Pandit Vamadeva Shastri (Dr. Frawley) and Yogini Shambhavi accept a few private students for spiritual training at an individual level apart from the formal trainings mentioned above. Such study emphasizes direct guidance in Yoga sadhana. It requires special initiation and provides the aspirant with inner practices of Yoga, mantra and meditation. It is mainly for those who have already taken courses, retreats or consultations with Vamadeva and Shambhavi and is not open to the general public like the Ayurvedic courses.

Both Vamadeva and Shambhavi provide Consultations and Retreats through which such more personal instruction may be accessed. One can email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your request if you are interested in such programs. There are two possibilities for this study: The Inner Yoga Shakti Sadhana program with Yogini Shambhavi and the Vedic Teachers Program with Acharya Vamadeva, indicated below: 

1. Inner Yoga Program - Shakti Sadhana - Mantra Initiation with Shambhavi

Yogini Shambhavi provides special instruction in the worship of the Devi (Shakti or Divine Mother) through mantra, ritual and meditation for qualified students. Shambhavi is one of the few authentic living teachers of Shakti Sadhana who can teach the deeper secrets of its practice, as revealed in her beautiful books on the Goddess. She shares these teachings in the practice of Yogini Dharma or 'Way of the Yogini' for her students. This includes working with various forms of the Goddess including Durga, Kali, Sundari, Matangi, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. Shambhavi provides Devi Mantra initiation for those she deems suitable for this approach, according to the forms of the Devi she feels most appropriate.

Recommended Background Study Texts:
     Yogini: Unfolding the Goddess Within (Shambhavi)
     Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess (Shambhavi)
     Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses (Dr. Frawley)
     Inner Tantric Yoga (Dr. Frawley)

2. Vedic Teacher Private Study Program - Vedic Yoga

This special program in Vedic studies aims at training selected individuals as authentic Vedic teachers. Its focus is the Vedic Yoga and its practices of mantra, pranayama and meditation relative to the background of Vedantic philosophy and Sanatana Dharma. It includes an extensive study of Vedic texts and an ability to expound their main teachings. It is mainly for advanced students who feel a special spiritual affinity with Dr. Frawley's Vedic work. Works of Ganapati Muni, Brahmarshi Daivarata, Sri Aurobindo and Ram Swarup form the background of the teaching.

There are three levels of instruction, each requiring 1200 hours of guided study and practice. Levels two and three require the ability to study Vedic texts in the original Sanskrit and comment on their meaning. There is no formal set of instructional materials. It varies according to student, who however must demonstrate affinity with this path and approach, which has high standards, including requiring some knowledge of Sanskrit, both in its classical and Vedic forms.

Recommended Background Study Texts (by Dr. Frawley):
     Yoga and the Sacred Fire: Self-realization and Planetary Transformation
     Wisdom of the Ancient Seers: Selected Mantras of the Rig Veda
     Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization
     Hinduism, the Eternal Tradition (Sanatana Dharma)
     Hidden Horizons (Unearthing 10,000 Years of Indian Culture)

Level 1: Vedakovid (Proficiency in Vedic Knowledge)
Proficiency in Vedic Sciences, with an overall understanding of Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra, and Vedanta in terms of primary principles and practices and the ability to expound them. An understanding of the Vedas, their teachings and the background system of Hinduism/ Sanatana Dharma.

Level 2: Vedavisharada (Comprehensive Vedic Knowledge)
Comprehensive knowledge of Vedic science relative to all four Vedas in their Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad portions, including an ability to conduct research and correlate Vedic teachings with those of later Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology and Vedanta.

Level 3: Vedacharya (Master Teacher of Vedic Knowledge)
Ability to teach all aspects of Vedic knowledge, including explaining and expounding the mantras of the Rig Veda and the philosophy of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata.