As far as getting an Ayurvedic Education..you should probably do some research if you are really serious about it. It really depends on what your trying to do with the education...how far you really want to go with it. Some questions you should ask of any school you are looking into are> how many hours are they providing...this is very important. To be a true Ayurvedic "practitioner" one would need at least 5,000 hours of study (BAMS degree.) My practitiioner has over 13,000 (he is MD.) Is it realistic to think that anyone would be a specialist in anything after only 700 hours of training? Another question would be about the director of any program you might be looking into......how many hours or training does he/she have?? Did they learn from a recognized institution? Did they receive any training in India or even from an Indian? How many hours of training do the staff teachers have? What is the graduation/drop out average per year? Are there more drop outs then graduations? Are there hidden costs? And of course, does the syllabus really match up to what you want to learn.
After mentally asking yourself all of these questions....listen to your heart. Do you feel that the program your interested in has integrity? Afer all is said and done, that should give you the truest answer.

Word of advice...Ayurveda and Ayurveda schools are becoming a big buisness in this country..watch out for marketing ploys.

Hey there LaLa -

I am currently enrolled at the CCA (I live nearby) so I go there full time. I just started the program at the beginning of October but so far I love it. Everyone seems very knowledgeable and experienced. It is truly a lot to learn and the program itself is going to be challenging but its just a matter of how committed I am. From what I understand from this program, at the end (In 2 years) and after your internship you could be considered a CAS (clinical ayurvedic specialist) not a physician but you can make recommendations for lifestyle choices etc, and always refer to a doctor for diagnosis. You can also continue your education after that point if you wish to get into a more medical aspect. You should ask them to send you a bunch of information so you can read it over. Also, Dr Halpern who is the director is VERY willing to talk to the students and answer any questions you have.

If you have any other questions, please ask. Again I havent even been in the program for a whole month yet, but I will try and answer any questions. =)

Good luck on your search.