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Bachelor’s Specialization in Yoga & Ayurveda Wellnessonline

Discover the complete meaning of yoga

Watch the video about how yoga can be more than just asanas, 36 seconds

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Yoga is more than just physical exercise. Complete Yoga is a state of unity, experienced as perfect harmony between mind, body, and nature.

Watch the video about how yoga can be more than just asanas, 36 seconds

In this one-of-a-kind Yoga & Ayurveda Wellness Bachelor’s Specialization, you’ll dive deep into the fundamental aspects of Yoga philosophy. At the same time, you’ll learn to establish and maintain the state of Yoga in your life through a variety of modalities, including the practice of the Yoga Asana (yoga postures), Transcendental Meditation technique, Pranayama (breathing exercises), and Ayurveda.

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MIU’s Yoga Teacher Training curriculum is credentialed by Yoga Alliance and graduates may register as an RYT200.


Learn Ayurveda wellness fundamentals

We teach the Maharishi AyurVedaSM health system – the modern, scientific revival of complete Ayurveda. Maharishi AyurVeda includes balancing the deepest value of mind – consciousness, which is the basis of balancing the body. It incorporates all aspects of mind, body, behavior, and environment in a scientific framework.

Key questions

What is Ayurveda?

logo “Ayurvedic medicine (also called Ayurveda) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It originated in India and has evolved there over thousands of years. In the United States, Ayurvedic medicine is considered a complementary health approach.”

Is Ayurveda effective?

logo“Ayurveda can have positive effects when used as a complementary therapy in combination with standard, conventional medical care.”

Specialize in Consciousness-based Approach to Yoga

Consciousness-based Yoga is comprehensive in that it’s designed to cultivate coherence between mind, body, and consciousness. This system of Yoga naturally cultures the experience of “steady pleasantness” in mind and body and supports the expansion of consciousness. Referred to as Maharishi Yoga Asanas, this special approach was developed by MIU’s founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Maharishi Yoga Asanas are complemented by an intellectual framework rooted in profound insights from Yoga philosophy and the classic Yogic texts — Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and more.

In a research study published in the International Journal of Yoga, Maharishi Yoga Asanas were found to produce a “significant increase in happiness during the day and significant improvements in (1) sense of personal self, (2) transpersonal qualities, and (3) transpersonal self.”

In addition to this specialization, students will also be introduced to other styles and aspects of Yoga so that they know from direct experience the profound benefits of Maharishi’s Approach to Yoga.

Established in Yoga, perform action

Watch the video about finding what you stand for, 1 minuteAs a graduate of this program, you’ll be able to effectively teach the principles and practices of Maharishi’s Approach to Yoga in a yoga studio, wellness center, corporate or community setting of your choice. In addition to learning the postures and developing a refined personal practice, you’ll study the benefits of each asana, modifications, and contraindications.

Courses on anatomy and physiology will lay the foundation for lesson planning and personalization to help students move safely and comfortably through a class.

Are residencies required for this program?

Watch the video about the residencies for the Bachelor's Specialization in Yoga, 1 minute and 11 secondsThough this program is primarily online, students are required to attend two 2-week in-person immersive yoga teacher trainings. The first occurs in the fall term and the second occurs in the spring term. These in-residence trainings give the student the opportunity to receive support in their personal yoga practice, as well as practice teaching, hands-on assists, cueing, variations, and modifications.


The Specialization in Yoga & Ayurveda Wellness is available only to US students.

Featured courses

Featured faculty

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Fred Travis, PhD, Director

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Dr. Travis is Professor of Maharishi Vedic Science, Chair of the Department of Maharishi Vedic Science, Dean of the Graduate School, and Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, & Cognition. He earned an MS and PhD in Psychology from Maharishi International University and a BS in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University.

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Meredith Hart, MSc, Lead Instructor

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Meredith found her way to MIU after many years of study and practice in yoga, ayurveda, somatics, and bodywork. She holds an undergraduate degree in Transpersonal Psychology with a Yoga Therapy emphasis and is a graduate of the MAVIM program at MIU. Meredith was previously an undergraduate lead instructor in the primary courses in Maharishi AyurVeda and now teaches solely in the yoga specialization program at MIU. She is a graduate of five yoga teacher trainings including the MYA instructor training. She is a credentialed advanced yoga teacher and teacher trainer with Yoga Alliance (ERYT500) and a credentialed yoga therapist with International Association of Yoga Therapy (CIAYT).

With over two decades of practical experience, Meredith maintains a full-time practice in the healing arts which includes Yoga Therapy, Ayurveda, and Yogic Counseling in the Bay Area, California where she regularly collaborates with allied health professionals. She plans to pursue her PhD at MIU in the Vedic Sciences. She is very happy to be a part of this wonderful program and school that facilitates Self-healing and transformation through knowledge and practice at MIU – a place and community that she also considers home.
Sankari Wegman

Śankari Menon Wegman, PhD, Adjunct Instructor

Sankari Wegman

Śankari was born in India and grew up on the east coast, where her initial love of physiology led her to pursue her first bachelors in Biology, specializing in premedical studies. Her interest in the philosophy behind physiology led her to pursue a second degree in Philosophy and Bioethics, and when she learned Transcendental Meditation and joined the program in Maharishi Ayurveda at MIU, the union of philosophy and physiology felt truly unified both at a deeply personal level and in her clinical practice. Inspired by the vision of Maharishi Ayurveda in helping individuals live in optimal health, happiness, and in harmony with their environment, she went on to complete her Master’s in Physiology and her Ph.D. in Physiology and Health at MIU. Her doctoral dissertation evaluated an undergraduate medical education curriculum that incorporated Maharishi Ayurveda and its impact on the practice of integrative medicine and the personal well-being of those future physicians.

Śankari has been an ayurvedic practitioner for over 20 years and has years of practice at the Raj Health Spa and the Integrative Wellness Clinic, under the mentorship and guidance of Vaidya Manohar Palakurthi. She is a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique, Maharishi Yoga Asanas, and as a Wellness Coach. She is currently in the process of completing her 200 RYT and is the Assistant Director for the Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda program for healthcare professionals that will be launching in the fall of 2023. She also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Maharishi School, where she heads the Development of Consciousness committee. She enjoys cooking and baking with her family, learning how to knit, and creating multi-media art projects with her children.

Cost & Aid for bachelor’s degree, 2025-26

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