The pandemic has exacerbated the long-standing decline in mental health, and evidence suggests that people with addiction and eating disorders are among the most impacted. Today someone in the U.S. will die of a drug overdose every 19 minutes, and teens with eating disorders are up to 18 times more likely than their same-aged peers to die. Yet healthcare is harder than ever to come by. Private treatment can cost over $1,500 per day, and in the U.K. wait times for eating disorder care can exceed one year.

Chelsea Roff (Founder of Eat Breathe Thrive) and Nikki Myers (Founder of the Yoga of 12-Step Recovery) open the symposium by describing how addiction and eating disorders impact people, families, and society at large. Both in recovery themselves, they bring an intimate understanding of the depths of human suffering that come with these challenges and the conditions necessary for individuals and communities to thrive.

Presented by: 

Nikki Myers – Founder and Director, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery
Nikki Myers is the Founder of Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. An accomplished speaker and teacher, she is an MBA, E-RYT500, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Ayurvedic Specialist. Born from her struggles with addiction and work with countless students, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based on its theme ‘the issues live in the tissues’, Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs. Y12SR meetings are available internationally and the curriculum has rapidly become a feature of addiction recovery treatment centers. Nikki’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Origin Magazine, CBSnews.com and countless podcasts.

Chelsea Roff, C-IAYT  – Founder of Eat Breathe Thrive and Co-Executive Director of Give Back Yoga Foundation
Chelsea Roff, C-IAYT, is the Founder and Director of Eat Breathe Thrive, a nonprofit organization that helps people recover from eating disorders. A yoga therapist, educator, and research collaborator, she has spent the better part of a decade working to make integrative health programs available to people with mental health challenges.

Coming soon!

Presented by: 

Greg Williams – Health Policy Consultant, Manager of Alliance for Addiction Payment Reform and Award-Winning Filmmaker
Greg has over a decade of experience working with non-profits and government agencies on addiction. As person in long-term recovery from addiction himself, Greg’s work has been dedicated towards creating positive changes in access to quality health care and recovery supports for the over 40 million Americans with a substance use disorder.
Greg is the award-winning filmmaker and producer of three feature length documentaries: The Anonymous People, Generation Found, and Tipping The Pain Scale.

The use of yoga in eating disorder treatment might sound abstract or experimental, but for those who study the science behind mindfulness, embodiment, and eating disorders, it makes intuitive sense. Disembodiment, a phenomenon when one becomes detached from their body, is closely linked to disordered eating. What makes yoga such a powerful tool in eating disorder treatment is its embodiment aspect, how it brings practitioners back into their bodies, allowing them to be present with whatever comes up.

In this presentation, we’ll hear from two experts who have studied this intersection for decades: Catherine Cook-Cottone, Ph.D., a psychologist, yoga therapist, professor at University at Buffalo, SUNY, and author of 10 books and over 85 research articles and chapters on mindful self-care, embodiment, self-regulation, eating disorders, and trauma. And Tracy Tylka, a professor in the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University and Editor-in-Chief of Body Image: An International Journal of Research. Participants will learn about disembodiment from a biopsychosocial perspective, explore the causes and consequences of eating disorders, and discover how yoga can be a tool for both prevention and treatment.  

Presented by: 

Catherine Cook-Cottone, PhD – Psychologist and Researcher
Catherine Cook-Cottone, Ph.D., is a psychologist, yoga therapist, and professor at University at Buffalo, SUNY. She has written 10 books and over 85 research articles and chapters on mindful self-care, embodiment, self-regulation, eating disorders, and trauma. She is co-founder of Yogis in Service and researches and consults with the Africa Yoga project and the United Nations Foundation develop and delivers trauma-informed, mindfulness-based resilience training for yoga teachers and humanitarian workers in North America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Tracy Tylka, PhD – Professor of Psychology, Ohio State University
Tracy Tylka is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University and Editor-in-Chief of Body Image: An International Journal of Research. She has published extensively in the areas of body image and eating behavior, with a particular emphasis on positive body image and intuitive eating. Dr. Tylka is a co-author of the Positive Body Image Workbook: A Clinical and Self-Improvement guide. She has a personal and professional interest in yoga as it relates to body image and embodiment.

Coming soon!

Presented by: 

Special Guest

Coming soon!

Presented by: 

Russell Brand

Russell Brand is an award-winning comedian, actor, author, public thought leader, and a passionate activist for mental health and drug rehabilitation.

Each day of the symposium, you’ll have the opportunity to build community and connect with like-minded professionals in dedicated virtual meeting sessions. These 30-minute sessions will focus on the theme of the day and are hosted by leading nonprofits.

Don’t miss these special opportunities to discover, learn, and connect with others committed to transforming the lives of people affected by addiction and eating disorders.

Led by: 

ANAD

At least 30 million Americans are suffering from an eating disorder—a type of mental illness that, left untreated, can cause life-threatening mental and physical problems. Nearly every hour in the U.S., someone dies due to complications related to an eating disorder.

ANAD is the leading nonprofit in the U.S. that provides free, peer support services to anyone struggling with an eating disorder, regardless of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or background. Their nationwide network of volunteers understand first-hand the ups and downs of the recovery journey—because they, too, have lived the experience of an eating disorder. ANAD empowers volunteers to help others through their own recovery.

For over half a century, we have been trained to believe that our brains have two parts: the emotional right hemisphere and the rational left hemisphere. But this isn’t technically true. Each hemisphere has both an emotional and a thinking module of cells. Consequently, we each have a left thinking, left emotional, right emotional, and right thinking parts of our brain. Each of these four parts not only exhibit unique skill sets, but they each give rise to four distinct and predictable characters. When we learn to identify our Four Characters and train them to respect one another and work together, they become a powerhouse team of players that we can work with to support our best life.

In Whole Brain Living you will meet the Four Characters in your brain (as well as help you recognize them in the people around you) and learn how to perform the BRAIN Huddle – a powerful technique that will bring each of your Four Characters into conversation with one another, thereby giving you the power to consciously choose which character you want to embody at any time. We have much more power over what is going on inside of our brain than we have ever been taught, and the more familiar you become with your Four Characters, the more power you will have to choose your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and behaviors. Whole Brain Living is true personal freedom and we will share how you can use your Four Characters to support a sustainable recovery from any addiction.  

In this presentation you will learn about several common myths about the brain that are not true, and you will gain a brief understanding about how the mammalian nervous system evolves over time and the primary difference between the human brain and other mammals at a neuroanatomical level. We’ll deep dive into the anatomy and skill sets of each of the Four Characters and discuss how to call and use the BRAIN Huddle tool. You’ll learn the power of the 90 Second Rule and you’ll gain insight into how to apply this material to your relationship with yourself and others.

Presented by: 

Jill Bolte Taylor – Neuroanatomist and Author of My Stroke of Insight

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist and the New York Times best-selling author of My Stroke of Insight, a book telling the story of what she learned when she had a severe stroke in 1996. She is a dynamic teacher and public speaker and enjoys educating all age groups, academic levels, and corporations about the beauty of our brain. Her new book, Whole Brain Living: the Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life, provides insight into the nature of addiction and how to achieve lasting recovery.

In the public imagination, eating disorders plague women exclusively. And while women do suffer from eating disorders at higher rates, men are far from immune. Sadly, this misconception only serves to make eating disorders in boys and men harder to recognize. 

In this presentation, Jason Nagata, MD, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, will explore research on gender differences in the presentation of eating disorders. Through two case studies, Nagata will discuss the epidemiology of muscle-enhancing and disordered eating behaviors in the US, identify medical complications of eating disorders, outline current treatment guidelines, and identify future areas of research. Participants will walk away with a more nuanced view of eating disorders and their causes and consequences in boys and men.

Presented by: 

Jason Nagata, MD – Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco
Jason Nagata, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco specializing in adolescent and young adult medicine. He researches eating disorders, body image, and muscle-enhancing behaviors in boys, men, and LGBTQ+ people. He edited the book Eating Disorders in Boys and Men. He has published over 200 articles in academic journals and his research has been covered by The New York Times, CNN, NPR, NBC, and CBS News. He is the recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics Emerging Leader in Adolescent Health Award and the International Association for Adolescent Health Young Professionals Prize.

For those struggling with eating disorders or addiction, movement can sometimes be used to restrict or push away experience. Yoga, dance, and other forms of embodied movement can invite clients to be present with whatever arises emotionally or physically along their journey. 

In this presentation, Dr. Jamie Marich and Alicia Hann will share ideas for using mindfulness to help clients gently reconnect with and befriend the body, while speaking to the impact such practice has made on their own recoveries. You will learn how to understand mindfulness through a trauma-informed lens, discover the role of embodied practice in recovery, and walk away with strategies to incorporate these practices into your own life. 

Presented by: 

Jamie Marich, PhD – Counselor, Trauma Specialist, Founder of the Institute for Creative Mindfulness
Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) travels internationally speaking on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, expressive arts and mindfulness while maintaining a private practice and online education operations, the Institute for Creative Mindfulness, in her home base of Akron, OH. She is the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy, and the developer of Yoga for Clinicians. Jamie is the author of numerous books, including the popular “Trauma and the 12 Steps” Jamie is in long-term recovery from both an addictive and a dissociative disorder which forms the basis of her advocacy work.

Alicia Hann – Mindful Dance Educator, Performer, and Choreographer
Alicia is a dance educator, performer, and choreographer based out of Columbus Ohio. She fell in love with dance because of its endless possibilities for creative physical expression. Movement has been an integral part of her personal recovery from a trauma induced eating disorder. Alicia has taught dance technique and facilitated movement experiences in therapeutic, classroom and community settings, as well as performed and set work nationally. Her hope is to pass along the ability to tap into an inherent joy of moving and self-discovery. She aims to foster an appreciation of dance as a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual pursuit.

This presentation addresses the question: What can the practice of yoga offer in terms of improving body image and potentially reducing eating disorders? Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RYT-500 has published approximately 575 scientific papers on eating disorders, dietary intake, physical activity, body image, weight status and related topics. Dr. Neumark-Sztainer has a great interest in exploring the potential for yoga to help in improving body image and reducing eating disorders.

In this presentation, Dr. Neumark-Sztainer will discuss the importance of eating, activity and weight related health and will describe shared risk and protective factors for both excessive weight gain and disordered eating behaviors. She will discuss the potential role of yoga in addressing the broad spectrum of eating, activity, and health. She will share her research findings suggesting the potential for yoga to enhance body image. You’ll learn how to integrate strategies for improving body image through a personal yoga practice and through teaching yoga. Come away with a renewed understanding of how this practice can help people feel more at home in their bodies.

Presented by: 

Dianne Neumark Sztainer, PhD – Eating Disorder Researcher and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health

Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, RYT-500 is a McKnight Presidential and Mayo Professor and serves as the Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on a broad spectrum of eating and weight-related outcomes including eating disorders, unhealthy weight control behaviors, body image, dietary intake, weight stigmatization, and obesity. Dr. Neumark-Sztainer has taught yoga within an eating disorders treatment center and conducts research on the connection between yoga and body image and eating disorders.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor and Ms Nikki Myers will team up in conversation to explore how Whole Brain Living can profoundly impact the brain while in active addiction and/or recovery. When we better understand the Four Characters inside of our brain, we can gain the power to choose who and how we want to be when experiencing deep craving or internal conflict. We have much more power over what is going on inside of our brain than we have ever been trained, and Dr. Jill and Nikki will speak directly to how Whole Brain Living has profoundly impacted Nikki’s life and she will share the power this material has already had with many of those she works with in recovery. 

Presented by: 

Jill Bolte Taylor – Neuroanatomist and Author of My Stroke of Insight

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist and the New York Times best-selling author of My Stroke of Insight, a book telling the story of what she learned when she had a severe stroke in 1996. She is a dynamic teacher and public speaker and enjoys educating all age groups, academic levels, and corporations about the beauty of our brain. I was thrilled to interview her after reading her new book, Whole Brain Living: the Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life.

Nikki Myers – Founder and Director, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery

Nikki Myers is the Founder of Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. An accomplished speaker and teacher, she is an MBA, E-RYT500, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Ayurvedic Specialist. Born from her struggles with addiction and work with countless students, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based on its theme ‘the issues live in the tissues’, Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs. Y12SR meetings are available internationally and the curriculum has rapidly become a feature of addiction recovery treatment centers. Nikki’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Origin Magazine, CBSnews.com and countless podcasts.

Coming soon!

Presented by: 

Eddie Stern – Yoga Teacher, Author and Lecturer

Eddie Stern is a yoga instructor, author, and researcher from NYC.  He has written yoga protocols for published scientific research studies, and public education health and wellness curriculums that have been used in over 150 schools across the United States for both students and educators. He serves on the boards of several non-profits including LIFE Camp, Urban Yogis, and Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, and is the co-creator of the International Yoga and Science Conference with Dr. Marshall Hagins.

While yoga can offer benefits to anyone in recovery, often the spaces where people practice yoga are dominated by women. Men experiencing mental health challenges already face social stigma – it’s no surprise some men feel reluctant to seek support in yoga.

In this panel, we’ve invited four men at different stages of recovery from addiction and eating disorders to discuss their experiences with yoga. Learn about what’s helped, what hasn’t, and how to create more inclusive spaces for people of all genders and gender identities to access the practice.

Presented by: 

James Downs – Mental Health Campaigner and Author of The Practical Handbook of Eating Difficulties

James is a mental health campaigner and expert by experience in eating disorders. He holds various roles at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and NHS England aimed at improving support for those experiencing mental health problems and eating disorders, and for their carers. James also represents various UK mental health charities and is an experienced yoga and barre teacher, passionate about the need to consider embodied and bottom-up approaches to making sense of and responding to mental health difficulties.

Rolf Gates – Yoga Teacher, Counselor, and Author of Daily Reflections on Addiction, Yoga, and Getting Well

Rolf Gates, author of the bestselling book on yogic philosophy, Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga, and the newly released: Meditations on Intention and Being: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga, Mindfulness and Compassion, conducts yoga workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, and coaching and mentorship programs throughout the U.S. and abroad–and online. Rolf and his work have been featured in numerous media, including Yoga Journal, ORGINS, Natural Health, People Magazine, and Travel and Leisure’s 25 Top Yoga Studios in the World. Rolf is the co-founder of the Yoga, Meditation and Recovery Conference at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts and a teacher at Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center in Northern CA. He is also on the Advisory Board for the Yoga Service Council and the Veterans Yoga Project. A former addictions counselor and U.S. Army Airborne Ranger who has practiced meditation for over twenty-five years, Rolf brings his eclectic background to his practice and his teachings. Rolf and his wife, Mariam Gates, author of Good Night Yoga: A Pose by Pose Bedtime Story, live in Santa Cruz, California with their two children.

George Mycock – Project Officer at the Quality Network for Eating Disorders, Royal College of Psychiatry

The Founder of MyoMinds, speaker, writer, and researcher. Specializing in men’s experiences of muscularity-oriented issues.

Each day of the symposium, you’ll have the opportunity to build community and connect with like-minded professionals in dedicated virtual meeting sessions. These 30-minute sessions will focus on the theme of the day and are hosted by leading nonprofits.

Don’t miss these special opportunities to discover, learn, and connect with others committed to transforming the lives of people affected by addiction and eating disorders.

Led by: 

She Recovers Foundation

The SHE RECOVERS FOUNDATION is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity with a growing and evolving community currently consisting of more than 325,000 women in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders, other behavioral health issues and/or life challenges.

This lifeline organization connects women through its virtual platforms and in-person community networks, provides resources and supports women to develop their own holistic recovery patchworks, and empowers them to thrive and share their successes. All efforts are designed to end the stigma and shame often associated with recovery so that more women may heal and grow.

With a special focus on research, the SHE RECOVERS Foundation can also establish a more robust evidence base related to the efficacy of non-traditional recovery pathways.

SHE RECOVERS Foundation stated purpose is to connect, support and empower women in or seeking recovery.

Treatment for addiction and eating disorders often seeks to address singular symptoms and behaviors, but this perspective is limited. The whole person approach imagines another way – empowering individuals, families, and communities to improve the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of their health.

In this presentation, the Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Helene Langvin discusses yoga as a means to improve multiple, interconnected systems in the treatment of addiction and eating disorders. Learn how the federal government’s leading agency on safety and efficacy of complementary and integrative interventions is incorporating a whole health perspective to ensure health and well-being for all. 

Presented by: 

Dr. Helene Langevin – Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health

Helene M. Langevin, M.D., was sworn in as Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) on November 26, 2018.

As NCCIH director, Dr. Langevin oversees the Federal government’s lead agency for research on the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care. With an annual budget of approximately $150 million, NCCIH funds and conducts research to help answer important scientific and public health questions within the context of whole-person health. The Center also coordinates and collaborates with other research institutes and Federal programs on research into complementary and integrative health. She is currently the chair of the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee.

Prior to coming to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2018, Dr. Langevin worked at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. Dr. Langevin served as director of the Osher Center and professor-in-residence of medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012 to 2018. She also previously served as a professor of neurological sciences at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.

Over her career, Dr. Langevin’s research interests have centered around the role of connective tissue in chronic musculoskeletal pain and the mechanisms of acupuncture, manual, and movement-based therapies. Her more recent work has focused on the effects of stretching on inflammation resolution mechanisms within connective tissue. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Langevin received an M.D. degree from McGill University, Montreal. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in neurochemistry at the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge, England, and a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

What if yoga could help people heal from intergenerational patterns of trauma and addiction? 

Mark Sanders, Author of Slipping Through the Cracks: Intervention Strategies for Clients with Multiple Addictions, knows the power of this practice. As a social worker and counselor, he’s seen first-hand how experiential approaches like yoga have helped people experiencing multiple addictions to achieve 40-90% recovery rates. In this presentation, you’ll learn about the three waves of trauma informed care and why experiential approaches are so effective, particularly in communities of color. Discover how successful programs from across the US and Canada have integrated yoga, mass mobilization, storytelling, dance, and music to help people heal. 

Presented by: 

Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC – Addictions Counselor and Author of Slipping Through the Cracks: Intervention Strategies for Clients with Multiple Addictions
Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC is an international speaker in behavioral health whose presentations have reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, West Indies and Guam. He is the recipient of 3 lifetime achievement awards including the prestigious NAADAC Enlightenment Award and author of five books.

In the throes of an eating disorder, one is disconnected and at war with their body. Yoga, an ancient practice designed to unify mind, body and spirit, can help. Carolyn Costin, eating disorder pioneer and expert, will discuss how her own healing from anorexia led to the inclusion of yoga in the first ever eating disorder residential center in the U.S. and what she believes is yoga’s place in an overall treatment strategy.

Using research and reports from clinicians and yoga teachers around the country, Carolyn describes how yoga can help transform body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, addictive exercise and other behaviors common to those with eating disorders. Participants learn how yoga can be integrated into a broader treatment plan, taking into consideration how it has to be adapted for this unique population. 

Presented by: 

Carolyn Costin, PhD – Eating Disorder Therapist and Founder of Monte Nido

Carolyn Costin MFT is a renown, sought-after eating disorder clinician, author of 6 books and international speaker. Having recovered herself and treating eating disorders since 1979, Carolyn was first to speak out that people with eating disorders can become fully recovered. Fifteen years into private practice and after running hospital units, Carolyn, unhappy with the relapse rate, recognized a need and opened Monte Nido, the first eating disorder residential facility. Currently, Carolyn trains and certifies eating disorder coaches at The Carolyn Costin Institute, filling another gap in support resources. Carolyn is a passionate, inspiring force in the eating disorder field.

It’s human nature to create stories about who we are and what we’ve been through. Part of addiction recovery is examining these stories, and creating space for new ones. 

Durga Leela is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Therapist, and the developer of the Yoga of Recovery, a program that integrates yoga and Ayurveda with modern recovery tools to help those struggling with addictions lead empowered lives. In this presentation, you’ll learn how Ayurveda and the Four Paths of Yoga can help people to shift addictive tendencies and live a more conscious way. You’ll come away with a framework to understand addictive tendencies as human traits rather than pathological abnormalities, recognize the deeper needs underlying cravings, and incorporate healing modalities in recovery.

Presented by: 

Durga Leela – Ayurvedic and Yoga Therapy Specialist, Founder of the Yoga of Recovery

Durga Leela (a spiritual name) is a person in long-term recovery, a certified Ayurveda Practitioner, yoga teacher, and yoga therapist (IAYT certified) from the UK and now based in the US. She has shared yoga as a recovery pathway in several recovery conferences over the last twenty years. She has also served as the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Sivananda Ashram in California since 2003 and is a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). She recently published her first book, Yoga of Recovery – Integrating Yoga and Ayurveda with Modern Recovery Tools for Addiction.

Addiction and eating disorders may seem like disparate dysfunctions, but research has revealed trauma as an underlying cause of both. Really, they’re two different coping strategies used in an attempt to regulate the cascade of stress hormones released in response to trauma memories. The body holds the stories of our traumas in unconscious patterns of bracing, constriction, and dissociation; but it also holds the blueprint for optimal healing harnessed with the intelligent use of awareness. When embodied practices are used over time, the nervous system “learns” to naturally engage its self-regulatory wisdom without the need to “manage” activation with addiction. 

In this presentation, Inge Sengelmann – a somatic resilience educator and integrative mind-body healer – will discuss the ways in which trauma causes patterns of nervous system dysfunction. Discover strategies to disrupt these patterns though simple embodied practices, and how yoga can address addiction and eating disorders to move clients towards healing. 

Presented by: 

Inge Sengelmann – Somatic Resilience Educator and Integrative Mind-Body Healer

Inge is a somatic resilience educator and integrative mind-body healer. A Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner and SE faculty assistant, she offers a nervous system-informed approach to healing. The body contains the sum total of our life experience. Working with the body and psyche, Inge combines talk with innovations in mind-body integration, creative imagination, archetypes, and mystical experiences to facilitate healing. Inge is also a yoga teacher in the Himalayan Lineage of Sri Vidya and has presented widely on the subjects of somatic psychotherapy, eating disorders and addictions. Her book, It’s Time to EAT: Embody, Awaken and Transform is available on Amazon.

In the depths of recovery, making it through the day can seem like a lofty enough goal. But Tommy Rosen, author, yoga teacher, founder of Recovery 2.0, and recovering addict himself, imagines something bigger for those he works with. Rosen sees a world in which we move beyond recovery, using gratitude to access true freedom. 

In this presentation, Rosen will discuss how yoga, meditation, and breathwork can serve as tools for moving forward in the recovery journey. Discover the different ways addiction can manifest in one’s life, how yoga can be used in recovery, and why the breath and the brain are so intimately connected. 

Presented by: 

Tommy Rosen – Yoga Teacher and Founder of Recovery 2.0

Tommy Rosen is an internationally renowned yoga teacher, meditation instructor and addiction recovery expert with 30 years of continuous recovery from addiction. Through his classes, workshops, courses and in his one-on-one work with clients, Tommy has helped thousands of people to overcome their addictions and to be free. Tommy is the founder of Recovery 2.0. His first book, Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life, (Hay House) continues to transform the lives of readers across the globe today.

When patients come to the Veterans’ Affairs’ (VA) Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey, it’s not just for surgery and physical rehabilitation. Many arrive after years of struggling with addiction and other chronic conditions. As a national flagship site for Whole Health, this hospital is one of the only facilities in the country to offer patients a specialized protocol called Medical Yoga Therapy. Since 2015, the protocol has been delivered to hundreds of veterans and shown promising outcomes through patient reports.

In this presentation, you’ll learn how this unique protocol has improved treatment outcomes for veterans recovering from addiction and related comorbidities (e.g. depression, anxiety, chronic pain, post traumatic stress, autoimmune conditions, and metabolic disorders). Explore successful techniques to encourage adoption and commitment to yoga therapy, as well as strategies to overcome roadblocks through case examples. Finally, learn how a dynamic evaluation tool called  PROMIS(R) can help you assess the benefits of a yoga therapy program from the patient perspective and demonstrate outcomes in a clinical setting.

Presented by: 

Dr. Jayashree Pathak – Yoga Therapist

An experienced family physician and expert Yoga Therapist, Jayashree combines her 25 years of family medicine practice with over 17 years of Yoga therapy experience to deliver integrative treatment to patients. She is a core member and a leading Yoga Therapist at the Department of Integrative Medicine, VA Hospital East Orange, NJ. Medical Yoga based integrative care at the VA Hospital has grown substantially under her leadership to include therapy for chronic illnesses, psychiatry inpatients, and substance abuse rehabilitation residential patients. Over the years, she has also conducted many Yoga Therapy workshops for special interest groups such as children, geriatric population, women, Theatre Arts students etc. In addition to her clinical and Yoga Therapy experience, Jayashree has extensive experience in Yoga Instruction. She has held teaching positions in India at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute and Mumbai University for many years teaching Yoga, Medicine and Yoga Therapy. At the VA Hospital and Rutgers Medical School, Jayashree has addressed health care professionals to bring about awareness of the science behind Yoga Therapy and its benefits.

In a world where access to eating disorder treatment is so limited, yoga based programs can serve as a critical missing link. By guiding practitioners back into their bodies, yoga improves embodiment, eating behaviors, and overall mental health. And a growing body of research provides empirical evidence  that yoga based interventions can be effective tools for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. 

In this presentation, Dr. Esther Estey will share findings from a newly-published randomized controlled trial of Eat Breathe Thrive (EBT), a 7-week, yoga-based program for eating disorder prevention and recovery. Believed to be the first ever rigorous investigation of a manualized yoga program for eating disorders, Dr. Estey will share the outcomes of four studies conducted on the program’s efficacy in clinical, educational, and community-based settings in multiple countries. Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to apply these findings to their practice and help those they serve develop a healthier, more compassionate, mindful relationship with themselves and their bodies.

In this presentation you will learn how Eat Breathe Thrive supports eating disorder prevention and recovery, how yoga-based programs impact the mental health, eating behaviors, and embodiment of individuals in clinical and community settings, and how to identify strategies to implement these research findings into clinical practice and/or the teaching of yoga to support positive embodiment.

Presented by: 

Esther Estey, PhD –  Yoga and Meditation Teacher and Fellow at Harvard Medical School & Center for Mindfulness and Compassion.

Esther Estey, PhD, RYT-200, is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and fellow at Harvard Medical School & Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. She completed her internship at Stanford School of Medicine/VA Palo Alto. Her experiences as a Latina in a highly religious, rural community formed her commitment to culturally sensitive, holistic approaches that promote liberation and wellness. Her research focuses on mechanisms that cultivate self-regulation, resilience, and positive embodiment. Estey’s recently-published clinical trial on Eat Breathe Thrive, a yoga-based program, was awarded the Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Award by Body Image: An International Journal of Research.

In an economic climate in which many cannot afford or must wait months to receive addiction and eating disorder treatment, thoughtfully-tailored yoga interventions can dramatically increase access to life-saving resources. Yoga can be offered in tandem with standard medical and psychological care, relieving pressure on overstretched healthcare systems and filling gaps where conventional forms of treatment fall short.

But millions around the world still lack access to affordable healthcare – among them those with little or no income, those living in regions with limited treatment providers, and those who, as a result of personal and historical traumas, distrust the medical establishment.

In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from an esteemed group of researchers and policymakers on how policy can help increase access to treatment and integrate yoga into the continuum of care. Learn about successful policies and programs that have been implemented in various countries, and come away with a clearer sense of the changes we need to make at a societal level to ensure all people have access to the resources they need to recover.  

Presented by: 

Susan Broderick – Research Professor at Georgetown University, Former Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan DA’s Office

As a respected leader in the criminal and juvenile justice fields and as a woman in long-term recovery, Susan Broderick speaks from her own professional and personal experiences to help others in and out of the justice systems. As Founder and CEO of BB2Recovery (Building Bridges to Recovery), Susan provides a wide-range of consultation services across the justice system to improve responses to addiction and to promote recovery. She also lectures and provide keynote presentations across the country on the reality of recovery.

Susan’s expertise and wisdom with regard to addiction and the justice systems are unique and multifaceted. She has not only worked on the front lines of the child welfare, juvenile and criminal justice systems, but she has also spent the last several years studying what works and what doesn’t at one of the most prestigious universities in the nation. Most importantly, Susan Broderick has lived through these issues. Susan’s experiences growing up in a family where alcoholism was present and her own struggle with alcohol gives her unique insight into the issues that many others “experts” have only studied.

Dr. John Kelly – Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Dr. John F. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine, and the Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service. Dr. Kelly has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in the field of addiction medicine, and was an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. His work has focused on addiction treatment and recovery, mechanisms of behavior change, and reducing stigma.

Sarah Murphy, MS – Welsh Labour Member of the Senedd
Sarah is committed to digital rights and democracy, and developing environmental policies for a greener Wales. Prior to being elected, Sarah was the Chair of Sustainable Wales, a charity based in Porthcawl that supports community-based sustainable development. In 2020, she produced the webinar series “Circular Economy: A Design For Life” attended by leading experts from across Wales and the UK. In March 2020, Murphy founded the Bridgend Coronavirus Support Group that has approximately 12,000 members and has raised money for Bridgend Foodbank and Splice Child and Family in Pyle.

Sarah Murphy was the Head of Events for Welsh Labour between 2009-2012. In 2017, as the Research Analyst for Lee Waters AM, she developed and implemented the first opensource, online crowdsourcing platform for a Welsh Assembly Member. Following the 2017 General Election, she was appointed as the Senior Communications Manager to Anna McMorrin MP, and then the Senior Advisor to the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales. Sarah was elected as the Welsh Labour Member of the Senedd (MS) for the Bridgend constituency at the 2021 elections with a majority of 4,064 .She is the only woman to have won a seat previously held by a man during this election, replacing former First Minister Carwyn Jones, who decided not to stand for re-election.

James Marzolf, PhD – Senior Director, Health Sector Finance and Policy at Whole Health Institute

Dr James Marzolf currently serves as the Senior Director for Health Sector Finance & Policy for the Whole Health Institute. He is responsible for strategic development of economic and policy aspects of the national healthcare reform platform, encompassing the public private insurance, large self-insuring corporations, employer, provider network, and pharmaceutical sectors. His background includes work with USAID, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, PAHO, and ILO as well as the commercial insurance sector and private hospital development.

Each day of the symposium, you’ll have the opportunity to build community and connect with like-minded professionals in dedicated virtual meeting sessions. These 30-minute sessions will focus on the theme of the day and are hosted by leading nonprofits.

Don’t miss these special opportunities to discover, learn, and connect with others committed to transforming the lives of people affected by addiction and eating disorders.

Led by: 

Yoga in Healthcare Alliance
The vision of the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance (YIHA) is to promote health and wellbeing by making yoga more accessible. By initially collaborating with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and supporting their unique position as a public health service, our aim is to create a successful model that can be used to help integrate yoga into additional health care systems throughout the world.

The Minded Institute
The Minded Institute (TMI) is a world-leader in providing yoga therapy education and training to yoga and health professionals to work with mental and physical health conditions. The Institute is known for working at the interface between yoga therapy, mindfulness, neurophysiology, psychotherapy principles, and evidence based practice. TMI is also actively involved in lobbying for the inclusion of yoga therapy and yoga in the NHS.

The Minded Institute is the only yoga therapy organisation in the world which offer options for 580 hour and 815 hour yoga therapy training diploma courses which are accredited by both the British Council for Yoga Therapy (BCYT) and International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).