Announcements & Updates
What’s new with YogaX and our students?
Therapeutic Breathwork: Clinical Science and Practice in Healthcare and Yoga
Friends - It is finally here. Many years in the making Therapeutic Breathwork is now a reality. What is is all about? Here is a brief description. Click on “Take A Look Inside … “ for more.
Therapeutic breathwork has become an important component of many healthcare and psychotherapeutic interventions, as well as being an essential aspect of yoga practices based in ancient wisdom traditions. Therapeutic Breathwork: Clinical Science and Practice in Healthcare and Yoga translates respiratory science and ancient wisdom into practical guidance for therapeutic breathwork that is individually tailored and person-centered. Therapeutic Breathwork encourages a four-part process of understanding the challenges of the person being served, carefully assessing context and root causes of presented challenges, co-creating clear goals and optimistic motivation, and then offering breath, breathing, and breathwork practices that are optimally designed and individually-tailored based on a deep understanding of each breather’s context and personhood.
Therapeutic Breathwork familiarizes healthcare providers and yoga professionals who use therapeutic breathwork in their clinical practice with the science, psychology, and yoga-based pedagogy of breath and breathing. It discusses modern respiratory science, inviting learners to apply these principles practically and flexibly to create accessible, tailored, and person-centered therapeutic breathwork practices. Practical considerations are carefully outlined for a variety of breathing practices and discussed to optimize accessibility and tailoring across the diverse patient and student populations represented in healthcare, yoga settings, and other therapeutic contexts. The book offers clear instructions, person-centered guidelines, careful suggestions for cuing, sample intervention scripts, and wise guidance for adapting and tailoring breathwork to the bioindividuality and diversity of clients, patients, and yoga students.
Springer is extending a 20% discount from November 6 to December 4. Click here to access the code and purchase the book directly from Springer.
Spotlight on YogaX: Pathways for Bringing Therapeutic Yoga Into Healthcare
YogaX, informed by decades of therapeutic yoga work by Dr. Christiane Brems, is a Special Initiative of the Chair that is designed to integrate therapeutic yoga into healthcare. This groundbreaking endeavor equips healthcare providers and yoga professionals with comprehensive skill sets and toolkits that encompass integrated holistic yoga practices, empowering people on their journey toward healing, resilience, and thriving. Integration of yoga into healthcare settings also presents an innovative and multifaceted opportunity to revolutionize at least some of the challenges within current healthcare systems. To continue reading the “Stanford Psychiatry News: YogaX Spotlight,” CLICK HERE.
Dear YogaX Community,
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, YogaX Alums Veronica, Cindy, and Jessica invite you to take a meaningful pause with us. We have curated a special 20-minute practice that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home or office. We know it can be hard to make time for yourself, but we hope this short session offers a moment to recharge and reconnect.
This practice will include: ✨ Acknowledgement of ancestors and community
🧘♀️ A brief, energizing yoga sequence
🧘♂️ A gratitude-filled close-out meditation
🧘♂️The session will be hosted in English and Spanish
Join us in this journey of self-care, reflection, and community as we celebrate our shared heritage.
Date: Oct 15, 2024
Time: 12:00-12:20pm
In gratitude,
Veronica, Cindy, & Jessica
If you experience any pain or difficulty with these exercises, stop and consult your healthcare provider. Throughout each practice, please take care of your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing by participating in a manner that is self-compassionate. You are always in charge of your own practice and are invited to skip any offerings in the yoga sessions that do not feel appropriate for how you are feeling in the moment.
Jessica Guadalupe Figueroa, MSW
Wellness Consultant and YogaX Alum
Cindy Perez, MSW
Wellness Consultant and YogaX Alum
Veronica Alvarez, LCSW
Wellness Consultant and YogaX Alum
Dear YogaX Community,
As part of our ongoing efforts to integrate yoga into healthcare, we would like to invite you to join us for a conversation about the latest developments in the IAYT-Q pilot program at YogaX and in the IAYT-sponsored pathway into yoga therapeutics for qualified health professionals. This new IAYT-designation is a significant step toward broadening the reach of Integrated Holistic Yoga within the healthcare system and in communities where is most needed, and your input is crucial as we navigate this exciting initiative.
What We Will Discuss:
Updates on the IAYT-Q Pilot Program: We will provide an overview of where we stand with the program, including the progress we have made and the challenges we face.
Advocacy Opportunities: We believe that your role as advocates for this type of program is vital. We will discuss how you can help promote the integration of yoga therapeutics within the healthcare community, ensuring a high standard of accessible yoga-based services that remain true to yoga’s roots while expanding its reach.
Addressing Community Concerns: We want to hear your thoughts and work together to ensure that the program enhances the way yoga professionals serve their communities.
Why Your Participation Matters:
Your voice is essential in shaping the future of this program geared toward healthcare providers and yoga in healthcare settings. Participating in this conversation is your opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of the IAYT-Q designation and advocate for yoga integration into healthcare in an effective, authentic, and person-centered way.
Meeting Details: Saturday 9/21 @ 9 AM and/or Wednesday 9/25 @ 7 PM
Learn About Dr. Mini Rattu’s Journey into Yoga
Please meet and celebrate one the first five YogaX IAYT-Q Program graduates – Dr. Mini Rattu. Dr. Mini, a licensed psychologist and yoga services provider shares her story of returning to the soulful and authentic yoga she encountered in her interactions with the Sikh gurudwaras she went to while growing up. The following is an excerpt from her blog. To read the full version click here.
”Yoga has been a continuous part of my growth and discovering all the layers from the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our Higher Self. Since completing the 300-hour, YACEP, and IAYT trainings with YogaX, I have shared my learnings through several offerings including trauma and stress-informed CE workshops for yoga teachers and interested members of the general community. I also grew confidence in my ability to bring evidence-based yoga psychology into my private practice. Bridging the gap between neuroscience research and yoga has been an exciting thing to educate my clients on. Having tools to develop more insight into the mind and body, while accessing internal resources to optimize mental and physical health has allowed so many of my patients to embrace their inner strengths and become empowered in their health journey. And who doesn’t want that?”
All of us at YogaX feel so grateful and honored to have become an important part of Dr. Mini’s yoga journey and community.
YogaX is excited to announce its first five IAYT-Q graduates
Please meet and celebrate the first five YogaX IAYT-Q Program graduates – inspiring examples of YogaX’s mission to train individuals who will bring therapeutic yoga into healthcare:
Dr. Kate Cummins is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with brain injury patients, pro athletes and coaches, veterans, and individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Cummins, a registered yoga teacher and therapeutic yoga provider, integrates yoga into her clinical practices, especially with medical professionals, and Hollywood and music industry folks.
Dr. Marissa Floro is a counseling psychologist, who specializes in working with queer folx of color, sex and sex therapy, identity exploration of biracial and bisexual femmes, and queer Asian American experiences. As a certified yoga teacher and therapeutic yoga provider, Dr. Floro offers yoga to queer/LGBTQ+ communities, college and AAPI populations within her healthcare practice.
Dr. Mini Rattu is a clinical psychologist, specializing in treatment of trauma, stress-related conditions, and anxiety disorders. Dr. Mini integrates her work as a therapeutic yoga provider with her mental health practice, also including psychedelic assisted therapy, mindfulness, and compassion cultivation. She enjoys participating in fitness competitions and traveling internationally.
Dr. Elika Razmjou is a clinical psychologist working in healthcare with individuals living with complex medical needs, chronic pain, Parkinson's Disease, and HIV/AIDS). Dr. Razmjou offers therapeutic yoga groups that complement medical treatments, empowering clients to cultivate awareness of mind-body connections, and promoting nervous system regulation. She also co-facilitates trauma-informed yoga groups within her healthcare practice.
Ms. Melissa Reeder is a clinical social worker working with diverse populations coping with psychosocial and environmental challenges. She utilizes trauma-informed practices to work with clients, including veterans, coping with addictions, trauma, and serious mental illness. She integrates her therapeutic yoga skills with person-centered clinal approaches in healthcare settings, on interdisciplinary teams.
Meet YogaX’s newest YTT300 alum, Dr. Marissa Floro
Now an advanced yoga teacher and healthcare provider bringing yoga into clinical settings, Dr. Floro (she/her) is a licensed counseling psychologist and Interim Co-Director of Stanford University's Weiland Health Initiative, who specializes in working with queer folx of color, sex and sex therapy, identity exploration, and interpersonal relationships. Her work is focused on serving queer folx, folx of color, and femmes. Dr. Floro has explored identity development of biracial and bisexual femmes, queer Asian American experiences, resilience within queer communities, and solidarity efforts of intersecting communities. In a blog for YogaX, she shares important wisdoms about working with queer communities. Following is a teaser sharing excerpts from her upcoming blog.
“I have learned much from YogaX, my yoga classes, and my queer communities over the past 4 years. I have learned that there are specific considerations necessary to cultivate physical and emotional safety for LGBTQ+ communities. First, a trauma-informed lens is imperative; second, ongoing education in concepts of queer identity and language is necessary; third, specific yoga principles and concepts may be particularly resonant with queer communities; fourth, learning about history can be illuminating.
I was (and continue to be) humbled by the vast amount of wisdom, tradition, and history of yoga, how yoga has provided so much for so many people across the world and across millennia, including queer folx. I commit to continuing to learn from yoga, queer history, and western medicine to better support my LGBTQ+ clients in yoga and in therapy. I hope that my own learning journey informs yours so that we can all provide space for queer thriving!”
YogaX IAYT-Q 300-Hour Program
First Innovative new pathway for healthcare providers to be trained in therapeutic yoga practices in the nation!
Embark on the Study of Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Healthcare Providers
Due to increasing awareness of yoga and its therapeutic effects, the demand for incorporating yoga strategies and psychology into clinical settings has never been greater. To address this need, the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and YogaX have created an educational opportunity specifically tailored to Qualified Healthcare Professionals (QHPs).
Apply for YogaX IAYT-Q 300Hr Program - HERE
Celebrating Shari Gent: YogaX's First 300-Hour Graduate!
Meet Shari, an exceptional student who embodies dedication and passion in her profession and studies. Her resilience and commitment to YogaX's 300hr Yoga Teacher Training has left an indelible mark on our program. Discover Shari's journey, experience, and invaluable advice for future students considering a YogaX training program.
"My experience with YogaX was beyond my wildest expectations! Dr. Brems's approach and the support from the whole YogaX team has been an incredible source of inspiration. The approach helped me integrate my personal practice with my work as a yoga teacher and provided strategies to connect with my students to be fully present when teaching."
Read Shari’s Full story - HERE
Yes to Yoga - The Caring Experience
The "Yes to Yoga" Series is brought to you by MGPD SLC’s Caring Experience Team and Stanford Psychiatry’s YogaX Team. This series cultivates resilience of healthcare professionals by promoting mental and physical self-care in the form of on-site yoga, integrated into healthcare providers’ workdays. Classes are facilitated by YogaX Manager, Geno Carvalho.
Meet Veronica Alvarez
YogaX 200Hr Alum Spotlight
Dive into the inspiring journey of YogaX Alum, Veronica Alvarez! She shares how her personal yoga journey intertwined beautifully with the YogaX 200hr YTT program, reigniting her life's spark. Veronica's story reflects the essence of YogaX’s mission — to rejuvenate lives, revive spirits, and empower individuals through the healing power of yoga. Stories like Veronica’s that fuel our dedication to bringing yoga into healthcare, uplifting providers and patients alike.
Witness the transformative impact of yoga firsthand through Veronica's heartfelt journey through cancer with the help of yoga - Click for full YouTube video
