Congratulations to our 2025 Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Program Graduates on their Years-long Journey!
“I leave these studies feeling more integrated, awake, rooted in purpose, and I’ve come to understand that being an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist doesn’t mean having all the answers, it means walking beside someone, holding that space, and trusting the innate intelligence of the body and the spirit.” — Lizzy Lokamātrī Gamberdella, a graduate of the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy program, Class of 2025
Mount Madonna congratulates our newest graduates of the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy (AYT) program. Mount Madonna Institute’s 1,000-plus-hour program is accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and spans several years. In pursuit of AYT diplomas, the students were awarded additional diplomas along the way. Two students received diplomas as Ayurvedic Health Counselors (AHC), and two continued on to pursue a Master’s degree in Ayurveda (MA). All four students were awarded a certificate in Advanced Yoga Studies (YTT 300). These foundational studies prepared them for the integration portion of the AYT program, wherein they studied the sister sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda together and later applied their knowledge in a clinical setting.
An Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist is trained to utilize the various limbs of Yoga to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of the individual, viewing the person through an Ayurvedic lens. Through postures, breathing techniques, meditation, and other yogic practices, a therapist may guide a client in their own self-healing, facilitating self-discovery and self-regulation.
At Mount Madonna, master yogi Baba Hari Dass promoted both Yoga and Ayurveda as means for self-transformation. This new group of graduates will continue his legacy, bringing these millennia-old sister sciences into today’s busy world, using integrative practices to optimize well-being.
On Sunday, June 22, 2025, the graduates, together with Mount Madonna faculty and staff gathered for an online graduation ceremony. A common theme of this year’s graduation was “Teach to Learn,” a beloved quote by Baba Hari Dass, referring to the idea that teaching and learning are deeply intertwined. Many spoke to how the role of Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist is not one of certainty or authority, but of curiosity, humility, and continual self-study.
Carey Schlett, AYT program graduate, spoke to the personal transformation that accompanied the academic and clinical journey:
“I was reflecting back on this journey and where the seed was planted… It’s been quite a journey of self-exploration and study. ‘Teach to learn’ has been very much at the core of something I come back to over and over again, especially through this externship.”
Anna Castle, AYT program graduate:
“Stay hungry. Stay curious. Continue to learn. This medicine is a lifelong medicine, always evolving. I’m continually evolving and learning… I feel like Mount Madonna is my second family.”
Jen Rand, AYT program graduate, reflected on what it means to serve others through this work, while expressing gratitude for her time at Mount Madonna:
“The clients—you learn from them. It’s such a blessing. When people come to you as a client in Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy, it’s because they want to heal, it’s because they want to become a better person. It’s amazing to know that that’s the kind of people that I get to work with on a regular basis. And to [have the opportunity] to cultivate that idea of positive self-improvement in the world… This has just been an amazing satsang, and a container for me to learn; and therefore serve others.”
Lizzy Lokamātrī Gamberdella echoed Jen’s gratitude for Mount Madonna, saying:
“This was truly a path unfolded for me, and when I first began this journey, I knew I was stepping into some deep personal transformation. Honestly, it was more like jumping off a cliff than taking a step, but I knew the only place I could do that was at Mount Madonna… I think what makes Mount Madonna so unique isn’t just the curriculum, though it’s rich and true and rooted in tradition—it’s the environment… This place just holds you, gently and sometimes firmly, while asking you to shed what isn’t serving you… It creates this container for real transformation.”
She added:
“These past few years, we’ve studied the intricacies of the doshas, and the power of prana, and the deep, sacred connection between mind, body, and spirit. Most of all, we learned to listen. To really listen—not just to our clients, but to ourselves. That inner listening, that swadhyaya, has been one of the greatest teachings for me.”
Vishnu Dass, Ayurvedic Doctor, student of Baba Hari Dass, and the keynote speaker, shared a story about preparing for his very first yoga class:
“I went to Babaji, and I was nervous… I didn’t feel confident to teach a yoga class. And he said, ‘Teach to learn’… Teaching to learn is to remain curious. To remain curious as to even how we define Yoga, because each and every year, or each and every decade, or season in our life it is working through us and it is working on us and it takes a new shape.”
He went on to say:
“As we move through life, this practice of Yoga and Ayurveda and the coupling of them together is a way in order to navigate more gracefully the changes that are bound to occur… Remain curious about how [Yoga and Ayurveda] work together in your life. But also remain curious, and help your clients to remain curious, to what lies beyond all of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that color the experience of our life—and in whatever way we can help a person to remain curious and to slowly edge them towards that practice at a deeper and deeper level.”
Donna Rixmann, Mount Madonna Institute College of Ayurveda faculty member, offered her acknowledgment to the graduates:
“As you step into the world as an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, know that you have equipped yourself with the knowledge and the skills to not only heal others but also to inspire them.”
Rucha Kelkar, Chair of Mount Madonna Institute College of Ayurveda, shared her blessing:
“In a world that often moves too fast and forgets to breathe, you can now carry the ancient teachings of Yoga as well as Ayurveda to self-transformation, compassion, and deep inner connection. So may your hands bring healing, your words bring peace, and your presence bring balance wherever you go.”
And Sarada Diffenbaugh, former President of the Board of Directors of Mount Madonna Institute and current School of Yoga faculty member, reflected on what it means to truly embody the teachings:
“This sacred transference is at the heart of what Babaji taught us. Not to be like a parrot, who can recite the scriptures but can’t apply them, but to be a clear-minded aspirant who teaches to learn.”
The graduation program also included congratulatory messages from Swarup Wood, President of Mount Madonna Institute, Prabha Pacey, Hanuman Fellowship Executive Director, Soma Goresky, School of Yoga faculty member, an opening chant by Bhavani Siegel, School of Yoga faculty member, and a closing chant by Shanta Bulkin, College of Ayurveda faculty member.
The graduation closed with words from Kamalesh Hooven, AYT Program Director and Chair of Mount Madonna Institute School of Yoga, who conferred the diplomas and reminded the graduates of how far they’ve come—some completing five years of study, alongside obtaining other diplomas, certificates and trainings:
“I am so proud of you. I feel like you are embarking on a journey that Babaji would be so proud of, too… When you have Yoga and Ayurveda together, it is like one mother taking care of all the people who are looking for self-healing, self-transformation, and looking to love their most internal self.”
