SPEAKERS (listed alphabetically)

JULIENNE BOWER, PhD
Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

SHERRY BROURMAN, PT
Los Angeles, California

As a physical therapist for thirty years, Sherry's focus has always been using movement both to understand injury and pain, and as a healing tool. The movement that she has studied most deeply is walking, inspiring her first book, Walk Yourself Well, which describes how to remodel gait to balance the body. In the last decade, she has explored ways that Yoga and physical therapy collaborate, which has inspired her second book, currently underway. Sherry teaches Yoga, teacher trainings, and physical therapy seminars nationwide.

JNANI CHAPMAN RN, CYT, CMT
Clinical Specialist in Complementary Medicine
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
University of California, San Francisco 

A Yoga teacher since 1975, Jnani specializes in teaching people with cancer, heart disease, and chronic illness. A former executive director of IAYT, Jnani was also a stress management specialist for the UCSF/CPMC Breast Cancer Complementary Support Program, and for Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. She conducts an annual advanced teacher training in adaptive Yoga for people with cancer or chronic illness. Jnani has also taught and practiced massage, specializing in acupressure for symptom relief.

Christopher Key Chapple, PhD
Professor of Theological Studies
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

A specialist in the religions of India, Chris has published a dozen books, including translations of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Haribhadra's Yogadrstisamuccaya. He established the Yoga Philosophy Certificate program at Loyola Marymount University, which has grown to include programs and special events in Yoga Therapy, Vinyasa Krama Yoga, and Yoga and Ecology.

RAJASHREE CHOUDHURY
Los Angeles, California

While teaching Yoga throughout the world and the United States, Rajashree most enjoys teaching with her husband, Bikram Choudhury who is known for his system of Bikram Yoga. Rajashree specializes in Yoga therapy for persons with chronic diseases and disorders. She co-manages the Bikram Yoga teacher training course and teaches pregnancy Yoga classes. Rajashree has appeared on many national television programs in the United States and abroad, and conducts seminars worldwide promoting the benefits of Yoga. Among her many pet projects are the KarmaforKids Yoga camp for children with cancer and the annual International Yoga Asana Championships.

IAN COOK, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Laboratory of Brain, Behavior, and Pharmacology
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
University of California, Los Angeles
 

I an is a lead investigator in clinical research on depression at UCLA. His work has examined the relationship between mind, brain, and body in health and illness, and he has been funded by the NIH to study the relationships between brain function and emotion to improve treatments for depression. A board-certified psychiatrist, he is president-elect of the West Coast College of Biological Psychiatry, editor for Mood Disorders for the online medical journal, CogentMedicine.com, and a member of the Executive Committee on Practice Guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association.

ELEANOR CRISWELL, EdD
Professor of Psychology
Sonoma State University
Novato, California

Eleanor is secretary and treasurer of IAYT. She has taught the Psychology of Yoga course for 37 years at Sonoma State University. She is the co-founder and director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, and editor of Somatics, a journal of the mind-body arts and sciences. Her books include How Yoga Works:An Introduction to Somatic Yoga and Biofeedback and Somatics:Toward Personal Evolution. Eleanor is the author of numerous articles on Yoga and the creator of Somatic Yoga.

NISCHALA JOY DEVI
Fairfax, California

Nischala is a masterful and compassionate teacher and healer. She was a monastic student of Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and spent over 18 years receiving his direct guidance and teachings. During her time as a monk, she began to blend Western medicine with Yoga and meditation. She then offered her expertise in developing the Yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease, where she subsequently served as director of stress management. Her book The Healing Path of Yoga is now in its fifth printing. Inspired by great women teachers, Nischala's new book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman's guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras, helps to infuse these ancient teachings with love and compassion. 

LOREN FISHMAN, MD
New York City, New York

Loren is a Rehabilitation Medicine specialist in New York City, with particular expertise in electrodiagnosis. After receiving his B.Phil. from Oxford University, he spent a year in Pune, India with BKS Iyengar and has used Yoga in his practice ever since. He has written five books on medical topics, including Relief is in the Stretch: Cure Back Pain Through Yoga with Carol Ardman and Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis with Eric Small. He is on the faculty at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is associate editor of Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. He has been cited in Best Doctors in America, Castle and Connolley's Best Doctors, and "Best of the Best" 19 times since 1997.

LILIAS FOLAN
Cincinnati, Ohio

Lilias served as President of IAYT for two terms. She is the host of the long running PBS Yoga Series, Lilias!. Lilias is the author of Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age and a contributing writer for Yoga + Joyful Living (formerly Yoga International magazine). She recently participated in the New York Times speakers series.

AMY GAGE, CYT, RYT
Mill Valley, California

Amy is a student of Sri Swami Veda Bharati. She helped organize the International Conference on Science and Meditation at the Swami Rama Himalayan Institute Trust Hospital, in Jolly Grant, Dehradun, India, 2002. Since 1989, she has been meditating with the research participants of the Life Style Heart Trial at the Preventive Medicine Institute, founded by Dean Ornish, MD.

JANICE GATES
San Anselmo, California

Janice is the vice president of IAYT and the founding director of the Yoga Garden in San Anselmo, California. She began her studies of Yoga and meditation in 1988 and has been teaching since 1992. She has served on the faculty of the Yoga Research and Education Center, and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Janice has worked as a Yoga therapist in both private practice and clinical settings, and leads retreats around the world. Her first book, Yogini, about women and Yoga, will be published in September 2006.

PHILIPPE GOLDIN, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Psychology
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California 

Philippe is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. His clinical research focuses on (a) functional neuroimaging investigations of core cognitive affective mechanisms in both healthy adults and in patients with various forms of psychopathology, (b) the effect of mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy on neural substrates of emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and attention regulation, and (c) the effect of child-parent mindfulness meditation training on anxiety, compassion, and quality of family interactions.

CALVIN HOBEL, MD
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles

Calvin joined Cedars Sinai Medical Center in 1983, where he serves as the Miriam Jacobs Chair in Maternal Fetal Medicine. He established the Los Angeles Best Babies Program funded by First Five L.A., and currently has four NIH Grants. One of these grants is part of the new NIH Community Child Health Network to address the disparities in birth outcome between African Americans and Caucasians. His main research interest is the study of maternal and environmental stress as a contributing factor in the etiology of preterm birth and poor fetal growth. For the past two years Calvin has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the March of Dimes and helped write the recent position paper on the future of research for the prevention of preterm birth. 

DAVID HURWITZ
Los Angeles, California

David lives in Los Angeles, where he practices, teaches, and writes about Yoga. He has been studying the Yoga of Krishnamacharya since 1990, first with A.G. Mohan of Madras, India, and then with Gary Kraftsow, receiving the teacher training certificate from the American Viniyoga Institute. For the past few years, he has been studying with Srivatsa Ramaswami. Together, they have recently completed a new book, Yoga Beneath the Surface.

BRADLY JACOBS, MD, MPH
Integrative Medicine Physician
Director, Integrative Hospital Consultation Service
University of California, San Francisco 

Bradly is the founding medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medicine at UCSF. He is board-certified in internal medicine and has studied acupuncture, Yoga, and martial arts. Bradly also has advanced training in clinical trials research, and he maintains active research programs in herbal therapies and complementary medicine treatments for chronic pain. He has personally experienced back pain for over 20 years, which has fueled his research interest in the therapeutic application of Yoga for the treatment of back pain.

LESLIE KAMINOFF
New York City, New York

Leslie has over 25 years of experience as an internationally recognized specialist in the fields of Yoga and breath anatomy. He is the founder and head instructor of the Breathing Project, a New York City Yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered Yoga practice and therapy. Leslie has helped to organize international Yoga conferences, and has been a vocal participant in the national debate surrounding certification standards for Yoga teachers and therapists. He is the founder of the highly respected International Yoga list, e-Sutra. Leslie is inspired by the teaching tradition of TKV Desikachar. 

JOHN KEPNER, MA, MBA
Executive Director, IAYT
Little Rock, Arkansas

SHANTI SHANTI KAUR KHALSA, PhD 
Espanola, New Mexico

Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa is the founder and director of the Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine & Humanology where she and a small staff provide direct client services and professional training, and conduct research on the medical effects of Yoga practice. A Yoga instructor since 1971, she began to specialize in teaching Kundalini Yoga and meditation to people with life threatening illness and their family members in 1986, under the direction of Yogi Bhajan. She offers programs in the areas of diabetes, cancer, chronic fatigue, HIV, anxiety, depression, and grief recovery. 

GARY KRAFTSOW, MA
Director, American Viniyoga Institute
Los Angeles, California

Gary has been a pioneer in the transmission of Yoga for health, healing, and personal transformation in the U.S. for nearly 30 years. He began his study of Yoga in India with TKV Desikachar in 1974. Gary founded and is now the director of the American Viniyoga Institute (AVI) and the author of Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation. 

JOSEPH LE PAGE
Santa Catarina, Brazil

Joseph is the founder and director of Integrative Yoga Therapy, which has trained more than 3000 Yoga teachers and therapists over the last 15 years. Joseph brings together insights through his study of Yoga, educational systems, and healing arts to form a comprehensive and creative educational program. He and his wife Lillian live at Enchanted Mountain Center in Southern Brazil, where they lead Yoga training programs in Portuguese and English throughout the year, and direct programs such as the Integrative Program for Circulatory Health in the surrounding community.

MICHAEL LEE, MA
West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
 

Michael is the founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. He is the author of Turn Stress Into Bliss:The Proven 8-Week Yoga Program for Health, Relaxation and Stress Relief, and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy:Bridge from Body to Soul, and a contributing author to Beyond Talk Therapy:Using Movement and Expressive Techniques in Clinical Practice, published by the American Psychological Association. He was the keynote speaker at the International Yoga Conference in Singapore in 2001, and has also presented his work in the U.K., Europe, and most U.S. and Canadian cities during the last 20 years.

GYANDEV MCCORD, PhD
Nevada City, California

Gyandev has taught hatha Yoga, Yoga therapy, meditation, and Yoga philosophy in the Ananda tradition since 1983. He is director of Ananda YogaŽ worldwide and of Ananda Yoga teacher training at Ananda's retreat center, the Expanding Light, near Nevada City, California. He also teaches throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada, India, and Europe. A co-founder of Yoga Alliance, Gyandev has authored two videos, Yoga for Busy People and Yoga to Awaken the Chakras and two books, Yoga Therapy for Headache Relief and Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia.

KELLY MCCONIGAL, PhD
San Francisco, California

Kelly is the editor-in-chief of IAYT's two publications, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and Yoga Therapy in Practice. She teaches Yoga at Stanford University, where she earned her doctorate in psychology and humanistic medicine, and leads Yoga reacher training that focus on the integration of contemporary psychology with Yoga tradition.  Her teaching and research focus on combining the practices of Yoga with the healing power of supportive community.

RICHARD MILLER, PhD
Larkspur, California

Richard is a psychologist and contemporary spiritual teacher of nondualism, honored by Yoga Journal and featured in American Yoga and Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life? He is the founder and president of the Center of Timeless Being, co-founder and co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and co-founder of IAYT. Richard is the author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, as well as numerous articles including "Welcoming All That Is" in The Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy.

RICHARD MORRIS, DC
Los Angeles, California

Rick has been the doctor for various athletic teams including the U.S. Olympic Team. Rick has published in peer-reviewed journals, writes for the National Pitching Association, and has previously written a health column for Investor's Business Daily. He taught sports medicine for both Southern California Chiropractic Colleges and sat on the Testing Committee of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners for three years. Since 1978, he has practiced in Santa Monica, California specializing in spinal and joint dysfunction.

LARRY PAYNE, PhD
Los Angeles, California

Larry is the founding president of IAYT and co-author of Yoga for Dummies, Yoga Rx, and The Business of Teaching Yoga, and is featured in the Yoga Therapy Rx DVD series. The  Los Angeles Times named Payne "one of America's most respected Yoga teachers." He is also co-founder of the Yoga curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine, and director of the Yoga Therapy Rx certification program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles .

SWAMI RAMANANDA
New York City, New York

Ramananda is the president of the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition. He has been practicing Yoga for over 30 years. Through his affinity for and devoted study of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the ancient practices of Yoga into daily life, and coping with stress, depression, and anger. He leads advanced level Yoga teacher training programs in NYC and offers a variety of workshops in many locations around the country. He is a founding member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes Yoga teachers as professionals.

DAVID RILEY, MD
Editor-in-Chief
Explore:The Journal of Science and Healing
Santa Fe, New Mexico

David is on the faculty at the University of New Mexico Medical School and has conducted a variety of research projects on effectiveness, safety, patient satisfaction, and costs when Yoga and other complementary therapies are integrated with conventional medicine. He has studied Yoga with BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Richard Freeman, and others. He conducted a clinical trial incorporating therapeutic Yoga for patients with Post-polio syndrome.

ROBIN ROTHENBERG
Seattle, Washington

Robin is the Director of the Yoga Barn and a certified Viniyoga therapist. She has been teaching and directing programs in Yoga since 1987, including private Yoga therapy, group retreats, in-depth studies, and RYT teacher trainings. Robin co-designed the protocol and taught the classes for the Yoga for low back pain clinical trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2005. Prior to her training in Viniyoga, Robin spent 10 years studying Iyengar Yoga and became a certified Iyengar teacher in 1992. Robin is known as a 'teacher's teacher', masterful at therapeutic adaptations, facilitating groups, and weaving the more meditative practices of pranayama, chanting, and personal inquiry into asana practice.

DAVID SHAPIRO, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Psychiatry
David Geffen School of Medicine
University Of California, Los Angeles

His research has focused on biofeedback and behavioral methods of self-regulation and their clinical application to hypertension and other disorders. Recent research concerns biological and psychosocial factors in hypertension and emotional and situational factors affecting blood pressure in everyday life and risk for hypertension. He is currently studying the effects of Yoga on emotional states and its potential as a complementary or alternative treatment of depression and anxiety. His research has received special recognition from the Society of Psychophysiological Research, Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, American Psychosomatic Society, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

KAREN SHERMAN, PhD, MPH
Seattle, Washington

Karen is an epidemiologist at Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies. For the last 10 years, she has conducted research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Her work has focused on the evaluation of various CAM treatments, including acupuncture, massage, and Yoga for musculoskeletal pain. In December 2005, she published the results of her study of Viniyoga for back pain in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

ERIC SMALL, MA
Los Angeles, California

Eric is the principal instructor in the Beverly Hills Iyengar Yoga studio holding a Senior Level 2 Iyengar teaching certificate. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 22, Eric is today one of the foremost leaders in treating clients with MS and other neurological conditions. He frequently travels throughout the U.S. conducting Yoga workshops and seminars on his  Adaptive Iyengar Yoga Program. The Flora L. Thornton Foundation recently established the Eric L. Small Optimal Living with MS Centers at UCLA and USC. In recognition of his lifelong work, Eric is the recipient of the Hope for MS and Spirit of Life Awards and was inducted into the National MS Volunteer Hall of Fame. With good friend Dr. Loren Fishman, Eric has just completed the book Yoga For Multiple Sclerosis.

PAMELA SNIDER, ND
Seattle, Washington

Pam serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium, and is Consortium Director for the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC). She was a core executive on the sponsoring committee for the landmark summit, a National Policy Dialogue to Advance Integrated Health Care: Finding Common Ground, held November 2001 at Georgetown University. Today, as ACCAHC's director, she is on the core executive team for the National Education Dialogue to Advance Integrated Healthcare: Creating Common Ground.

MUKUNDA STILES
Boulder, Colorado

Mukunda is the author of the best seller Structural Yoga Therapy and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and has edited 7 books on Ayurveda. His current projects include finishing two manuscripts, Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy and Classical Yoga Meditation, and training spiritual mentors. He is on the Advisory Council for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. 

MAX STROM
Ashland, Oregon
 

A founder of Sacred Movement Yoga in Los Angeles, Max is known for inspiring and influencing the lives of his students. His unique method integrates Vinyasa Yoga with Sufism, Chi Gung, and movement therapy. Max created the Sacred Movement teacher training program, which he now leads nationally. He recently released the groundbreaking new DVD Max Strom Yoga - Strength, Grace and Healing, and has published several articles on Yoga and personal transformation.

MATTHEW TAYLOR, PhD, PT
Scottsdale, Arizona

Matthew is a licensed physical therapist, Yoga therapist, and founder of Dynamic Systems Rehabilitation in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is a leader in applying integrative medicine principles in the field of rehabilitation, including contributing the chapter on Yoga therapy in the first textbook on complementary therapies in rehabilitation. Matt provides continuing professional medical education seminars and Yoga therapy workshops across the country.

RICHARD USATINE, MD
Vice-Chair for Medical Student Education Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 

LISA WALFORD
Los Angeles, California

Lisa holds an Intermediate Senior Iyengar Yoga teaching certificate and has been teaching Yoga in Los Angeles since 1982. Over the years she has been a central figure in the Yoga Works teacher training course and currently is director of curriculum and program development for teacher training at Yoga Works. She is on the Advisory Council of both the International Association of Yoga Therapists and Loyola Marymount University Extension programs. Lisa has co-authored 2 books, The Longevity Diet: Discover the only Scientifically Proven Way to Maintain Peak Vitality and Extend Lifespan and the Anti-Aging Plan. 

JOHN WEEKS
Publisher and Editor, The Integrator Blog News and Reports
Director, National Education Dialogue to Advance Integrated Health Care
Seattle, Washington
 

John has been involved in integrated health care for more than 20 years as an organizer, writer, speaker, and consultant. He is the publisher and editor of The Integrator Blog News and Reports, a forum for networking the diverse parties in the field of integrated health care. His awareness of the shared, systemic challenges faced by individual leaders in creating quality integration led John to convene an annual Integrative Medicine Industry Leadership Summit. The White House Commission on CAM Policy and the Institute of Medicine's report on CAM in the United States all cited Weeks' work, as have The New York Times, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and other industry and popular media.

AMY WEINTRAUB, MFA, E-RYT 500
Tucson, Arizona

Amy is the author of Yoga for Depression and the founder and director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute. Amy is a senior Kripalu teacher and mentor, and serves as the LifeForce Facilitator for the Psychotherapy Networker Symposia. She writes frequently on the subject of Yoga and mental health for national magazines, and is currently the Yoga columnist for Body & Soul Magazine.  Amy has taken advanced yoga trainings in the United States and India, including at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, the Lakulish Institute in Gujarat, India, the Vivekanandra Kendra in Bangalore, India, and Vedanta studies at the Narayana Gurukula in Tamil Nadu

VERONICA ZADOR, E-RYT 500
Los Angeles, California