Episode Overview:

In this rich and inspiring episode, Dr. Amy Wheeler sits down with Sarajean Rudman, a multi-disciplinary healer and professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health, to explore what it truly means to live Ayurveda in today’s world.

Sarajean shares how her journey into Ayurveda began at Kripalu and evolved through a deep immersion in yoga, fitness, health coaching, clinical nutrition, and integrative medicine. Her ability to translate ancient wisdom into practical daily action is exactly what modern healthcare — and families — need now.

Together, Amy and Sarajean explore:

• What integrative Ayurveda means in the context of modern healthcare
• How licensed healthcare professionals (LHPs) can incorporate Ayurvedic routines and language into their practice
• Why Ayurveda is not just for wellness seekers, but also for educators, parents, and burned-out professionals
• How simple acts — like warm water in the morning, walking after lunch, or creating a soothing workspace — can transform your nervous system and your life
• The surprising role of color therapy, aromatherapy, and Dinacharya (daily routine) in regulating mind and mood
• How children and teachers alike can benefit from Ayurvedic principles in classroom settings
• The cultural gap in understanding Ayurveda — and how to make it accessible, non-dogmatic, and evidence-informed

Sarajean also introduces her upcoming project, The Replacement Project, which aims to reduce harm and promote healthier daily rituals — especially for women who find themselves caught in the “coffee-to-cocktail” cycle of modern motherhood and overwork.

Featured Topics:

• Lifestyle medicine through the Ayurvedic lens
• Circadian rhythms and hormonal regulation
• Ayurvedic applications in mental health, sleep, and digestion
• Bridging Eastern traditions with evidence-based Western models
• Ayurveda for educators, children, and busy families
• Empowering clients to reclaim sovereignty over their health
• Tips for overcoming the cultural discomfort of slowing down and tuning in

About Sarajean Rudman:

Sarajean Rudman is a professor of Ayurveda, clinical nutritionist, yoga educator, and health coach. She has earned multiple graduate degrees in integrative health and brings a grounded, science-informed perspective to ancient Ayurvedic wisdom. Sarajean teaches at both Maryland University of Integrative Health and Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. She also runs a private integrative practice offering telehealth consultations that combine lab analysis, tongue and pulse diagnosis, and individualized lifestyle planning.

Website: www.sarajeanrudman.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarajeanrudman

Learn with Sarajean at MUIH

Sarajean teaches in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Ayurveda program at MUIH, which includes four foundational courses:

1. Foundations of Ayurveda
2. Ayurvedic Nutrition
3. Ayurveda for Mental Health
4. Advanced Ayurvedic Lifestyle Skills

Perfect for yoga professionals, educators, and LHPs looking to deepen their self-care and bring Ayurveda into their client care and classroom environments.

Learn more: muih.edu

Subscribe & Share

If this episode sparked ideas, validation, or a deep breath of inspiration, we’d love to hear from you! Please leave a review, share with a friend, or tag us on social media.

Learn more about Amy’s programs: www.TheOptimalState.com

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this solo episode, a passionate Amy Wheeler shares candid reflections on the current state and future direction of the yoga therapy profession, with a specific focus on scope of practice, ethics, trauma care, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Now serving as the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health, Amy is teaching a course on ethics, code of conduct, and scope of practice for yoga therapists. This class has reignited critical questions about the growing responsibilities—and limitations—of yoga therapists as the field matures into a recognized profession.

Amy explores the nuanced distinction between yoga teaching and yoga therapy, why a tighter scope of practice means doing less (not more), and how trauma-informed care requires collaborative oversight with licensed healthcare practitioners. She also addresses ethical dilemmas in integrating somatics, psychotherapy, and nervous system regulation into yoga therapy sessions—and the risks of unintentionally appropriating Indian philosophical roots by stripping out the foundational teachings of Yoga.

With humility and experience, Amy examines the difference between salutogenic models (focused on wellness and whole-person care) and pathogenic models (focused on illness and symptoms), and encourages yoga therapists to find clarity in their role within an integrated care system.

Key Topics:

• Why the scope of yoga therapy is narrower than yoga teaching
• Understanding the ethical boundaries of trauma-informed yoga therapy
• The importance of interdisciplinary referrals to LHCPs (Licensed Healthcare Practitioners)
• How yoga therapists can avoid burnout and emotional overextension
• The difference between pathogenic and salutogenic models of care
• Why Indian philosophy must remain central to yoga therapy (and not be replaced by neuroscience alone)
• The relevance of Yoga Sūtra teachings such as svādhyāya, viveka-khyāti, and īśvara-praṇidhāna in trauma-sensitive practice
• Thoughts on training requirements for both LHCPs entering yoga therapy and yoga therapists working in mental health contexts

Resources Mentioned:

• Amy’s blog: The Yoga Therapy Bridge
• www.amywheeler.com → Blog section
• Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali, Bhagavad Gītā, Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā (as foundational sources)
• Spotify for accessible Upaniṣadic and Yogic philosophy podcasts to share with clients

Takeaways:

• Yoga therapy is becoming a true profession, and with that comes greater responsibility, structure, and accountability.
• Trauma-informed work requires caution, training, and often, referral partnerships—it cannot be done in isolation.
• It’s time for the yoga therapy field to develop clear referral guidelines, codify trauma care policies, and ensure practitioners are supported in their own healing journeys.

Connect with Amy Wheeler:

• Website: www.amywheeler.com
• Learn more about her academic work at www.optimalstate.com

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this powerful and deeply moving episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist, educator, and caregiver Lisa Madden. Together, they explore the intersection of yoga philosophy and real-life caregiving through the lens of Lisa’s journey—supporting both of her aging parents through dementia, cancer, and mental health crises, while navigating her own transformation as a daughter, teacher, and practitioner.

Lisa shares her personal story of discovering yoga in her mid-thirties—via a Shiva Rea CD in her living room—and how her practice has grown from physical movement into a profound spiritual foundation that helps her meet grief, exhaustion, and purpose with grace. She opens up about her mother’s struggle with bipolar disorder and her eventual passing, her father’s ongoing experience with dementia, and how yoga philosophy, especially ahiṃsā, satya, and self-regulation, has become her compass in this season of life.

Whether you are a caregiver yourself, supporting someone through chronic illness, or facing the complexities of intergenerational trauma and aging, Lisa’s honesty, vulnerability, and resilience offer comfort and practical insight. She reminds us that yoga is not just something we do on the mat—it is a way we show up for life, even when life is messy and painful.

Topics Covered:

• Lisa’s first experience with yoga and her journey into teaching and yoga therapy
• Founding Into Yoga in Lapeer, Michigan, and transitioning ownership during a caregiving crisis
• How COVID-19 impacted her studio and led to innovative online solutions for older adult communities
• Supporting a parent with bipolar disorder and navigating the grief of suicide
• The long-term demands and spiritual depth of being a dementia caregiver
• Using yoga philosophy—ahiṃsā, satya, saṃtoṣa, and co-regulation—as a framework for compassionate caregiving
• Shifting from the role of daughter to contemplative caregiver
• Practicing yoga off the mat through biking, journaling, gratitude, and breath
• The power of rewriting family narratives through the lens of forgiveness and love
• Reflections on grief, resilience, and the subtle body memory of love

Content Warning:

This episode includes sensitive discussions around suicide, mental health, and the loss of a parent. Please listen with care. A brief content warning is provided in the episode prior to these discussions.

Connect with Lisa Madden:

• Facebook: SattvaYT
• Instagram: @sattva_yoga_therapy
• Yoga Studio: Soul Nectar Yoga – Lapeer, MI
• Private Sessions: Lisa offers private yoga therapy via Zoom. Contact her through the studio website or her social media for more information.

Upcoming Event:

Lisa is on faculty at the International Institute of Yoga Therapy and is helping coordinate the second Symposium on Clinical Advancements in Yoga Therapy, scheduled for January 16–18, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. CEUs for Yoga Alliance, IAYT, nurses, social workers, and physicians will be available.

Show host Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) and a leader in the fields of yoga therapy and Ayurveda. She played a key role in helping to set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) from 2018 to 2020.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this deeply reflective episode, Amy Wheeler welcomes meditation teacher and yogic scholar Earle Birney to share his personal journey through yoga, meditation, and values-based living. From an unexpected start with Light on Yoga in a New Zealand prison to co-founding a remote retreat center in the Arizona desert, Earle’s story is a testament to transformation, dedication, and spiritual growth.

Earle shares how his early Ashtanga Yoga discipline evolved into a more integrated approach rooted in daily life—not confined to the mat, but extending into every interaction and breath. The conversation touches on Kriyā Yoga, Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra, core values, and how meditation serves as the anchor to cultivate integrity, presence, and love.

Key Topics Covered:

• Earle’s first yoga experience and how it catalyzed his spiritual path
• The difference between physical yoga and yoga as a way of life
• The relevance of Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sūtra for modern practitioners
• Understanding Kriyā Yoga and Aṣṭāṅga Yoga as practical, embodied frameworks
• The concept of cognitive dissonance in ethics and how to track your personal integrity
• Creating non-negotiable time for meditation and reflection
• The practice of “Harvesting Joy” and retraining the mind for positivity
• A profound insight from a 3-year silent retreat: love as a non-object-dependent inner state
• Using core values as a moment-to-moment compass for yogic living
• How modern life erodes attention, and what we can do about it

Quotable Highlights:

“My yoga is not about a pose—it’s about how I walk through the room with elegance and grace.” – Earle Birney

“Now. Yoga begins now. There’s always an opportunity to step into it.” – Earle Birney

“Your spiritual practice shouldn't fit into your life. Your life should fit around your spiritual practice.” – Earle Birney

“Love is not dependent on anything. It’s a state that arises when the mind is quiet.” – Earle Birney

About the Guest:

Earle Birney is a meditation and philosophy teacher affiliated with Yoga Studies Institute and Three Jewels NYC. He co-founded Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, a remote off-grid refuge in the Arizona desert dedicated to deep retreat and advanced study. Earle specializes in Buddhist and yogic philosophy, one-pointed meditation, and guiding others to live from their deepest values. He is especially interested in helping modern practitioners reconnect with purpose and inner stillness.

Learn More & Connect:

• Diamond Mountain Retreat Center: diamondmountain.org
• Yoga Studies Institute: yogastudiesinstitute.org
• Three Jewels NYC: thethreejewels.org

Connect with Amy Wheeler: 

www.amywheeler.com- Yoga Therapy Bridge Blog

www.TheOptimalState.com- Classes with Amy

Optimal State Mobile App- iPhone App Store

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) and a leader in the fields of yoga therapy and Ayurveda. She played a key role in helping to set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) from 2018 to 2020.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary: In this powerful episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, host Amy Wheeler welcomes psychotherapist and yoga therapist Michelle Fury for an in-depth discussion on complex trauma, emotional healing, and the role of yoga therapy in mental health. Michelle shares her deeply personal journey, how yoga helped her navigate complex trauma, and how she now integrates yoga therapy into her work with children, adolescents, and families.

Michelle was a pioneer in the field, practicing yoga therapy before it was even a recognized profession. She discusses her time at Colorado Children's Hospital, where she worked alongside art and music therapists, supporting young individuals dealing with self-harm, eating disorders, and trauma. Michelle recounts how her journey led her to develop therapeutic tools, including the use of Optimal State emotional regulation charts, to help children and families reconnect with their emotions and sensations.

We explore topics such as:

• How trauma disconnects individuals from their bodies and emotions
• The impact of yoga therapy on young people in psychiatric care
• Differentiating between dissociation and embodied awareness
• How yoga therapy bridges the gap between mental health and somatic healing
• The process of guiding clients through self-awareness and emotional literacy
• The power of pranayama and mantra in deepening healing practices

Michelle also discusses her upcoming book Yoga Therapy for Complex Trauma, set for release in August, which offers an integrative approach to healing through yoga. She emphasizes the importance of teaching both yoga professionals and mental health practitioners how to incorporate yoga safely and effectively within their scope of practice.

If you're a yoga therapist, psychotherapist, or someone interested in using yoga as a tool for healing, this episode is packed with insights that will deepen your understanding of the mind-body connection.

Resources Mentioned:

• Michelle’s first book: Using Yoga Therapy to Promote Mental Health in Children and Adolescents
• Upcoming book: Yoga Therapy for Complex Trauma (August release)
• Optimal State mobile app for self-regulation and emotional tracking
• The Minded Institute’s Yoga Therapy for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Training

Learn More:

• Michelle Fury’s website (Launching February): www.rhythmyogatherapy.com
• The Minded Institute Training: www.themindedinstitute.com
• Optimal State Mobile App (iOS & Android)
• Connect with Amy Wheeler: www.theoptimalstate.com

Listen & Subscribe: Find The Yoga Therapy Hour on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Follow Us on Social Media:

• Instagram: @optimalstate
• LinkedIn: Amy Wheeler Yoga Therapy
• YouTube: The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast

Support the Podcast: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps bring these important conversations to a broader audience!

Connect + Take Action:

• Want to be a guest on Season 10? Email Amy with your desired topic from the 8 Limbs series!
• Explore Amy’s offerings at TheOptimalState.com
• Subscribe and leave a review if this episode touched you.
• Support the show by sharing this episode with a friend or colleague in the healing arts.

Episode Summary:

In this deeply personal and reflective solo episode, Amy Wheeler closes out Season 8 of The Yoga Therapy Hour and sets the tone for a rich, story-filled Season 9.

Amy shares how the theme of “being human” emerged as the guiding force of Season 8, inspired by the courageous individuals who came forward to tell their stories—many for the first time. These stories weren't just interviews. They were powerful acts of vulnerability, resilience, and truth-telling, offering a mirror into the ways Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Āyurveda can help us feel more, suffer less, and reconnect with ourselves and others.

From feeding the birds on a crisp Minnesota morning to attending the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday celebration with the Tibetan American community, Amy reflects on the importance of embodiment, interconnection, and what it means to belong—to ourselves, to each other, and to something greater.

She also speaks frankly about the state of the yoga therapy profession—naming the challenges in funding, insurance, job growth, and institutional integration—and invites listeners to return to the heart of the practice. Yoga was never meant to be a job market. It was—and still is—a sacred path for healing, presence, and service.

What’s Ahead in Season 9:

• Season 9 will continue the storytelling format, focusing on real humans navigating real suffering and how they found relief and resilience through Yoga and Āyurveda.
• The season is already fully booked through December 2025, with Amy often recording two stories per week to keep up with the demand.
• The core question guiding the season: What does it mean to be human in an age of AI, disconnection, and overwhelm?

Special Announcement: Season 10 Preview

Amy shares a glimpse of what’s coming in 2026:

A 15-month podcast series dedicated to the 8 Limbs of Yoga, integrating ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience and lived experience. Topics include:

• January: Citta-vṛtti-nirodha & the Autonomic Nervous System
• February: Abhyāsa & Vairāgyam
• March: The Kleśas & Suffering
• April–December: The Eight Limbs (Yamas through Samādhi)

Interested in being a guest for one of these episodes? Amy invites you to email her to claim a topic!

Key Quotes:

“Maybe Yoga can’t be your sole source of income right now. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be your sacred path.”

— Amy Wheeler

“When we let go of trying to fit Yoga Therapy into a broken system, we begin to remember the soul of this work.”

— Amy Wheeler

“Humanity is not something we need to digitize—it’s something we need to feel again.”

— Amy Wheeler

Connect + Take Action:

• Want to be a guest on Season 10? Email Amy with your desired topic from the 8 Limbs series!
• Explore Amy’s offerings at TheOptimalState.com
• Subscribe and leave a review if this episode touched you.
• Support the show by sharing this episode with a friend or colleague in the healing arts.

Guests:

Kenya DeJarnette, Yoga Therapist and Cancer Survivor

Tina Paul, Yoga Therapist and Instructor at Memorial Sloan Kettering and MUIH

In this powerful episode, host Dr. Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist Kenya DeJarnette and her former professor Tina Paul for a deeply moving conversation on healing, resilience, and finding one’s path through cancer and beyond. Kenya shares her transformational journey from a breast cancer diagnosis to discovering yoga therapy as a lifeline—a practice that reconnected her to her body, her faith, and her purpose.

Through heartfelt storytelling, Kenya reflects on how yoga helped her navigate infertility, grief, trauma, and the physical toll of cancer treatment. With grace and courage, she opens up about how being part of a supportive yoga and cancer care community reawakened her fighting spirit and taught her to embrace life with newfound openness.

Tina Paul offers a behind-the-scenes look at the integrative yoga therapy work being done at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, describing the role of therapeutic presence, breath, movement, and research in supporting those undergoing cancer treatment.

Together, the three explore themes of:

• Nervous system dysregulation and the role of breath and yoga in recovery
• Faith, spirituality, and openness to healing across different modalities
• Yoga Nidra as a gateway to deeper rest and reconnection
• Community as medicine for trauma and illness
• The importance of clinical training in yoga therapy
• How yoga can bring people back to their true self

Key Quotes:

🌀 "I always say yoga helped me come back to myself." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "You grow through what you go through." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "The healing mechanism isn’t just one thing—it’s the integrated power of presence, breath, movement, and relationship." — Tina Paul

🌀 "There is a blueprint for healing, and yoga offers us the map." — Amy Wheeler

Topics Covered:

• Kenya’s diagnosis and the physical and emotional challenges she faced
• Opening to yoga as a spiritual and healing practice
• Overcoming cultural and religious barriers to holistic care
• The role of social connection and community in healing
• Tina’s work in integrative medicine and current research on yoga for neuropathy
• Yoga therapy education and the journey from student to teacher

Resources & Mentions:

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine Department
• Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)
• Yoga Nidra & Amrit Yoga Institute
• Book: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
• Research on yoga for neuropathy supported by NIH
• Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga Studies Program

Connect with Our Guests:

• Kenya DeJarnette: www.ariseyogatherapy.com
• Tina Paul: www.yogawithtina.com

Subscribe & Share:

If you were touched by Kenya’s story or inspired by the power of yoga therapy, please share this episode with someone who needs hope and healing. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

If you are interested in our programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health, find more information here. We are merging with Notre Dame of Maryland University very soon. If you are seeing this after summer of 2025, just google NDMU Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda to find details.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving and honest episode, Amy Wheeler welcomes Lisa Becks—a yoga teacher, clinical social worker, and long-time practitioner—who shares her lifelong journey with yoga as a steady companion through grief, motherhood, cancer, and healing. Lisa recounts how she first encountered yoga in her early twenties while grieving the sudden loss of her mother, and how that one class at a Zen Buddhist center in Michigan led to decades of inner transformation.

From the profound influence of her first teacher Barbara Linderman (a direct student of Śrī T. Krishnamacharya) to her healing experience with Kate Holcombe after a breast cancer diagnosis, Lisa's story reminds us that yoga isn't about performance or ambition—it's about returning to ourselves, again and again. Throughout this conversation, Amy and Lisa reflect on parenting without a mother, the reverberations of our actions and emotions, and how the most healing practices are often the simplest and most sincere.

Listeners will be inspired by Lisa’s vulnerability, her gentle wisdom, and the way she lives the teachings she practices. Whether you're new to yoga or have been on the path for years, this episode is a tender reminder that yoga, when approached with sincerity and self-awareness, meets us exactly where we are.

Key Topics Covered:

• Grieving the loss of a parent and finding yoga as a healing anchor
• The sacred presence of humble teachers and quiet transmission
• Evolution of practice across life stages: young adulthood, motherhood, illness
• Self-awareness, self-regulation, and the nervous system
• Using observation instead of judgment to shift behavior
• Teaching yoga as a form of service and continued self-discovery
• Cancer recovery, the role of gentle discipline, and meeting yourself with grace
• Yoga as a way to parent consciously without inherited patterns
• Coming home to the self—again and again

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Barbara Linderman (student of Śrī T. Krishnamacharya)
• Kate Holcombe (teacher in the tradition of TKV Desikachar)
• Inward Bound Yoga Collective, Ann Arbor, MI
• Optimal State Yoga Therapy Training

About Lisa Becks:

Lisa is a yoga teacher, clinical social worker, and mother of two. She offers private yoga therapy sessions by request and believes in the quiet, transformative power of personalized practice. Lisa does not actively market her services, but those who find her often discover a steady, compassionate guide.

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) and a leader in the fields of yoga therapy and Ayurveda. She played a key role in helping to set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) from 2018 to 2020. www.TheOptimalState.com

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this thought-provoking solo episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler explores the profound topic of safety in human relationships, drawing from recent co-creative discussions with seasoned therapists and yoga practitioners, as well as insights from Polyvagal Theory.

Episode Highlights:

• The Foundation of Healing: Amy emphasizes that safety—both internal and external—is the essential foundation for healing, transformation, and authentic human connection.
• The Role of Nonjudgment: A central theme of this episode is how nonjudgmental presence, both in therapy and daily life, fosters safety and allows people to open up and be themselves.
• Artificial Intelligence & Safety: Amy reflects on the surprising role AI therapy bots play in creating a nonjudgmental space, and what this teaches us about human interaction.
• Key Qualities that Foster Safety:
• Comfort with silence and emotional presence.
• Ability to repair ruptures in relationships, not just avoid them.
• Unconditional positive regard without creating stories about others.
• Transparency balanced with cultural sensitivity.
• Openness to new experiences and flexibility in thinking.
• Clear and honest communication that eliminates guesswork.
• Self-awareness and the ability to reflect and take responsibility.
• Consistency, calm regulation, and respect for time and commitments.
• Attunement to the emotional state of others, with empathetic mirroring.
• A melodic, regulated voice that supports co-regulation.
• Genuine listening that seeks to understand, not just respond.
• Familiar rituals and environments that offer predictable support.
• Respect for diverse perspectives and willingness to stand up for justice.

Key Takeaways:

• Safety isn't just about avoiding harm; it's about creating conditions where authenticity, trust, and transformation can thrive.
• Even positive judgments can feel like evaluations, reducing the sense of safety in a relationship.
• Sacredness in connection—showing up mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared—amplifies the healing potential of every interaction.

Resources Mentioned:

• Polyvagal Theory – A framework for understanding how safety and social engagement are wired into our nervous system.
• Book Recommendation: Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud – Understanding when and how to bring closure to relationships in a healthy way.

Connect with Amy Wheeler:

For more episodes, resources, and information about Yoga Therapy, visit TheOptimalState.com

Support the Show:

If you found value in this episode, please rate, review, and share it with others who may benefit from these insights into creating safer, more authentic relationships.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving and powerful episode, Amy Wheeler sits down with Dr. Steffany Moonaz—yoga researcher, author, educator, and founder of Yoga for Arthritis—to discuss her professional contributions to the field of yoga therapy, and the personal story that nearly shattered everything she knew about herself.

What begins as a conversation about the CLARIFY Guidelines and the evolution of yoga research quickly transitions into a vulnerable and heartfelt dialogue about grief, identity, traumatic brain injury (TBI), caregiving, and the long, often invisible road to healing.

Dr. Moonaz shares the inspiration behind her memoir Driving Home: Cancer, Concussion, Mom and Me, and invites us into the emotional terrain of a year marked by tragedy, disorientation, and ultimately, profound transformation. Through the lens of yoga, neuroscience, and lived experience, she offers wisdom on surviving loss—not just the loss of loved ones, but the loss of self as we once knew it.

If you've ever questioned how the tools of yoga serve us not just in theory, but in the darkest moments of real life, this conversation is for you.

Topics We Explore:

• The origin and impact of the CLARIFY Guidelines for yoga research
• What makes yoga research replicable, credible, and useful for clinicians
• Dr. Moonaz’s academic leadership in yoga therapy at MUIH and SCUHS
• The backstory of Yoga for Arthritis and its public health mission
• Living through a year of compounded loss: traumatic brain injury, caregiving, and grief
• Navigating healthcare systems and trauma while healing
• Writing a memoir as a healing process and reflective practice
• The psychological and somatic experience of losing identity through injury
• Yoga therapy for grief, loss, and identity reconstruction
• Steffany's personal tapas (discipline) and her decision to keep showing up
• Reclaiming wholeness post-trauma: a new “A-prime” version of self

Featured Book:

Driving Home: Cancer, Concussion, Mom and Me

Now available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

 Audiobook coming soon—narrated by Dr. Steffany Moonaz herself

Connect with Steffany Moonaz:

Website: https://arthritis.yoga

Explore professional trainings in Yoga for Arthritis, mentoring opportunities, research publications, and continuing education courses.

Upcoming offerings include:

• Online cohort: Yoga for Arthritis Level 1 Training (starting July 15, 2025)
• Self-paced options in yoga, Ayurveda, and pain science
• In-person retreat at Yogaville, Summer 2026

Quote from the Episode:

“I had to grieve the things about me that I had lost, at the same time as grieving the loss of my mother... But I also believe that I have made up for the loss of function with who I have grown into as a human.” — Dr. Steffany Moonaz

 Special Thanks:

To Dr. Moonaz for her honesty, strength, and generosity.

And to our listeners—may this story remind you of your own resilience, your own wisdom, and the power of bearing witness to the full spectrum of the human experience.

Information on Amy:

www.amywheeler.com

www.TheOptimalState.com