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The Bright Moon Institute
124-Hour Certified Ayurvedic Bodywork Practitioner (CABP)
An artful, advanced journey in the skillful healing arts
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Revision September, 2025
Program Overview
Enter a living tradition where touch, breath, oil, herb, heat, and presence weave together as medicine for body and mind. The Certified Ayurvedic Bodywork Practitioner (CABP) program is a beautiful, practice-rich immersion that blends classical Ayurvedic bodywork with contemporary professional standards. Through disciplined technique, ritual attentiveness, and reflective clinical practice, you'll cultivate hands that are both precise and poetic—hands that nourish tissue, calm the nervous system, and honor the elemental wisdom at the heart of Ayurveda.
Format
Professional certificate with integrated theory, technique labs, and supervised clinic
Total Hours
124 contact hours
Learning Mix
~6% theory / 94% hands-on practice
Credential Awarded
Certified Ayurvedic Bodywork Practitioner (CABP)
Who This Program Is For
Massage therapists, bodyworkers, holistic health practitioners, yoga and movement professionals, nurses, and wellness providers called to deepen their embodied craft and offer clients restorative, culturally respectful Ayurvedic bodywork experiences.
This transformative program beckons to those who understand that healing extends far beyond technique—it emerges from the sacred marriage of ancient wisdom and skillful hands. Whether you've spent years working with the human form or are newly drawn to the healing arts, this immersion will deepen your capacity to hold space for profound restoration.
Our students arrive with diverse backgrounds but share a common thread: a deep reverence for the body's innate wisdom and a desire to serve as conduits for healing. They seek to expand their therapeutic repertoire while honoring the rich lineage of Ayurvedic tradition with cultural humility and authentic respect.
Prerequisites
Foundational Knowledge
Essential understanding of human anatomy, physiology, and massage therapy forms the bedrock of your Ayurvedic studies. This foundation ensures you can integrate ancient techniques with modern safety protocols and anatomical awareness.
Your prior training provides the scaffolding upon which we'll build sophisticated Ayurvedic applications. Whether gained through formal massage therapy education, nursing studies, or extensive bodywork practice, this knowledge allows you to appreciate the profound intersections between Eastern and Western approaches to healing.
Physical & Clinical Readiness
Physical and clinical readiness for hands-on, oil-based Ayurvedic practices and thermal applications ensures both your safety and your clients' wellbeing throughout this intensive program.
This readiness encompasses not only physical stamina for extensive hands-on practice but also emotional preparedness for the depth of connection that Ayurvedic bodywork facilitates. Students must be comfortable with oil-based treatments, temperature variations, and the intimate nature of therapeutic touch within professional boundaries.
Graduate Outcomes — What You'll Be Able to Do
Master Abhyanga Technique
Deliver Abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massage) with confident body mechanics, rhythmic pacing, and herbal medium selection that honors both tradition and therapeutic efficacy.
Apply Marma Principles
Apply Marma principles safely to support ease, clarity, and energetic balance within massage scope, understanding these vital points as gateways to deeper healing.
Provide Specialized Treatments
Offer Shirodhara, Picchu, Potli, Swedhana, External Dough Bastis, and Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda using professional set-up, sanitation, temperature control, and client education.
Design Treatment Series
Design Panchakarma-inspired bodywork series for wellness support (non-medical), adapting to constitution, season, and client goals with sophisticated clinical reasoning.
Practice Ethical Communication
Communicate with consent-forward, trauma-sensitive language; document with concise SOAP notes; and practice cultural humility and ethical stewardship of tradition.
Integrate Holistic Presence
Integrate polarity concepts, breath, and mindful presence to create coherent, therapeutic sessions that feel both grounded and artful, embodying the poetry of healing touch.
Curriculum & Hours (Total: 124)

Regulatory Notes
  • Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology & Pathology: 0 hours as a separate category; applied A&P content is woven into technique modules.
  • General Instruction (embedded): 88 hours of content (history/philosophy, ethics, cultural humility, sanitation & set-up, client communication, herbal media safety) are integrated across the 88 hours of coursework above and are not additive to the 124-hour total.

Full curriculum and course syllabi available at

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Course Sequence (Modular Intensives)
Each academic module below is 8 hours; together they comprise 88 hours of coursework, followed by the supervised clinic.
1
AYURVEDA-0101 – Introduction to Ayurvedic Bodywork
Touching the Elements – Foundations of Healing in the Ayurvedic Tradition — 8h
2
AYURVEDA-0201 – Abhyanga Ayurvedic Oil Massage
The Art of Sacred Anointing and Therapeutic Nourishment — 8h
3
AYURVEDA-0202 – Marma Therapy
Touching the Threshold: Energy Points of Healing, Intuition, and Vital Intelligence — 8h
4
AYURVEDA-0203 – Shirodhara
The Sacred Stream: Stillness, Clarity, and Soma in Practice — 8h
5
AYURVEDA-0204 – Polarity Therapy
The Dance of Energy: Balancing the Vital Flow — 8h
6
AYURVEDA-0205 – Swedhana (Sweat Therapy)
Awakening Vitality Through Heat and Herbal Wisdom — 8h
7
AYURVEDA-0206 – Potli Massage
Herbal Compress Therapy for Deep Healing and Renewal — 8h
8
AYURVEDA-0207 – Picchu Therapy
Nurturing Deep Balance with Ayurvedic Oil Application — 8h
9
AYURVEDA-0208 – External Dough Bastis
Sacred Boundaries of Healing: Localized Ayurvedic Oil Treatments — 8h
10
AYURVEDA-0209 – Shashtika Shali Pinda Sweda
Rejuvenating Rice Bolus Therapy for Strength, Tone, Nourishment & Vitality — 8h
11
AYURVEDA-0210 – Panchakarma-Inspired Bodywork Series
Designing Sacred Sequences: Clinical Craftsmanship in Ayurvedic Healing — 8h

CLINIC-0411 – Student Clinical Practicum: Ayurvedic Bodywork
Harmonizing Wisdom and Touch: A Poetic Journey into Clinical Practice — 36h (supervised)
Program Flow — An Advanced Journey of Craft & Presence
I. Orientation to Tradition (Root)
Elemental theory, doshic perspectives, oil/herb selection, temperature and pace, sanitation and set-up, consent-forward communication, and scope of practice form the foundational understanding that grounds all subsequent learning.
Like roots that anchor a great tree, this phase establishes the philosophical and practical foundation that will support your entire practice. You'll develop cultural humility while gaining confidence in the safety protocols and ethical considerations that ensure both reverence and professionalism.
II. Technique Immersions (Trunk)
Daily labs in Abhyanga, Marma, Swedhana, Potli, Picchu, Shirodhara, Bastis, and Shashtika. Emphasis on body mechanics, temperature control, draping, station management, and client comfort creates the strong core of practical competency.
This intensive hands-on phase builds your technical fluency through repetition, refinement, and embodied learning. Each technique becomes a language of healing that you'll speak with increasing eloquence and confidence.
III. Clinical Design & Sequencing (Branches)
Assessment within massage scope, session intent, constitutional and seasonal considerations, contraindications and red flags, and Panchakarma-inspired bodywork series planning develop your clinical reasoning and creative artistry.
Like branches that reach toward light while remaining connected to the trunk, this phase extends your capabilities into sophisticated treatment design that honors both individual needs and traditional principles.
IV. Supervised Practicum (Blossom)
Client intake, informed consent, session delivery, safe clean-up and oil management, SOAP documentation, and reflective debriefs that refine artistry and professionalism represent the full flowering of your integrated skills.
In this culminating phase, all elements come together in real-world application. Under careful supervision, you'll discover the unique expression of healing that emerges when technique, wisdom, and presence unite in service to others.
Safety, Scope & Professionalism

Contraindications & Precautions
  • Fever or active infection
  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Anticoagulants/bleeding risk
  • Cardiac/renal compromise for heat therapies
  • Open wounds/skin conditions
  • Pregnancy-specific considerations
  • Post-surgical timing
Scope of Practice
This program trains wellness-oriented bodywork; it does not diagnose or treat disease. Certain applications (e.g., Shirodhara, dough bastis, steam/heat) may be regulated in some jurisdictions—follow local law and your professional scope.
Understanding your scope protects both you and your clients while ensuring that Ayurvedic techniques complement rather than replace appropriate medical care. This clarity supports ethical practice and professional longevity.
Cultural Stewardship
Teach and practice with respect for Ayurvedic lineage, accurate attribution, and client-centered language that honors the sacred origins of these healing arts while making them accessible to contemporary practitioners.
Cultural humility isn't simply political correctness—it's a pathway to deeper understanding and more authentic practice. When we approach tradition with reverence and accuracy, we become worthy vessels for its transformative power.
Assessment & Completion
Skills Check-offs
Demonstration of competency for each modality ensures that you can perform every technique safely, effectively, and with professional confidence.
Knowledge Assessments
Short knowledge checks on safety, set-up, media, and sequencing verify your understanding of the theoretical foundations that inform skillful practice.
Clinical Performance
Satisfactory performance in 36 hours of supervised clinic and professional conduct demonstrates your readiness for independent practice.
Upon successful completion: Award of Certified Ayurvedic Bodywork Practitioner (CABP).
This certification represents more than technical competency—it signifies your initiation into a lineage of healers who understand that therapeutic touch, when infused with ancient wisdom and contemporary professionalism, becomes a bridge between suffering and wholeness. You'll join a community of practitioners committed to serving healing with both skill and reverence.
Program at a Glance
Location
The Bright Moon Institute — Santa Fe, NM
Total Hours
124 (8 theory / 116 practice)
Highlights: Abhyanga • Marma • Shirodhara • Swedhana • Potli • Picchu • External Bastis • Shashtika • Panchakarma-inspired series • Clinical practicum • Ethics & cultural humility (embedded)
An artful, advanced practitioner
rooted in tradition, fluent in touch, and ready to serve
Admissions & Next Steps
01
Confirm Prerequisites
Confirm prerequisites and your jurisdiction's scope requirements to ensure this program aligns with your professional goals and regulatory context.
02
Connect with Admissions
Connect with Admissions to review upcoming cohort dates and discuss how this transformative program can serve your unique healing journey.
03
Prepare Documentation
Prepare documentation of prior training and readiness for immersive, oil-based practice to streamline your enrollment process.
The healing arts call to those who sense that touch, when informed by ancient wisdom and contemporary skill, becomes a doorway to transformation. If you feel this calling stirring within you, we invite you to step through that doorway and discover what awaits on the other side.
At The Bright Moon Institute, we understand that choosing advanced training represents both a professional commitment and a personal pilgrimage. Our admissions process honors both aspects, ensuring that each student enters our program with clarity about expectations, requirements, and the profound journey ahead.

The Institute may refine sequencing or hour allocation to uphold educational quality and align with evolving professional standards.