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Join this Ayurveda weekend workshop with best-selling author Kate O’Donnell (Opens in new window). The event will include three separate workshops over the course of the weekend (details below). You may attend the whole weekend or a single day. We are offering reduced prices for students.

India’s ancient healing system of Ayurveda is based on maintaining balance in the mind and body through simple, accessible, diet and lifestyle modifications and body therapies like self-massage. This interactive masterclass will cover some basic principles of Ayurveda, and how seasonal changes and individualized daily routines can help us maintain health and longevity. Learn some basic tools, like circadian rhythms for sleep, meal spacing for digestion and metabolism, and more. This class is open to all who are interested in feeling amazing.

Cost:

• Community: full weekend $108 or $40/session, 
• UVA Staff & Faculty: full weekend $54 or $30/session, 
• UVA Students: full weekend $33 or $20/session
  Scholarship opportunities available. To inquire, please email us: csc@virginia.edu

Friday April 24, 2026 (4-6pm)

Introduction to Ayurveda 

India’s ancient healing system of Ayurveda is based on maintaining balance in the mind and body through simple, accessible, diet and lifestyle modifications and body therapies like self-massage. This interactive masterclass will cover some basic principles of Ayurveda, and how seasonal changes and individualized daily routines can help us maintain health and longevity. Learn some basic tools, like circadian rhythms for sleep, meal spacing for digestion and metabolism, and more. This class is open to all and will include practical self-care rituals for students, faculty, and staff on the go.

Saturday April 25, 2026 (10am-12pm)

Ayurveda and the Mind

Your mind holds the key to balance. In Ayurveda and the Mind, we’ll explore ancient wisdom and modern practices to shift mental states, improve mood, and deepen your yoga. Simple tools, lasting transformation. 

At the heart of this workshop are the Mahagunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—the three mental energies described in both Yoga and Ayurveda. These qualities are always at play, shaping our thoughts, moods, and behaviors. You’ll learn how they work, why they matter, and how cultivating Sattva—clarity, calm, and balance—supports mental health and overall wellbeing. You’ll leave with accessible, take-home practices to improve mood, focus, and emotional stability. Together, we’ll explore ancient teachings that remain strikingly relevant for today’s fast-paced world—offering everyday tools to stay steady, clear, and connected.

Sunday April 26, 2026 (12-2pm)

Food as Medicine for Digestion, Immunity, and Energy

Let’s talk about food. Turn your kitchen into a healing space by learning to use common ingredients and Ayurvedic spices and herbs to support healing at home. We will discuss Ayurveda’s classification of food and spices as medicine for daily nourishment, and for common complaints such as cold symptoms, indigestion, constipation, inflammation, lethargy, and low immunity. Learn how to make and use brain and reproductive tonics, teas, digestives, and more. In addition to understanding food through this lens, learn when and how to use food as medicine for optimal results, and go home with some new recipes. Discover Kitchen Alchemy and leave with some yummy food.

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About Kate O’Donnell

Kate O’Donnell has spent the last twenty-five years traveling through the far-reaches of India in search of ancient healing practices to bring back to the United States. Through her own healing journey, Kate experienced first hand how a holistic system creates lasting health. Her 20 years of practicing Ashtanga yoga in Mysore led to Level 2 authorization, and she also studied Ayurveda throughout. She’s since emerged as a preeminent expert in Ayurveda—the sister science to Yoga—and has built her own method customized for modern Americans. Her individualized approach—“guiding from disease to ease”—has transformed the lives of thousands of people and made her one of the most respected thought-leaders in holistic medicine. Kate is a four-time bestselling author of the Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook series, host of the Everyday Ayurveda podcast, international speaker and the founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institute where she has educated a generation of practitioners.