Conference Schedule & Details

We have an incredible lineup of experts including physicians, researchers, PhD’s, physical therapists, coaches, senior yoga teachers, and therapeutic specialists!

Monday, February 9th

Morning Presentations

Epigenetics refers to the flexible biological processes that help our bodies and brains respond to the world around us—without actually changing our DNA. These mechanisms can adjust how our genes are expressed in real time, allowing us to adapt to stress, environment, and daily experiences. Mindfulness-practices are increasingly recognized, by empirical studies, as meaningful ways to support healthier epigenetic patterns, which can help us tap into the body’s natural capacity for regulation, resilience, and long-term health.

Valerie Knopik, PhD, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, YACEP

Dr. Valerie Knopik is the Ben and Maxine Miller Professor and Department Head of Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University. She is a Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Professional. An internationally recognized scholar in behavioral genetics and developmental science, her research focuses on the interplay between genetic and environmental influences—particularly prenatal and early-life risk factors—on birth outcomes, cognitive development, substance use, and mental health. Her work integrates diverse methodologies, including high-risk community samples and genetically informed study designs, to advance understanding of health disparities, prevention strategies, and intervention development.

With over two decades of leadership in academia, Dr. Knopik has guided strategic initiatives in research, education, and community engagement across multiple institutions. At Purdue, she oversees faculty, staff, and students within a multidisciplinary department, manages fiscal and programmatic planning, and fosters cross-disciplinary research collaborations. She has a strong track record of securing external funding and collaborating on innovative projects spanning cannabis-related outcomes, adolescent substance use, depression, epigenetics, and child maltreatment.

Dr. Knopik is an Elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the lead author of Behavior Genetics (7th edition) as well as the in-progress 8 th edition, the field’s premier textbook. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of Behavior Genetics, is a consulting editor for Child Development, and is on the editorial board of Psychological Medicine. She also holds Adjunct Professor appointments at Emory University and Washington University School of Medicine, where she collaborates on a large-scale family research initiative.

A dedicated mentor and advocate for professional development, Dr. Knopik has received multiple awards for her leadership, including two Outstanding Mentoring Awards from Brown University and Purdue’s Leadership in Action award in 2024. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and the integration of scientific discovery with real- world impact. She is deeply committed to fostering inclusive excellence, supporting student success, and advancing research that improves health and well-being across communities.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @valerie.knopik
FB: Valerie Knopik – Golden Gemini Yoga
Website: Golden Gemini Yoga
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Valerie Knopik

Flow is an optimal performance state marked by deep focus, ease, and fulfillment. This lecture explores how pranayama and yoga philosophy align with the neurophysiology of flow, including topics such as autonomic regulation and transient hypofrontality. Participants will learn how breath regulation and yogic principles, such as steadiness and surrender, can make flow a more accessible, trainable state.

Daya Alexander Grant, PhD, MS, CMPC

Daya is a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC), neuroscientist, and yoga teacher who helps athletes and high performers train their mind for elevated performance. She has created two courses for Yoga Medicine®. She’s also a contributing writer for Triathlete and Run magazines and has been featured in The New York Times, Women’s Health, Yoga Journal, Peloton, and others. Daya lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two young sons.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @dr.dayagrant
Website: Dr. Daya Grant
LinkedIn: Daya Grant, Ph.D., M.S., CMPC
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Daya Grant

Afternoon Presentations

This presentation explores how modern travel impacts human physiology—disrupting circadian rhythm, microbiome balance, nervous system regulation, and lymphatic flow—and how yoga, both as movement and mindfulness, can restore homeostasis.

Monisha Bhanote, MD, FCAP, ABOIM, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist

Dr. Bhanote is a quintuple board-certified physician, best-selling author of The Anatomy of Wellbeing, and a globally recognized expert in integrative medicine. With more than two decades of experience diagnosing disease at the cellular level, she bridges the worlds of modern science and ancient healing systems to help individuals restore health, build resilience, and extend their healthspan.
As the founder of WELLKULÅ Institute, Dr. Bhanote is leading a paradigm shift in health education—one that challenges outdated norms and equips individuals with the science to take back control of their wellbeing. Her teaching blends plant-based nutrition, cellular science, and ancestral wisdom into a philosophy she calls #CellCare™—the art and science of supporting your body at its most intelligent level: the cell. Whether teaching clinicians or guiding conscious consumers, Dr. Bhanote empowers people to move from reactive health to intentional living rooted in longevity and resilience.
A respected international speaker and educator, Dr. Bhanote has presented on global stages, sharing insights on the science of gut health, the mind-body connection, and lifestyle medicine. Her expertise has been featured in Healthline, Martha Stewart Living, Reader’s Digest, Shape, and Medical News Today. She trained at NYU Winthrop University Hospital, Cornell University, and the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
 
Through her work, Dr. Bhanote inspires individuals to move beyond symptom management and embrace daily rituals that nourish the nervous system, restore the microbiome, and revitalize the cells. Her mission is clear: to help people recalibrate their health using science-backed strategies that foster cellular vitality, clarity, and longevity—because healing isn’t a trend, it’s a way of living.
 

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @drbhanote
FB: Dr. Bhanote
Website: Dr. Bhanote | Wellbeing Doctor
LinkedIn: Monisha Bhanote
YouTube: Dr. Monisha Bhanote
Pinterest: Dr. Bhanote | Wellbeing Doctor

Chronic pelvic tension isn’t just about strength or flexibility, it’s a nervous system pattern. In this presentation, you’ll learn how stress, breath mechanics, and habitual core engagement shape a tight pelvic floor, and how yoga-based cues, sequencing, and awareness can safely restore balance. Walk away with practical, evidence-informed tools to help your students release hidden tension, regulate their nervous systems, and move with more ease, confidence, and resilience.

Melissa Oleson, DPT, RYT, CDNT, INHC

Melissa is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, yoga instructor, and women’s health specialist on a mission to help women feel strong, supported, and confident in their bodies—at every age.
 
After years in sports medicine and orthopedics, Melissa discovered her true passion: pelvic health. What started as helping individual clients in her private practice quickly grew into a global vision. Through her online platform, Defy, she’s empowered thousands of women worldwide to stop leaks, ease pain, release tension, and rebuild strength through movement that actually works.
 
Melissa combines science, movement, and mindfulness in a way that’s practical, approachable, and life-changing. She teaches women to understand their bodies, reclaim control over their core and pelvic floor, and live powerfully—without endless Kegels, guesswork, or frustration. Her goal is simple: to help as many pelvic floors as possible feel confident, strong, and at home in their bodies.
 
SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @drmelissaoleson
Website: MSUNN Yoga + Wellness
LinkedIn: Melissa Oleson

Tuesday, February 10th

Morning Presentations

This session takes a clear-eyed look at what yoga can realistically offer people with osteoporosis and osteopenia. Drawing on current research and clinical principles, we will separate popular claims about “building bone” from the actual evidence, then zoom in on where yoga shines: dynamic balance, postural control, fall-risk reduction, breathing mechanics, stress, and pain modulation. Participants will leave with practical frameworks for group classes and 1:1 work including practical techniques and contraindication-aware modifications along with language for setting honest, empowering expectations with students and referring providers.​

Jenni Tarma, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, ERYT 500

Jenni is the founder and CEO of Kaari Prehab, a company providing specialized strength training programs for osteoporosis and osteopenia. She is a lifelong athlete, endurance runner, RRCA Endurance coach, weightlifter, CF- L1 trainer, and yoga teacher.

Jenni specializes in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and athletic performance optimization. Having spent over a decade working with an active population, she has coached everyone from elite athletes to weekend warriors looking to feel better in their bodies. She has multiple advanced certifications in anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, and has created continuing education courses for Yoga Medicine on topics like teaching yoga to weightlifting athletes, hypermobility, and neuromechanics.

SOCIAL LINKS:
IG: @jennitarma and @kaariprehab
Website: Kaari Prehab
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Jenni Tarma

Michaela Smith, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist

Michaela is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, yoga teacher, and BoneFit-accredited Certified Personal Trainer with extensive experience in women’s health, healthy aging, and osteoporosis. Her work integrates therapeutic movement and nutrition to empower women to take control of their health, strengthen their bones, and approach menopause with clarity and resilience.

She is the co-creator of OsteoVitality, an in-person small group strength training program for osteoporosis, and the co-creator and program director of Kaari’s Yoga & Strength Training for Osteoporosis Program, a virtual program designed to make evidence-based osteoporosis accessible worldwide. Michaela also works individually with clients, specializing in helping aging adults improve mobility, strength, and independence, while guiding nutrition clients to uncover and address the root causes of their symptoms. Her holistic, personalized approach transforms the way women move, nourish, and care for themselves—so they can feel and function at their best.

SOCIAL LINKS:
IG: @michaelamoveswell and @betterbonesmovewell

Pelvic floor dysfunction often has roots beyond the pelvis. This presentation explores how gut health patterns—including constipation, microbiome imbalance, inflammation, and altered motility—can drive pelvic floor symptoms, and how yoga teachers can recognize when referral to a functional medicine practitioner is appropriate. Grounded in Erin Holt’s Intuitive Functional Medicine™ framework, this session emphasizes mind–body integration without bypassing underlying physiological realities.

Erin Holt

Erin is a functional nutritionist, Stanford-trained compassion teacher, and the founder of The Funk’tional Nutritionist – a fully virtual clinic and education platform specializing in Intuitive Functional Medicine™. Alongside her growing team of practitioners, Erin works with clients nationwide to uncover the root cause of stubborn, “mystery” symptoms and create truly personalized healing plans.

The Funk’tional Nutritionist blends evidence-based nutrition, comprehensive functional lab testing, mindset work, and energy medicine for a whole-person approach to health. Clients can work privately with the clinical team in their 1:1 Functional C.A.R.E. program or work inside one of their self-paced programs.

If you’re a practitioner who wants to bring this same approach into your own work, Erin also trains health professionals inside the Funk’tional Nutrition Academy — a 14-month certification program that teaches you how to interpret labs, identify root causes, and create whole-person care plans through our signature Intuitive Functional Medicine™ framework. Graduates earn the Functional Health Practitioner–Certified (FHP-C) credential, equipping them to confidently support clients with complex health challenges.

Through her programs, Erin and her team have helped thousands of clients reconnect with their bodies, restore energy, and find real, sustainable health. Get ready to end the war on your body and finally experience what healing can feel like.

 

Afternoon Presentations

Death is the one certainty we all share, yet it remains one of the most avoided and often feared conversations, even in medicine and health-care. In this conceptual and empirical based presentation, participants will be invited into a multi-cultural and multi-dimensional exploration of death and life transitions. Through this deep examination of end-of-life we will open into a self-awareness practice of what it means to be fully present in our life at this moment.

Marnie Hartman, DPT, CSCS, RYT

Marnie is a doctor of physical therapy, death doula, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and yoga medicine contributing teacher. She brings a deep multifaceted understanding of the body-mind-spirit connection and how movement in cooperation with mindfulness can transform our perceptions, and thus our relationships with suffering and mortality. She is the co-author of Pain Science – Yoga – Life: Bridging Neuroscience and Yoga for Pain Care, a book that examines how yoga can be used to shift one’s experience with pain. She completed her Death Doula training through, Emberlight- Center for Conscious Living and Dying. Marnie’s private practice, Body IQ, and her home are in Haines, AK. Quite often you will find her wandering in wild spaces as this is where she feels her most present in life. With the natural world as her guide, Marnie holds a space for all individuals to face fears and struggles with acceptance and inclusion while providing compassionate care and practical techniques for moving beyond. Marnie is excited to be back for the third time presenting here at the Yoga Medicine® Innovation Conference.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @bodyiq
FB: Body IQ Physical Therapy and Yoga
Website: Body IQ – Physical Therapy & Yoga Medicine
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Marnie Hartman

This session examines research on purpose and meaning in life and their associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality, with attention to relevant cognitive and affective mechanisms, spirituality, and the search for meaning. We will explore how these findings can inform meaningful yoga and mindfulness instruction, including considerations of potential contraindications and cultural and ethical factors when applying purpose-centered approaches across diverse populations.

Bethany Leavitt, MPH, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist

Bethany works at the intersection of public health research, applied health settings, and education, with a focus on translating empirical findings into practical, accessible frameworks for both professionals and the public. During her graduate training at Brown University, she examined mindfulness and mental well-being among adolescents, alongside mindfulness in specialized populations, including autistic individuals. Her research and professional voice are informed by a commitment to developing effective mindfulness-based approaches and thoughtfully integrating evidence-based findings with questions of meaning, purpose, and self-realization.

Most recently, Bethany conducted a systematic review examining associations between secular and nonsecular coping practices and mental health outcomes among adolescents experiencing adversity. In addition to her research, Bethany draws on lived experience teaching yoga and mindfulness in psychiatric hospital settings, therapeutic classrooms, and at-risk urban schools. Her work seeks to bridge social and contemplative science to support meaningful, real-world applications.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @bethany_leavitt444
FB: Bethany Leavitt

This presentation explores the global significance of chronic pain and the growing scientific understanding that pain is as much a nervous-system and brain-based experience as it is a physical one. We’ll examine why purely structural approaches often fall short, and how integrative, trauma-informed models, including somatics, restorative practices, and nervous system regulation offer a more sustainable pathway to relief by cultivating safety, trust, and embodied awareness. Participants will gain practical tools for supporting a reconnection to safety, trust and a clearer understanding of the yoga teacher’s role in fostering self-study, agency, and environments where healing can naturally unfold.

Kylie Rook, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, ERYT-500 YACEP

Kylie is an Auckland New Zealand based Yoga Teacher who is certified Hakomi Somatic Practitioner, FRC Specialist, and Pilates instructor. She specializes in one-to-one work with individuals experiencing chronic pain, anxiety, stress-related disorders, autoimmune and neurological conditions.

Through the integration of Yoga, Somatics, and Hakomi, Kylie brings a nervous-system-informed approach that emphasizes regulation, restorative practices, and cultivating a felt sense of safety as essential pathways back to embodied awareness and wholeness.

Kylie teaches online, facilitates advanced trainings for yoga teachers, therapists, and movement practitioners, and leads immersive retreats in New Zealand and abroad.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @Yogawithkylie
FB: Yogawithkylie
Website: Into Being
YouTube: Yogawithkylie

Wednesday, February 11th

Morning Presentations

Autoimmune disease is common in yoga spaces, yet often poorly understood. In this evidence-informed session, a rheumatologist who integrates yoga into autoimmune care explores how yoga can safely support function, fatigue, pain, and quality of life—while remaining firmly within ethical scope.

Nikki Tugnet, MD, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist

Dr. Nikki is a rheumatologist and yoga teacher practicing in New Zealand. She specializes in working with people with autoimmune disease and arthritis. Nikki is a UK-trained physician, board-certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. Her research focus is on lupus/SLE, and she has published a number of papers in this field, and related autoimmune disease.

Nikki is the founder of Integrated Rheumatology, where yoga and complementary health modalities are offered alongside conventional medical care, providing whole-person healthcare. She promotes yoga so that people living with autoimmune disease are better equipped to navigate stress, manage pain and fatigue and maintain quality of life.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @yogadoctornikki
FB: Nikki Tugnet
Website: Dr Nikki
LinkedIn: @nikkitugnet

This presentation shares recent research on the Achilles tendon, highlighting its three-part structure, characteristic twist, and the importance of controlled gliding between its internal components for healthy load transfer. It discusses how changes in this internal mechanics are linked to Achilles tendinopathy and rupture, based on findings from human and equine studies. The talk concludes with practical implications for yoga teachers and health professionals, supporting informed movement, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.

Katja Bartsch, PhD, BSc, ATSI, E-RYT 500

Dr. Katja Bartsch is a fascia researcher and yoga teacher. She holds a doctorate in Sports Science and collaborates with Dr. Robert Schleip and the Fascia Research Project in Munich (Germany). Katja has authored several peer reviewed studies, book chapters in sports science and fascia research, as well as her own book on women’s health and training. Katja has been teaching yoga for over a decade, and is teaching trainings and workshops on anatomy, fascia physiology, and female hormones around Europe. She is also certified as Structural Integration Practitioner (ATSI) trained by Tom Myers and his Anatomy Trains school.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @katja_m_b
FB: Katja Bartsch
Website: Kalamana Yoga
LinkedIn: Dr. Katja Bartsch
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Katja Bartsch

Afternoon Presentations

Yoga offers a multidimensional pathway for recovery after cancer, supporting both the physical body and the deeper energetic and psychological layers of healing. This session integrates the 5 Kosha model with current evidence on stress physiology, neuroplasticity, and immune modulation.

Through the lens of yoga as a somatic practice, this presentation explores how movement, breath, and the subtle layers of the self can re-pattern the nervous system—from dorsal vagal states of collapse to ventral vagal engagement and safety. Participants will gain insight into how the physical body, mind and thoughts, energetic body, wisdom, and bliss body weave into the complex nature of being human.

Blending scientific research with yogic wisdom, this session provides tools to reduce stress, enhance well-being, and improve survivorship outcomes. Integration of science to address interoception, immune function, vagal tone, neuroplasticity, stress modulation in cancer development, mitochondrial interplay and lymphatics are all related. Attendees will experience simple guided practices and learn to translate the Kosha framework into practical, healing applications for their students and clients.

Doreen Wiggins, MD, MHL, FACOG, FACS

Dr. Doreen L Wiggins is an Associate Professor of Surgery Clinician Educator at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University.

Her areas of expertise are breast cancer surgery, and cancer survivorship. She has been practicing yoga for over 30 years, has completed yoga teacher training has taught at international yoga retreats with Rajashree Choudhury since 2011, and Yoga Medicine® writing contributor and teacher. Doreen is currently in the Andrew Weil Fellowship in Arizona for Integrative Medicine.

SOCIAL LINKS:
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Doreen Wiggins

This presentation will focus on cultivating awareness, movement, and belief in the body’s innate ability to heal and transform the experience of pain.

Blending modern science with ancient wisdom, this lecture reveals how practices such as yoga, myofascial release, and proprioceptive training work together to rewire the nervous system, restore balance, and release long-held tension patterns. Participants will learn how emotional states, posture, and mindset interact within the body’s fascia and neural networks to perpetuate the feeling of pain.

Kelsea Wright, 1000-Hour Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, 500 E-RYT, YACEP

Kelsea is the owner of Limitless Yoga and Pilates Studio in Wichita, Kansas. A 1000-Hour Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist and certified Pilates teacher, Kelsea specializes in helping clients relieve chronic pain through an integrative approach that includes stretching, strengthening, myofascial release, breathwork, and nervous system education.

With a Master’s degree in Education, Kelsea brings a strong foundation in learning science to her work as a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and the lead trainer of her studio’s Yoga Alliance Registered School. She has over 9,000 hours of yoga teaching experience, has led international workshops and retreats, and has guided ten 200-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings. Known for her accessible teaching style, Kelsea is passionate about empowering both students and teachers with practical, evidence-informed tools for sustainable movement and lifelong wellbeing.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @limitlessyogastudio
FB: Limitless Yoga & Pilates Studio
Website: Limitless Yoga & Pilates Studio

This presentation explores how yoga can be effectively integrated into healthcare though accessible teaching, consistency and collaboration with medical teams. Drawing from real-world experience teaching yoga within a large medical system, the session highlights practical adaptations for trauma, chronic pain and aging populations.

Jen Beal, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, E-500RYT, YACEP

Jen Beal has an 18 year personal yoga practice and teaching as a profession since 2018. Jen is currently a meditation and yoga teacher in the Whole Health division of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Her work focuses on accessible, therapeutic yoga for trauma, chronic pain, aging populations and complex health needs. In addition, she is owner and founder of Still + Flow Yoga where she works one-on-one with people who want yoga that adapts to their needs. Jen lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her three sons.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @stillandflowyoga
Website: Still + Flow Yoga

Thursday, February 12th

Morning Presentations

Yoga asana was developed by men for men and reached a zenith of innovation in the early 20th century. Around 50 years later, the major demographic of practitioners outside the Indian subcontinent had shifted to able-bodied women. Has the physical practice adapted sufficiently to suit the female body? And in that evolution, how do practitioners continue to honour the multiple and storied roots of yoga while embracing the need for change? This presentation will walk through historical developments of yoga asana, with a focus on schools outside of the Krishnamacarya lineage, and trace asana’s journey to the female body, as well as its intersections with other movement disciplines. It will also consider how the “other” has engaged with yoga, from those outside of the elite structures of yoga’s origin philosophies to those outside of its audience over the vast majority of its existence. In so doing, it will present a path for women to find their place in yoga’s past, present and future.

Firdose Moonda, E-RYT 500
 
Firdose is a South African of Indian heritage, who has been teaching yoga for the last decade, and also works as a sports writer and author. She holds a Masters degree in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from the School of African and Oriental Studies and conducts ongoing research into body politics, the development of yoga asana and yoga’s intersections with various cultural movements over time. She understands decolonization as a process of remembering, releasing and reimagining, and looks at yoga through these lenses.
 
SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @firdosemoonda
Twitter: @FirdoseM
Yoga Medicine® Offerings: Firdose Moonda

Afternoon Presentations

Incorporating horizon gazing and peripheral vision exercises into Yoga Therapeutics can counteract visual narrowing, which is a well-documented physiological response to stress, cognitive overload, and anxiety.

By integrating horizon gazing and peripheral vision exercises into Yoga Therapeutics Sessions, we strengthen neural pathways associated with parasympathetic activation.

This practical demonstration incorporates evidence-informed visual interventions to optimize nervous system health, enhance emotional regulation, and improve attentional flexibility. (Yoga class included!)

Lisa Ash Drackert, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist

Lisa specializes in tailoring yoga and breathwork protocols for clients looking to manage chronic pain, reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and retrain their posture.

Lisa’s education includes university degrees in Education, Psychology and Religious Studies and a Master’s Degree in Education and Curriculum Development from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a 500-hour YTT credentialing through the Integrated Institute of Yoga Studies and in addition to her Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist designation.

She began teaching yoga in 2008 and lives in Prairie Village, Kansas with her two littles and her Ironman husband.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @Lisa.ash.yoga and @lisa.ash.drackert
FB: Lisa Ash Yoga
Website: Lisa Ash Yoga

Research highlights the visceral fascia as a sensory and signaling interface that directly impacts enteric nervous system function and gut-brain communication. Restriction or dehydration of this fascial layer can contribute to dysregulation in digestion, mental health, and autonomic nervous system resilience (Schleip et al., 2019; Bordoni & Zanier, 2013; Bordoni et al., 2023) . In this lecture-demonstration, I share emerging research from visceral fascia and gastroenterology with therapeutic yoga applications to show how yoga and MFR can restore vitality to the visceral fascia. Drawing from results with clients in my private yoga therapeutics practice, I’ll introduce a gentle yoga protocol that blends pranayama, MFR, interoceptive awareness, and parasympathetic activation to optimize ENS health. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the fascia-ENS connection and evidence-based tools to restore balance in clients experiencing gut-related tension, stress, or chronic health conditions. This session aims to bridge emerging research and embodied experience to expand how yoga therapeutics can support the “second brain” for optimal vitality and resilience.

Tiffany Pridgen, MS, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, E-RYT 500, YACEP

Tiffany has a Master’s degree in Sensory & Systems Neuroscience from the University of Virginia and works professionally in gastrointestinal physiology research at NC State University. She studies translational models of Gastrointestinal diseases and the interaction of the enteric nervous system on mechanisms of repair in the small intestine and colon. She applies her professional training in science and research to teaching yoga through her detailed study of the human body & functional yoga for optimal health. Tiffany is a Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, Reiki Level 2 practitioner and lead trainer of Pro Power Yoga Teacher Training. She continues to see clients for private yoga & holistic wellness sessions as well as offering workshops & teacher training courses. Tiffany is an avid equestrian athlete competing locally and nationally in dressage. Tiffany has a passion for innovation & knowledge and loves empowering others in their health through accessible and therapeutic yoga sessions.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @theequestrianyogi
FB: Glow Yoga
LinkedIn: Tiffany Pridgen
Twitter: Tiffany Pridgen, RYT 500 / Glow Yoga

 

Knowledge of anatomy provides yoga teachers with a clear map for the body’s hardware, but to understand how poses are learned, remembered, and refined, we must also look to the software: the nervous system. This presentation decodes core principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning from neurorehabilitation science. We will explore how the brain can change through yoga practice, in order to guide our approach to teaching it through an evidence-informed lens.

Sava Papos, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, ERYT-500

Sava is an Exercise & Sport Scientist living on Whadjuk Noongar Country (Perth, Western Australia). He is currently completing a Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology due for completion in June 2026.

Driven by a commitment to movement science, rehabilitation and healthy aging, he continues to enhance his clinical and practical skills through ongoing research and education in human kinetics.

SOCIAL LINKS
IG: @savapapos