Los Angeles: Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU), the world’s first university outside India devoted to yoga education and research, has launched their Online Master of Science (Yoga) Program. Applications for the Fall 2020 semester for the university are open with the classes beginning on August 24, 2020.
Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Chairman, Board of Trustees of VaYU, said, “In following the pioneering tradition set by Swami Vivekananda who brought yoga to the West in 1893, we are bringing a vision of holistic approach to yoga with its applications supported by modern scientific research. I am pleased that the California Bureau of Private & Postsecondary Education has provisionally approved VaYU to operate as a university and offer the MS (Yoga) degree.” Dr. Nagendra is also the Chancellor of S-VYASA (Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthan) University, the world’s first yoga research university in Bengaluru, India, which he founded in 2002.
The VaYU Online MS (Yoga) is a cohort-based four-semesters program with 30 credits. The program is designed for working professionals as well as those seeking an advanced knowledge of yoga. Each academic year, in the 15th week of the fall semester, students will attend a week-long Personal Training Program (PTP) to get hands-on training in asanas, kriya (purification techniques), pranayama and dhyana, etc. The PTP will be offered at the main campus in Los Angeles. Depending on student interest and faculty availability, PTP could be offered through satellite campuses across North America, and, at the SVYASA campus in Bengaluru and Singapore.
The minimum eligibility for this program is a four-year degree from any accredited college or university in the USA. Equivalent degrees from other countries are also acceptable. No prior exposure to yoga is required.
Provost Dr. Srinivasa Reddy, author, researcher and faculty at the Department of Cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Fellow of the American Heart Association, said “VaYU faculty is top-notch, highly-accomplished, and world renowned. All of them have PhDs or MDs in yoga or related fields with a combined 250 years of teaching and research experience. They have directed 84 doctoral dissertations and over 400 master’s theses.”
Murali Venkatrao, VaYU Vice President of Curriculum & Infrastructure Development, Director of Yoga Teacher Training at the Ananda Institute of Living Yoga, and a professional at Microsoft for more than 25 years, said “VaYU curriculum focuses on three learning objectives: the science of how and why yoga works; art of practicing the yogic techniques deeply; and, treating common diseases using yoga as an evidence based approach. We will train you in conducting applied research on yogic techniques. We will also teach you about applying yogic methodology to interpersonal relationships and management in your personal and professional lives”.
Prof. Sree N. Sreenath, Founder President, VaYU said, “VaYU brings in a value proposition of high-quality graduate education and research at a very affordable price through its unique online-based curriculum. Whether you run your own yoga studio or work for one, whether you are a healthcare professional or work in the hospitality industry, whether you are looking for career enhancement or a seeker serious enough to satisfy your curiosity, then this graduate program in yoga is for you. If you are a Certified Yoga Teacher or Yoga Therapist from a credentialed institution, you will get waiver of certain courses.”
See www.vayuusa.org for more information.
