This podcast is a venue for sharing topics in the field of yoga therapy today. Whether you are a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healthcare provider or individual with curiosity, this is the the place to learn about the latest ideas, personal healing stories, research and work that is cutting edge, and making a difference.
Subscribe:.rss.atom.json.md.m3u.pls
Live Last read · last published · next check
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
Can vocal chanting and intentional vibration measurably alter our neurobiology? In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , host Michele Lawrence sits down with scientist, researcher, and educator Dr. Gemma Perry . Dr. Perry shares findings from her doctoral research on the physiological and psychological mechanisms of chanting—from vagal nerve stimulation and heart rate variability to stress…
Long before yoga therapy was recognized by mainstream healthcare institutions, Michael Lee, MA, Dip.Psych, C-IAYT , was pioneering an internationally acclaimed method that bridged classical yoga, depth psychology, and body-centered awareness. In 1986, he founded Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy , establishing a lineage that uses the body as a direct gateway to emotional and mental liberation. In this…
When someone has experienced trauma, chronic stress, or progressive illness, their own physical body can start to feel like an unsafe environment. They often report feeling disconnected from or even "betrayed" by their physical shape. How do we help clients shift out of a constant, cellular state of survival and return to a state of safety, trust, and connection? In this episode of This is Yoga…
After sustaining a severe back injury, yoga therapist Jen Peterson, C-IAYT, found herself completely ostracized by modern, fitness-based studio spaces that prioritized rigid, hyper-flexible physical shapes. That turning point sparked a lifelong vow: to champion the truth that the pose is meant to serve the body—not the other way around. In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , host Michele…
What if the secret to your next professional breakthrough isn't doing more—but mastering the art of the somatic off-switch? In a high-intensity culture that treats "the hustle" and sleep deprivation as badges of honor, ambitious women are facing a quiet epidemic of chronic exhaustion, nighttime panic, and the dreaded 3:00 AM wake-up call. In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , host Michele…
In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , host Michele Lawrence sits down with Renata Sumar Gaertner, C-IAYT , the director and lead teacher of Yoga for All Abilities , carrying forward her mother’s legendary Sonia Sumar Method . Renata began her yoga journey at just three years old and completed her first Hatha training at twelve. Raised alongside her sister, Roberta, who was born with Down…
What happens when traditional public health science meets ancestral wisdom? In this episode, host Michele Lawrence sits down with Melissa Shah, MPH, C-IAYT, the founder of Find Your Breath , to explore the intersection of modern healthcare, lineage reclamation, and the physiological power of sound. Melissa breaks down the Western misconceptions surrounding mantra, reclaiming it as a potent,…
What does it mean to age well? In 2026, the conversation has officially shifted from lifespan —how many years we live—to healthspan —how well we live those years. In this episode, host Michele Lawrence sits down with pioneering medical doctor and certified yoga therapist Dr. Baxter Bell to discuss the intersection of Western medicine and yoga. Baxter shares his personal evolution from working as a…
What happens when we stop trying to "fix" our bodies and instead learn to negotiate our own terms of healing? In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , host Michele Lawrence sits down with legendary movement educator, physical therapist, and yoga therapist Sherry Brourman, PT, C-IAYT. With an astonishing 53 years of clinical experience, Sherry shares her profound evolution from the rigid,…
What happens when a legacy of "radical rest" meets the modern era of constant noise? In this episode of This is Yoga Therapy , Michele Lawrence sits down with Lizzie Lasater —Restorative Yoga teacher, architect by training, and a vital voice in the evolution of modern yoga. As her mother, yoga pioneer Judith Hanson Lasater , prepares to retire at age 80, Lizzie reflects on the longevity of a…
