Yogic Studies

What Yogic Studies does

Yogic Studies is a privately held, bootstrapped e-learning company founded in 2018 by Seth Powell, a Harvard PhD candidate in South Asian Religions. The company delivers online, university-level courses on yoga history and philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Tantra, and South Asian classical languages (Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan, Pali, Greek, Latin). Its primary audience is yoga practitioners and teachers seeking scholarly grounding for their practice, graduate students in religious studies and Indology, yoga teacher training programs supplementing their curricula, and curious adult learners interested in Indic traditions. The platform is faculty-led, with courses taught by active research scholars including Dr. Mark Singleton, Dr. James Mallinson, Dr. Antonia Ruppel, and Dr. Philipp Maas.

The platform is built on commercial SaaS infrastructure rather than proprietary technology: Kajabi powers course delivery and content management, Zoom handles synchronous live sessions, and Circle hosts the private online community. The core product is a membership program (annual at $800 or monthly at $75) granting access to 1,000+ hours of recorded and live courses across multiple academic tracks. Three advanced certificate programs anchor the credentialed offering—Yogic Studies Advanced Certificate Program (YSACP), Buddhist Studies Advanced Certificate Program (BSACP), and Sanskrit Advanced Certificate Program (SACP)—each requiring roughly 70 credits and culminating in a graduate seminar with a research or translation project. Individual courses are priced $90–$375 with lifetime access.

Revenue is generated through recurring subscriptions, individual course purchases, certificate registration fees, conference recordings, and emerging experiential offerings such as the Sacred Sites of Tamil Nadu travel program. Distribution is purely digital and self-serve, supported by three topical podcasts, a content blog, email lead capture, the annual Yogavidyā online conference, and Yoga Alliance CE credit eligibility for registered yoga teachers. In July 2022, Yogic Studies merged with Buddhist Studies Online (BSO) and has since added two new certificate programs (SACP, BSACP), signaling organic, founder-led expansion of its academic product surface within a niche market.

Name

Yogic Studies

Legal name

Yogic Studies, LLC

Website

https://yogicstudies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yogic Studies operates an online education platform offering university-level courses on yoga studies, Buddhist studies, Sanskrit, and South Asian languages. It serves yoga practitioners, teachers, graduate students, and curious learners globally through subscription memberships, individual courses, and certificate programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD), Live Online Language Tutoring & Small-Group Classes (EDAMAFAD), Faculty-Led Study Tours & Embedded Short Programs (Home Institution-Led) (EDAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Yoga studies courses
• Sanskrit language instruction
• Buddhist studies education
• Yoga teacher training
• University certificate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Calistoga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Membership: The primary revenue stream is the YS Membership Program offering three tiers: a free 14-day trial, annual subscription at $800/year, and monthly subscription at $75/month. Subscribers receive access to all YS + BS courses, Sanskrit introductory courses (SKT 100a and 100b), recorded conferences, book club, and the private online community.
2. Individual Course Purchases: Courses are available for individual purchase separate from membership. Prices range from $90 USD for introductory courses (e.g., SKT 100a Devanāgarī Seminar) to $375 USD for comprehensive courses (e.g., SKT 101 Elementary Sanskrit I). Individual purchases provide lifetime access to course content.
3. Advanced Certificate Programs: Three certificate programs (YSACP, BSACP, SACP) each requiring a one-time $25 USD registration fee plus individual course purchases. The programs offer structured academic tracks culminating in graduate seminars and final projects. Course costs typically range from $300-375 USD each.
4. Yoga Alliance CE Credits: Online courses are eligible for Continuing Education (CE) credit hours with Yoga Alliance for registered yoga teachers, providing an additional revenue-adjacent value proposition rather than direct revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Yogic Studies operates a subscription-based online learning platform that delivers university-level courses in yoga studies, Buddhist studies, Sanskrit language, and other South Asian classical languages. The platform offers a Membership Program granting access to 1,000+ hours of recorded and live courses, supplemented by three Advanced Certificate Programs (YSACP, BSACP, SACP) that provide structured 70-credit curricula culminating in graduate seminars. Individual courses can also be purchased a la carte, with lifetime access.

Product overview

Yogic Studies is an online education platform offering university-level courses in yoga studies, Buddhism, Sanskrit, and South Asian languages. The core offering is a subscription-based Membership Program providing access to 1,000+ hours of courses, supplemented by three Advanced Certificate Programs (YSACP for Yoga Studies, BSACP for Buddhist Studies, SACP for Sanskrit). The platform offers seminar courses (YS/BS series) and language courses (Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan, Pali, Latin, Greek). Additional offerings include three podcasts, the Yogavidyā annual conference, a private community hosted on Circle, and Yoga Alliance CE credit eligibility. The platform is powered by Kajabi and courses are delivered via Zoom for live sessions with self-study options available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YS Membership Program Subscription-based access to 1,000+ hours of YS and BS courses including all current, recorded, and future offerings. Includes introductory Sanskrit courses (SKT 100a + 100b), recorded conferences, Book Club, and private community access. Annual subscription at $800/year, monthly subscription at $75/month with two-month minimum, and 14-day free trial.
• Yogic Studies Advanced Certificate Program (YSACP) University-level certificate program in Yoga Studies featuring 70 credits of core curriculum and electives, self-paced customizable online curriculum, world-renowned faculty, progress tracking dashboard, culminating in a final research paper or translation project, with the opportunity to present at the Graduate Symposium.
• Buddhist Studies Advanced Certificate Program (BSACP) University-level certificate program in Buddhist Studies drawing on cutting-edge research. Includes 18 credits of core curriculum, 24 credits of 100-level electives, 5 credits of 200-level text study, 15 credits of elementary language training (Pali, Sanskrit, or Tibetan), and a graduate seminar with research project.
• Sanskrit Advanced Certificate Program (SACP) Comprehensive Sanskrit studies certificate program providing training in Sanskrit language (Classical, Epic, Vedic, Modern Spoken) and literature (epic, narrative, philosophy, poetry). Introduces academic study aspects including manuscripts, scripts, commentaries, textual criticism, and Pāṇinian grammar. Culminates in a graduate seminar with translation project. 70 total credits, 2.5-4 years average completion.
• Language Courses (Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan, Pali, Latin, Greek) Online language instruction in Sanskrit (SKT series), Hindi, Tibetan, Pali, Latin, and Greek. Courses range from 100-level (elementary, 12 weeks) to 300-level (advanced), plus spoken Sanskrit courses. Available both live (with weekly lectures and Q&A) and as self-study. Individual courses priced from $90 (introductory SKT 100a) to $375 (SKT 101 Elementary Sanskrit I), with lifetime access on purchase.
• Seminar Courses (YS/BS Series) University-level courses in yoga studies, Indian philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Tantra, and South Asian religions. YS 100-level courses are 4-week survey courses; 200-level courses are advanced text-study courses running 5-7 weeks. Available in live and self-study formats, individually purchasable with lifetime access.
• Yogavidyā Conference Recordings On-demand recordings of the Yogavidyā annual conference featuring presentations and keynotes from the 3-day event with 28 leading global yoga scholars from Indology, Anthropology, Religious Studies, and Art History. Available for individual purchase or included in YS Membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of students worldwide have completed courses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SOAS Centre of Yoga StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024SOAS University of London's Centre of Yoga Studies collaborated with Yogic Studies to host the Yogavidyā 2024 Conference, featuring 28 leading scholars. Yogic Studies founder Seth Powell serves as Teaching Assistant and maintains ongoing relationships with SOAS scholars and students.
• Haṭha Yoga Project (SOAS, ERC-funded)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The five-year European Research Council-funded Haṭha Yoga Project based at SOAS University of London (2015-2020) involved workshops for scholars working on critical editions of Sanskrit yoga texts. Yogic Studies founder Seth Powell participated in project activities and fieldwork, contributing to academic research outputs including edited volumes.
• Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Shahid Rasheed, a Yogic Studies student who completed three elementary Sanskrit courses on the platform, now teaches Sanskrit at LUMS in Pakistan. This represents an indirect educational impact rather than formal partnership, but demonstrates the platform's role in developing educators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses): Subscription and individual-purchase streaming platform delivering university-level courses taught by world-class experts across humanities, languages, and religion. Strongly comparable in expert-led, university-quality, subscription-and-bundle course model spanning Sanskrit, religious studies, and philosophy.
• Mindvalley: Online personal development platform offering expert-led courses on consciousness, spirituality, and self-growth with annual membership pricing. Overlaps directly with Yogic Studies in the spiritual/self-development subscription model and expert-instructor positioning.
• Sounds True: Multimedia publisher offering courses, books, and audio programs on spirituality, mindfulness, yoga, and contemplative traditions. Highly comparable subscription and individual-purchase model serving the same spiritually-curious learner segment with similar pricing tiers.
• Yoga International: Subscription-based online yoga education platform offering courses on philosophy, history, practice, and teacher training. Closely comparable as a subscription-first platform teaching yoga philosophy, history, and Sanskrit within the same practitioner-and-teacher audience.
• Gaia: Subscription streaming platform with thousands of yoga, meditation, and consciousness-oriented films, documentaries, and original series. Comparable subscription-first digital model targeting the same yoga and spiritual-practice audience with similar content depth claims.

Emerging players

• DailyOM: Online learning and community platform for mindfulness, meditation, and personal growth courses with subscription and individual course purchasing. Comparable digital learning subscription model for spiritually-curious learners, though with broader and less academically rigorous content.
• Bodhiyasa Sanskrit Studies: Online platform offering Sanskrit language courses with structured curricula for beginners through advanced learners. Comparable in Sanskrit language instruction niche, with a narrower scope (language only) than Yogic Studies' broader yoga/Buddhist studies coverage.

Broad incumbents

• MasterClass: Subscription streaming platform offering courses taught by world-renowned experts across disciplines. Comparable expert-led premium subscription positioning, though with broader celebrity/famous-instructor framing rather than academic-specialist depth.
• Coursera: Large online learning platform partnering with universities to offer courses, certificates, and degrees across religious studies, philosophy, and languages. Comparable in online certificate programs and university-quality Sanskrit/Hindu/Buddhist studies offerings, but at much larger scale and lower specialization.

Others

• SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies: Academic research center at SOAS University of London focused on critical scholarship on yoga traditions. A partner rather than competitor, but the most authoritative academic reference point in the field and a natural institutional benchmark for Yogic Studies' positioning as a bridge between scholarship and practitioner education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yogic_studies
• Facebookfacebook.com/YogicStudies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yogic-studies

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yogic Studies