Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools, and Practice: A Comprehensive Textbook

Providing essential support to schools and universities that offer yoga therapy training programs, this comprehensive, edited textbook develops robust curricula, enabling them to prepare yoga therapists to integrate into healthcare settings safely and effectively.

The book includes a large and international list of contributors from diverse lineages and backgrounds such as Matthew Taylor, Gail Parker and Steffany Moonaz, and is the first resource on yoga therapy that aligns with the educational competencies of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). It covers yoga foundations (philosophical background, ayurveda, tantra), biomedical and psychological foundations, yoga therapy tools and therapeutic skills, yogic and biopsychosocial-spiritual assessments, and professional practices.

As the field of yoga therapy continues to root and grow, this book is essential for both new yoga therapy practitioners, and for schools developing training programs.

Rachel Krentzman PT, E-RYT, is the founder and director of Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga in San Diego, California. In 1996 she gained a degree in physical therapy and began her career in hospital settings in areas such as orthopaedics and neurosurgery. Rachel became increasingly aware of the therapeutic benefits of yoga and gained her E-RYT500 designation after advanced study with Aadil Palkhivala, the founder of Purna yoga. As well as workshops and classes, Rachel offers teacher training in yoga therapy, particularly in the treatment of back problems.

Leigh Leibel, MSc, C-IAYT (she/her)
Leigh Leibel is an integrative oncology specialist based in New York City. Since 2015, she has had a clinical practice in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she designs evidence-based mind-body interventions for people with cancer to mitigate adverse treatment side effects and improve clinical outcomes. She completed a summer fellowship in cancer prevention and control at the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) and holds a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy (Honors) from S-VYASA University, Bengaluru, India. Leigh serves on the Board of Trustees of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO), where she co-hosts the Integrative Oncology Talk podcast and co-chairs the Yoga Special Interest Group. She is currently pursuing a PhD in biomedical yoga research. Find her at www.leighleibel.com

Gail Parker, Ph.D. CIAYT, E-RYT 500 is an author, psychologist, educator, and certified yoga therapist. She serves as President of the Black Yoga Teachers Board of Directors (BYTA). She is the author of Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma and Transforming Ethnic and Race-Based Traumatic Stress with Yoga.

Dr Steffany Moonaz is a research scientist with over 20 years of experience researching yoga and other integrative health practices. She has been teaching research literacy and evidence-informed practice to yoga professionals in higher education and in private training programs for many years, helped develop the Master of Science in Yoga Therapy at Maryland University of Integrative Health, and created their Research Department. She now serves as Research Director at the Southern California University of Health Sciences. Dr Moonaz also has a private practice as a yoga therapist and health coach.