The Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University provides the  study of the Yoga tradition from multiple perspectives.  The graduate program is designed to help students explore the Yoga tradition through various critical methodologies. The program meets the needs of Yoga students and teachers who are seeking to enhance their knowledge of the Yoga tradition in both theory and practice.

The M.A. in Yoga Studies curriculum includes courses on the history and philosophy of Yoga, its primary classical textual resources and language, its health benefits, and its relation to religion and spirituality.  Students learn various forms of Yoga practice, both ancient and modern, its place within world spirituality, and the techniques utilized for the teaching of Yoga. 

Graduate students in the program are exposed to various modalities of learning, which include participation in class lecture, studio classes, study in India and independent research.  The program produces knowledgeable leaders in the field of Yoga, equipped to teach the academic component of Yoga, its history and philosophy,  as well as to open centers and studios for the study and practice of Yoga, and to conduct trainings for Yoga teachers.  It is also possible for our graduates to apply for Ph.D. programs in related fields.

Yoga Studies graduate students will enter each summer or fall as a cohort, and complete the program within two years of study.  Study in India is included in the curriculum.  In addition to the Master’s degree, each of our graduate students is eligible for a 500 EYT designation from Yoga Alliance, the professional registry for Yoga teachers.

Yoga is regularly practiced by an estimated 20 million Americans.  Its origins date back at least two thousand years to  the Indian subcontinent.  It has been linked with practices of meditation in Buddhism, ethics in Jainism, and movement and breathing in medieval Hindu spiritual practices.  The traditions and practices of Yoga have been embraced by Muslims (particularly in India) and Sikhs, and, for more than a century, by many Jews and Christians.  The health benefits of Yoga have been well-documented.

Cambridge University scholar, Elizabeth de Michelis, has written that Yoga offers "some solace, physical, psychological, or spiritual, in a world where solace and reassurance are sometimes elusive."  This formal course of study in Yoga advances the mission of Loyola Marymount University, particularly the commitment to learning, and the education of the whole person.

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