UC Irvine Extension Launches Yoga ‘Art of Living’ Course

Class in Ayurveda goes beyond the practice of yoga into the realm of aligning life energies in oneness with nature

IRVINE, Calif. – March 20, 2006 – UC Irvine Extension, the continuing education arm of the University of California, Irvine, will offer Ayurveda: the Art of Living this spring as a part of its Yoga Studies program.  Ayurveda is a holistic system of healing which evolved among the sages and seers of ancient India more than 3,000 years ago.  The course, which can also be taken as a stand-alone elective, will address the history and practice of Ayurveda as well as provide instruction and guidance to students seeking to live an ayurvedic lifestyle. The ten-week course runs from April 5 through June 14 from 6-9 p.m.

Ayurveda focuses on establishing and maintaining balance of the life energies within the body, rather than focusing on individual symptoms. It recognizes the unique constitutional differences of all individuals and recommends different regimens for different types of people. Although two people may appear to have the same outward symptoms, their energetic constitutions may be very different and therefore call for very different remedies.

“Ayurveda is a focus that tends to naturally develop from yoga practice,” said Molly Schneider, director of the Yoga Studies program at UC Irvine Extension.  “This course teaches the history and principles of Ayurveda, and serves as a guide for people who want to develop a lifestyle that supports their yoga practice.”  

Ayurveda promotes harmony between the individual and nature by living a life of balance according to nature's laws. Ayurveda describes three fundamental energies that regulate all natural processes on both the macrocosmic and microcosmic levels.  The same energies that produce effects in the various galaxies and star systems are also operating in the body’s physiology.  Ayurveda seeks to heal the fragmentation and disorder of the mind-body complex and restore wholeness and harmony to all people.

The course will cover the basic principles of Ayurveda including healing through opposites, using food as medicine, and accessing the primal qualities of nature through herbology and therapies that affect each of the five senses.  The course will also cover the three vital essences that sustain positive health and provide guidelines for making constitutionally correct food choices.

The course instructor, Robert J. Talbert, M.S., C.A.S., a clinical Ayurveda specialist in private practice, is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda.  He is a member of the California Association of Ayurveda Medicine, American Botanical Council and the American Herbalist Guild.  He has been a lifelong student of Yoga, Zen, Vipassana and Tibetan meditation and holistic health. 

As the continuing education arm of a prestigious university, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a transforming learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and personal development programs to support a diverse audience from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus events and activities. UC Irvine Extension continues to provide a university-level learning experience to all students. For more information about UC Irvine Extension’s Yoga Studies Program visit www.extension.uci.edu or call (949) 824-5414.