Tiffany Cruikshank Interview with Native Society

Native Society connects aspiration readers with inspirational content, so an interview with the founder of Yoga Medicine seems all too fitting. Read on for an insight into Tiffany’s goals, aspirations and personal quirks!

Tiffany Cruikshank

Tiffany Cruikshank is an international yoga teacher, author, health and wellness expert. She has a master’s degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine with a specialization in sports medicine and orthopedics and is the founder of Yoga Medicine. She has also treated more than 25,000 patients from around the world using yoga, acupuncture, nutrition, and holistic health. Additionally, she has been featured in Prevention, Forbes, Women’s Health, Yoga Journal, Self, Marie Claire, and many other publications.

What do you do best?

My personal strength is in the fusion of western medicine concepts (anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics) with eastern healing traditions (yoga, meditation, acupuncture) in a relevant and accessible way that also allows us to individualize the approach to each person.  As a healthcare provider myself, I saw the desire for healthcare providers to utilize yoga and meditation as an adjunct therapy but they did not have the tools to use it.  Nowadays, there are so many teachers and so broad a spectrum of training it can be overwhelming and near impossible to find one someone with a deeper understanding of the western body in order to work within the medical world.  Our goal with Yoga Medicine is to provide a resource of teachers with a depth of training in both east and west to be able to work more efficiently within the medical world.

What makes you the best?

I definitely don’t see myself as the best, but I see myself as a connector to open up a platform for teachers and healthcare providers to have educated conversations.  I don’t believe there is one right answer to most questions, especially when it comes to the human body.  The body is too complex to distill it down to one appropriate alignment cue for everyone.  However, we have to do that to some extent or we would have no guide into the poses.  What’s important to me is that we keep our perspective open to different ideas and ways of working with the body. Above all, it’s important to have informed conversations and different methods of helping the individual from many different perspectives and medical approaches.

What are your aspirations?

To bring yoga into the medical communities as an important adjunct to medical care and preventative measures.

Biggest Success?

I’m not sure, I feel really grateful for so many things in my life right now.  My relationship, our new home, the Yoga Medicine community….

Most Challenging Moment?

Finding balance, I can be a bit of a workaholic.  Working through my own insecurities to extract some important life lessons.

Favorite Motto?

Just do it.

Favorite People?

My man, my dog, my friends, and the Yoga Medicine community.

Favorite Places?

Home, there’s no place like home!!

Favorite Products?

KiraGrace, DoTerra, Rad rollers, Pangea Organics.

Current Passions?

Finding balance in my life and enjoying the simple moments.

Check out the original article and other Native Society contributors here.