do you think makes Ayurveda attractive to the public?

Ayurveda is a powerful tool for understanding our own unique make-up and tendencies, and learning to see our habits through new eyes, so that we may recognize what we do that is healthful and what we do that takes us out of balance.  With this knowledge comes awareness and empowerment.  I believe we all want to be healthy, happy, joyful beings in our own authentic and unique expression.  Ayurveda offers the wisdom to better understand ourselves and see ourselves more clearly within our current context so that we may empower ourselves to make shifts towards ever greater expressions of health, wellbeing, and authenticity.

3)    What do you think about the future of Ayurveda in the United States or in your country?

Yoga (Hatha) continues to gain ground and popularity within the mainstream public, and with this popularity, interest, and acceptance of Yoga, naturally follows an interest in Yoga’s sister science Ayurveda.  I see Ayurveda continuing to grow and expand in popularity, interest, and acceptance within the U.S.  Especially as our communal consciousness shifts into a more holistic paradigm, interested in the wellness of the whole being, wellness of the whole planet, wellness of our communal consciousness.  People are interested in reclaiming their natural birth right as healthy, radiant, empowered beings, and connecting with their inner wisdom and innate propensity for health.

4)    What is your favorite therapy in this traditional system of medicine from India?

      This is a tough question, as there is so much I love and appreciate about this ancient system of healing.  With regards to the Body Therapies, I really love the Abhyanga (warm oil massage).  It feels so nourishing, calming, and nurturing.  It helps me feel grounded within my whole being, as I luxuriate in the feeling of love and nurturance.

5) What does your path to Ayurveda look like?

In 1992, while studying architecture abroad in Florence, Italy, Kat was introduced to her very first Hatha Yoga class from a fellow student in the program.  Little did she understand then, that this was the pivotal beginning of her lifelong explorations into the Vedic Sciences.  She has been committed to her personal Hatha Yoga practice since 1996.  In 2003, after completing her graduate studies in landscape architecture, Kat took her first Yoga Training course in Marin, California.  Upon completing a 100-hour Anusara training, a 700-hour Iyengar training, and then assisting another 100-hour Anusara training, Kat began teaching yoga in the Bay Area in 2006.  Due to the intense demands of her professional career as a landscape architect within a prominent international firm, she eventually dropped the yoga teaching.  However, with the passing of each year, the whisper of her soul grew louder, as an internal sense of misalignment and discontent grew within her heart.  

In January 2011, pulled by a sense of deeper yearning, she began her journey into the study of Ayurveda at Vedika Global in Emveryville, Ca.  This eventually led her to the clarity and courage within herself to finally step away from her ‘safe’ charted corporate professional career path, and to take the leap of faith into the unknown.  By end of 2011, she moved up to Nevada City, Ca, where she learned and worked as an Ayurvedic Body Therapist at Blue Sage Ayurveda.  In this role, Kat worked with a tight-knit team to collectively hold space and help facilitate the profound healing journey for those who came to receive Pancha Karma and the Ayruvedic therapies.  

She began her studies at CCA in Fall of 2012, where she has completed the Ayurvedic Health Educator Program, the Ayurvedic Practitioner Training Program – Part 1, the Herbal Apprenticeship program, and many of the Ayurvedic Body Therapy courses (as well as assist teaching many of the body therapy courses).  She has worked in CCA’s Pancha Karma Department, where she was a Lead Therapist and trained new therapists joining the team.  She is now currently enrolled in CCA’s Ayurvedic Health Practitioner Internship Program.

In addition to offering Ayurvedic Consultations and Body Therapies in Sacramento, Kat teaches public yoga classes at the Yoga Shala Arden Studio where she also offers Introductory Ayurvedic workshops.  Kat is a painter of Mandalas, a student of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), a doTerra Essential Oils Wellness Advocate, and a Licensed Landscape Architect, with an emphasis in Sacred Space / Intimate Space / Beauty.

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