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You are here » Home / Faculties & Programs / School of Integrative Health / Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Program

Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program

Program Overview

The Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program (FAM) is a 252-hour (1 semester) program that can be taken independently or as part of the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork (ETB).

Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy (FAM) is a 3-month certificate program that introduces students to the philosophies, therapeutic principles and techniques of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy.The foundation of Ayurveda rests in the principles, energies, rhythms and movements of life and nature. As a science, Ayurveda is a study of life in its wholeness, observing living beings in their interactions with their environment. Ayurveda draws on natural therapies and lifestyle practices to return you to a state of balance and harmony. Many of these practices - diet, herbs, lifestyle, environment, daily health and spiritual practices, bodywork - are explored in depth throughout the courses.

One such therapy works with Marma - vital points in the body where there is a junction of tissues, vessels, systems and subtle yet potent life-energies. Marmas are stimulated with acupressure, oil massage and energy-work to affect a healing response in their associated organs, tissues and energy channels. Students of this program will attain a basic foundation in the practice of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy.

The Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program is ideal for students who have an interest in offering hands-on healing as an augment to current skills in bodywork, or as a profession on its own. Students gain a working knowledge of Ayurveda at the basic and intermediate levels. They learn the physical and energy systems according to the Ayurvedic model, including the Marma points. Students also learn how to identify injuries, illnesses and imbalances in the Marma, including their associated systems and organs, and have a working knowledge of the various ways to treat the Marma using massage, energy healing, external application of herbs, hot and cold therapies, compress therapies, oil therapies and subtle therapies.

Curriculum

The FAM is delivered over 3 months. At the onset, students may enrol in any independent certificate program or may apply for admission into the full Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork. The diploma-specific coursework is an additional semester that integrates all disciplines and applies them to the maintenance of health and the treatment of disease.

The following courses comprise the Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program. All courses must be completed for a student to be eligible for graduation. New students must complete the General Introduction component. Please see Study Options below for more information.

General Introduction		Total Requirements
Foundations in Eastern Therapies and Bodywork		1.2 credits	18 hours
	During this course, students learn the general background and cultural context for Eastern Therapies and Bodywork with specific attention to Indian, Chinese and T'ai indigenous medicines. This course offers an introduction to the theoretical principles and the history of spirituality and medicine. Both energy medicine and healing are defined, and basic energetic anatomy is explored, all through a comparative approach of Yogic, Ayurvedic, Thai and basic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) systems.


Total		1.2 credits	18 hours

Fundamentals of Ayurveda		Total Requirements
History of Ayurveda		0.6 credit	9 hours
	Students deepen their knowledge of history and learn the general background and cultural context for Ayurvedic Marmatherapy. In particular, this course focuses on the associations of Ayurveda and Marma healing to classic texts of Charaka, Shushruta and the Vedas.




Basic Ayurveda		2.8 credits	41 hours
	This course explores basic energetic anatomy in the Ayurvedic medicine system. Students also begin the life-long journey of pulse diagnosis and are introduced to basic Ayurvedic theory of dosha (physiological forces) management and the location, names and functions of Marma.
Practical Ayurveda (i)		2.4 credits	36 hours
	Students integrate and deepen their basic Ayurvedic theoretical and practical knowledge through supervised peer practice and case studies.
Intermediate Ayurveda Theory		3.6 credits	54 hours
	Intermediate Ayurvedic anatomy and physiology (sub-doshas, tissues, channels, Marma) are explored in this course. Concepts behind cleansing and rejuvenation therapy are introduced, and students learn the practical techniques of Marmatherapy oil massage.
Practical Ayurveda (ii)		2.4 credits	36 hours
	This course allows students to practice and integrate theory and techniques from Intermediate Ayurveda Theory through supervised peer practice and case studies.
Vital Energies of Plants		2.6 credits	40 hours
	Students learn the theory of plants as they relate to Ayurvedic energy medicine, and the application of plants in diet as well as external therapies. Students wild-craft plants and prepare medicated oils, pastes and poultices. Physical techniques are explored and include Pinda Sweda (one and two person massage) and Basti Deep Oil Well.
Practical Ayurveda (iii)		2.4 credits	36 hours
	This course allows students to practice and integrate theory and techniques from Vital Energies of Plants through supervised peer and client practice and case studies.
Total		16.8 credits	252 hours

Study Options

The Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program is a single semester program. Students may take this individually or as part of the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork. All new students entering into FAM must complete the 18-hour General Introduction to Eastern Therapies and Bodywork.

Post-Graduation

Graduates of this program use knowledge and experience gained to work in community health centres, clinical settings, private practices and spa and fitness industries. Their therapeutic skills enable them to work in fields such as sports injury recovery, trauma rehabilitation and illness/disease recovery.

Graduates may also choose to enrol in other certificate programs at PRC or transfer into the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork (ETB) to meet advanced standards of training. The ETB is a unique 4-semester program that integrates Ayurvedic Marmatherapy with Traditional Thai Massage and Yogatherapy.

Admissions

Entering students into the Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program at Pacific Rim College must have a high school diploma or an equivalency test and all non-native English speaking applicants must demonstrate a mastery of written and spoken English. Any foreign applicant may be required to submit an official score report from an English proficiency exam such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Test System).

Pacific Rim College is determined to produce only the highest quality health practitioners. As a result, we reserve the right to admit only students who demonstrate the potential to achieve at the upper-most level. Applicants will be evaluated based on merits such as high academic achievement, emotional maturity, humanitarian activities, community involvement and health-related experience.

All entering students into FAM must have completed the 18-hour General Introduction course Foundations in Eastern Therapies and Bodywork. This course is offered at the onset of the Certificate Program.

Enrolment spaces for the program are very limited and fill quickly. Admissions applications can be submitted at any time, but placement priority is to students enrolled in the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork program. Confirmation of admission will be sent to all applicants of the certificate program approximately 9 weeks prior to the start of the program, but not before this time.

To apply for the Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program, please click on the button below. Upon favourable review of your application by our admissions committee, you may be contacted for an interview, which can be carried out via telephone if a person-to-person interview is not possible.

All successful applicants must submit a non-refundable enrolment deposit of $1000, which is credited toward tuition fees. Should a student decide not to enrol for the specific semester of study as stated in the application or registration form, the fee is forfeited and cannot be used to offset any charges that the student may incur. All accepted applicants must submit this deposit within 60 days of the published semester start date, or within 7 days if accepted within this time. Enrolment space will not be reserved without this deposit.

International Students

International students are welcome to attend Pacific Rim College and are encouraged to apply. Canadian law requires foreign students to have a valid study permit to study in Canada. Pacific Rim College provides international students with the necessary documentation to receive a valid study permit. In some cases students can apply for and obtain a permit upon entering Canada.

Canadian law requires that foreigners obtain a work permit for work within Canada during academic studies. See http://www.cic.gc.ca/ for more information.

Academic Calendar

The general program schedule for each component of the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork is as follows:

Foundations of Yogatherapy (FYT): May 2010 - August 2010
Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy (FAM): September 2010 - December 2010
Eastern Therapies and Bodywork (final semester of Diploma Program): January 2011 - April 2011
Traditional Thai Massage (TTM): January 2011 - April 2011
Foundations of Yogatherapy (FYT): September 2011 - December 2011
Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy (FAM): September 2011 - December 2011

	Summer 2010 - FYT	Fall 2010 - FAM	Weekly Schedule
Orientation	May 3	September 7	All classes are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 8:45am-6:30pm with afternoon breaks.
General Introduction	May 3-7	September 7-10
First Class Day	May 10	September 13
Holidays	August 2 (BC Day)	October 1 October 9-12 (Fall Break)
Last Day of Class	August 6	December 10

	Winter 2011 - ETB	Winter 2011 - TTM	Weekly Schedule
Orientation	January 10	January 4	ETB classes are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. TTM classes are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Classes are from 8:30am-5:30pm with a half day on Friday.
General Introduction	NA	January 4-7
First Class Day	January 10	January 11
Holidays	February 14-18 (Reading Break), March 18	February 14-18 (Reading Break), March 18
Last Day of Class	April 13	April 14

Class Schedule

Please click on the button below for the Fall 2010 class schedule for the Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Marmatherapy Certificate Program.

Tuition and Fees

All tuition amounts are in Canadian dollars. Full payment of program tuition is due by September 7, 2010.

General Introduction	$252

Certificate Program	$3750

Please click here for a description of Academic Fees.

Financial Aid

This program is approved for Canada Student Loans. Please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans. Students must submit a paper application for student loans. The online application process is not available to PRC students at this time. Please print an application from the Canada Student Loans website or pick up an application from PRC or any other academic institution registered with Canada Student Loans.

For a list of all financial aid programs available to PRC students, please visit our Financial Aid page.