Note from our Founder:
I met Susan when we opened the Ahara Rasa Ayurvedic Center, in 2012, in Portland, Oregon. I was struck by her humble and kind manner and the deliberate and deeply reverential manner in which she practiced and spoke of Ayurvedic Medicine. Her commitment to tradition as well as her flexibility in translating the ancient works to American students was inspiring and ultimately kept her in our orbit for years, as she went from practitioner to Founder of the Sarasvati Institute of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy, located in Portland Oregon. We have since met several wonderful students who have trained with her, as she continues to respectfully hold the line of Traditional Ayurveda in a country where it is being quickly commercialized.
In Service, Andrea
The Sarasvati Institute of Ancient Arts is a Vedic Immersion and Embodiment School. Our modes of embodiment are through the study and practice of Ayurveda and Yoga.
ARG
What lineage do you teach, and who are some of your most important teachers?
SUSAN
I teach the lineage of Mahavatar Babaji, Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar Giri, Paramahansa Yogananada, and Krishnamarcharya.
The Vedic Sciences saved my life. I left my job at The Wall St. Journal in 2003 to go study Yoga and Ayurveda because they had turned my health around after decades of searching. My main Ayurvedic teacher is Dr. Vasant Lad. His teachings through The Ayurvedic Institute and the Kripalu School of Ayurveda are where I received the bulk of my Ayurvedic and Yogic training.
ARG
Why is it important to teach Ayurveda online and make it accessible around the world?
SUSAN
This Universal knowledge from The Vedic Texts is needed so much in our day and age. The Vedic Sciences are for someone who loves ancient wisdom and wants to apply these time-tested principles based on the rhythms and cycles of nature to their own life. Not everyone has an Ayurvedic school in their neighborhood or even if they do, they may need to be able to access the classes on their own schedule due to family and work responsibilities.
ARG
How important is it to follow specific ancient processes, vs adapting Ayurveda to modern life?
Meeting people where they are is an important part of Ayurveda and Yoga. The Vedic Sciences are about recognizing and honoring someone’s individual needs, not trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
ARG
How does your school approach teaching the texts and is Sanskrit involved, or is that unnecessary in your opinion?
SUSAN
We do use Sanskrit words in our school. Sanskrit is a sacred language that when used helps to bring students into the expansive mindset that allows them to awaken this ancient Universal Vedic knowledge that is already inside of them.
ARG
What is your ultimate goal with your teaching and the impact you wish to have on the world?
Svasta or Embodiment is the goal. The tagline for our school is “Come Into Your Power”. The only way to Come Into Your Power is through a full integration of mind, body and spirit. This is where one has access to their own deep knowing and to their higher self. It is about full self-acutalization, which is the process of becoming everything one is capable of becoming. It is about teaching self-empowerment.
Please check out Susan's 3-minute Video here about The Sarasvati Institute: https://youtu.be/OaApH5L5jKY
Susan Bass -
Founder of the Sarasvati Institute for Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy
Susan Bass is a Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist who founded The Sarasvati Institute of Ayurveda & Yoga Therapy and the Sarasvati Mission (a non-profit dedicated to preserving the Vedic Sciences). She has been training people in the Vedic traditions for over 16 years. Susan teaches Ayurveda as Adjunct Faculty at the National University of Natural Medicine and the Institute of Digestive Health as well as teaching full time at The Sarasvati Institute. Susan has taught Ayurveda at OHSU Medical School, University of Portland School of Nursing and at Clark College.
Susan left her career at The Wall Street Journal in 2003 after Ayurveda saved her life as she wanted to share this ancient, sacred knowledge that helped her so much. Susan studied the Vedic Sciences at The Ayurvedic Institute, The Kripalu School of Ayurveda and Maharishi International University.
Susan Bass, Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner #23853029, NAMA Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist,
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
Susan has sold out for her fall cleanse, but that does not mean you can't benefit from doing one anyway! Check out this article, by Susan Bass on the top 10 reasons to cleanse in the fall.