Conference Speakers

Dr. Kyla Pearce is the Senior Director of Programs, Research, and Operations at the national nonprofit, the LoveYourBrain Foundation. As a yoga and mindfulness teacher, researcher, and changemaker, she has pioneered the development of multiple evidence-based yoga and mindfulness programs for people with traumatic brain injury and caregivers, and partnered with over 60 community-based organizations and 30 neurorehabilitation facilities to offer LoveYourBrain Yoga to support mental, physical, and social well-being for the brain injury community. She has trained over 3,000 yoga teachers, clinicians, brain injury advocates, people with brain injury, and caregivers in how to adapt yoga, mindfulness, and psychoeducation for brain injury. She also completed a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Dartmouth College investigating the impact of yoga and meditation for people with neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis, and has led the publication of the largest study evaluating the effectiveness of yoga for TBI. She is a longtime yoga and mindfulness practitioner, and deeply appreciates the guidance of her core teachers, including Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, Matthew Sanford, and people navigating the healing journey after brain injury. She lives in Vermont with her husband, the Executive Director of LoveYourBrain, and their three children.

Dr. Gemma Perry, PhD is a researcher and yoga teacher specializing in mantra meditation. Dr. Perry completed her Honors, Masters, and PhD on the psychology of chanting at Macquarie University, and continues her research at Bond University, Australia. She aims to establish mantra and chanting as practices that are recognised by health practitioners, scientists, educators, and industry for promoting psychosocial wellbeing, peace, and reaching our full human potential.

Dr. Tracey Shors is Distinguished Professor in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology and a member of the Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University. She completed her doctorate at the University of Souther California. Dr. Shors has 150 scientific publications in journals including Nature, Science, PNAS and Nature Neuroscience. Her research findings have been featured in Scientific American, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on NPR and CNN. Her research efforts were recently recognized with W. Horsley Gantt Medal from the Pavlovian Society for the ""noble pursuit of truth."" Macmillan and Flatiron Press published her popular book about stress and trauma: Everyday Trauma. She is also the creator of the evidence-based brain fitness program MAP TRAIN MY BRAIN (maptrainmybrain.com), which combines meditation and aerobic exercise to enhance mental health.

Dr. Arlene Schmid is an occupational therapist with a PhD in rehabilitation sciences. She has been completing research on the feasibility and benefits of yoga for nearly 20 years. Currently, Dr. Schmid is a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University. She is the Director of Intervention Research for the Translational Neurological Lab at Colorado State University. She and her team have completed multiple studies regarding yoga, including yoga for individuals with brain injury. Dr. Schmid is a certified yoga teacher and has had a personal yoga practice for over 25 years. She appreciates the benefits that both she and study participants receive through their yoga practice.

Dr. Herpreet Thind is an Associate Professor in Department of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has a medical degree, MBBS, from India. She received her PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and postdoctoral fellowship from Brown University.

Dr. Thind is a behavioral scientist with research focuses on chronic disease prevention and management through lifestyle interventions. Specifically, her work involves physical activity and yoga interventions to prevent and manage chronic diseases. She has expertise in implementing randomized clinical trials on yoga and working on community-based participatory projects. Her current research projects focus on examining the effect of yoga as a complementary therapy for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Thind’s research is conducted in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Thind initially became involved in yoga research before eventually practicing it. Now, she practices at home, either independently or through online instruction.

Shailla Vaidya, MD MPH C-IAYT, is a former family and emergency room physician, now
practicing mind-body medicine in Toronto, Canada. For over 25 years, Dr. Vaidya has provided innovative healthcare to diverse and marginalized populations. After experiencing burnout in 2012, she turned to her ancestral knowledge of Yoga and Ayurveda to heal. One year later, she started The Yoga MD, a therapeutic yoga and lifestyle medicine practice to help individuals effectively manage and overcome adversity, chronic stress and burnout. In 2018, a bicycle accident left her with persistent post-concussion symptoms. With insight into how yoga can help regulate the nervous system and foster neuroplasticity, she adapted her burnout program to create the Reconnect Concussion Program, a clinical group-based therapeutic yoga and lifestyle medicine program to help those living post-concussion. Dr. Vaidya is a clinical connector to the Love Your Brain program and a teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program, believing that self-compassion is a key survival skill for those with brain injury. She is grateful and proud to carry on her cultural traditions as modern science continues to prove what her ancestors have known for millennia!

Anita Verma is a dedicated researcher, academic, and yoga practitioner who integrates traditional yoga practices with modern scientific research. Currently a doctoral student at All India Institute of Medical Science in Rishikesh, she focuses on understanding the effects of yoga on autonomic balance using heart rate variability as a key indicator. With a Masters Degree in Yoga Science from the University of Patanjali—where she graduated as a gold medallist—and a B.Sc. from IGNOU, her educational background is both diverse and robust. Her research primarily investigates the physiological and psychophysiological benefits of yoga, particularly its role in reducing stress and burnout among healthcare workers. Dr. Verma has contributed significantly to the field through multiple publications, including research papers, meta-analyses, and book chapters, and she actively participates in national and international conferences. In addition to her research, she has experience as a lecturer and yoga instructor, leading workshops and training programs in yoga therapy and mind-body medicine. Through her work, Dr. Verma is a strong advocate for using yoga to enhance both mental and physical well-being.

Hongjuan Wang is a PhD candidate at the Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University. Her research interests include yoga therapy, mindfulness interventions, perinatal depression, implementation science, and the prevention and management of chronic diseases. She has published in top journals and presented her work at conferences around the world. She is also the principal investigator (PI) of two research projects, and has earned multiple scholarships and grants for her work. 

Baxter Bell, MD, C-IAYT has been immersed in the practices of yoga for almost 30 years, teaching for over 25 of those years to thousands of students in the US and beyond. He combines his unique experiences and background in medicine, yoga therapy, acupuncture and life to create extraordinary yoga practices for groups and individuals. Baxter is a pioneer in the area of Yoga for Healthy Aging, co-authoring a book of the same name and leading workshops and immersions on this evolving topic online and in person. He has created many rich learning webinars for yoga practitioners and yoga teachers on the online platform Yoga U Online, with topics ranging from Yoga for Heart Health to Yoga for Long Covid.
To learn more about Baxter and his work, visit his website at www.baxterbell.com

Karen Cornelius is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Experienced 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT500), and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) with additional training in trauma-sensitive yoga for adults and children. Since beginning her yoga journey in 2009, she has spent 16 years guiding individuals of all ages, including those with physical and neurological disabilities. Based in Central Florida, Karen shares her passion with others by integrating her extensive training into therapeutic yoga practices that support health and wellness.

Karen also is a member of a research team studying the effects of yoga on resilience, stress, sleep, and pain in individuals with aphasia, with findings published in leading journals and presented at major conferences.

Currently, as a full-time Yoga Therapist at the AdventHealth for Children Hospital, Karen develops and implements integrative therapeutic yoga programs for acute and chronically ill pediatric patients. Additionally, she provides yoga therapy for family members, staff, and physicians, supporting their well-being as they navigate the challenges of pediatric healthcare.

Anne Duch ("Duke"), Doctor of Physical Therapy, practice owner and clinician specializing in treatment the of pelvic health challenges,

Deb Flashenberg is the founder and director of the Prenatal Yoga Center in NYC. Along with being a prenatal yoga teacher, she is also a labor support doula, Lamaze childbirth educator, Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, Spinning Babies Parent Educator and mother of two. Deb received her first vinyasa yoga certification with Shiva Rea is 2004 and then added to her education by completing the OM Yoga advance yoga teacher training with Cyndi Lee.

After the challenging birth of her first child, Deb became incredibly interested in pelvic health and has since earned her Pelvic Floor Yoga Certification with Leslie Howard. For the past 8 years, Deb has also greatly enjoyed being the host of the podcast, Yoga | Birth | Babies, where she speaks with some of the world’s leading experts in pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenthood. Most recently, Deb completed the Body Ready Method certification.

Deb attended Bard College and graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Before diving into the world of yoga and dedicating her career to the perinatal community, Deb was a musical theater performer.

Dr. Kyla Pearce is the Senior Director of Programs, Research, and Operations at the national nonprofit, the LoveYourBrain Foundation. As a yoga and mindfulness teacher, researcher, and changemaker, she has pioneered the development of multiple evidence-based yoga and mindfulness programs for people with traumatic brain injury and caregivers, and partnered with over 60 community-based organizations and 30 neurorehabilitation facilities to offer LoveYourBrain Yoga to support mental, physical, and social well-being for the brain injury community. She has trained over 3,000 yoga teachers, clinicians, brain injury advocates, people with brain injury, and caregivers in how to adapt yoga, mindfulness, and psychoeducation for brain injury. She also completed a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Dartmouth College investigating the impact of yoga and meditation for people with neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis, and has led the publication of the largest study evaluating the effectiveness of yoga for TBI. She is a longtime yoga and mindfulness practitioner, and deeply appreciates the guidance of her core teachers, including Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, Matthew Sanford, and people navigating the healing journey after brain injury. She lives in Vermont with her husband, the Executive Director of LoveYourBrain, and their three children.

Jake Panasevich is the owner of "Yoga With Jake" and a yoga teacher with over 16 years of experience. He's taught pro athletes on the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies and Union. He also started a grassroots men's yoga class in Philly that grew to over 150 men in a year. Jake is a health journalist for U.S. News & World Report where he's published over 100 articles focusing on men's health and linking healthy lifestyle choices to evidence based medicine. He features world-renowned experts, top performers and thought leaders on his podcast: Yoga With Jake Podcast.

Jake teaches a practical approach to yoga that is accessible to men and those who are most inflexible, inexperienced and injury prone. He is known for his unwavering passion and efficient approach to heal, inspire and advance students. Jake is featured as a yoga and health expert in publications including NPR, Business Insider, Harvard Medical School, Men’s Health, Huffington Post, HuffPost Live, Origin Magazine, ABC Philadelphia, Be Well Philly, Fox29 Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Jake received his degree in journalism for the University of Pittsburgh where he competed as a wrestler. Jake finished five yoga teacher trainings and has more than eight years of yoga therapeutics education.

Celest Pereira, Physio specialising in functional neurology. Works with people in post concussion rehab and runs yoga teacher trainings that are neuro informed via her school Alba Yoga Academy.

Eddie Stern is a yoga teacher, author, and researcher from New York City. His books include Healing Through Breathing, Four Lessons for Lasting Health and Happiness, an Audible Original, as well as the best-selling One Simple Thing, A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How it can Change Your Life. With an extensive background of over thirty-five years in practicing and teaching yoga, he is also involved in science, health education, app creation, and work to reduce gun violence in NYC. Over the past few years, Eddie has developed a multi-disciplinary approach to yoga called Yoga Sangraha, which uses classical yoga practices in conjunction with modern science to create a grounded and effective approach to yoga. His school, Broome Street Yoga, is housed in a small Hindu temple, The Broome Street Ganesha Temple, in SoHo. 

Ann Swanson is the author of Meditation for the Real World and Science of Yoga, which has sold over half a million copies worldwide and has a recently released second edition. Ann wasn’t a naturally “chill person,” and these practices didn’t come easy to her. Overcoming her own chronic pain and anxiety led her to India to study yoga, to China to explore tai chi, and to earn a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy. Now, she helps busy people with busy minds relieve pain and anxiety through realistic yoga and meditation they can integrate into their day.

Sarah Thomas is a Project Manager in the tech sector, specializing in fintech solutions, internal systems, and technology integrations. Drawing from a rich background in wellness and community support, she blends innovation with human-centered design to drive impactful results. A formal researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Sarah brings evidence-based insight into her work across both technology and wellness. She is also a seasoned yogi, certified wellness coach, author of Chair Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis and Chronic Pain, and a lululemon legacy ambassador. Her work reflects a commitment to connection, healing, and creating healthier, more empowered communities.

Kristin Anderson is a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University Medical Center studying the neural circuits of stress susceptibility and resiliency.  One of her passions is to bridge the gap between neuroscience research and the community through outreach events and collaboration with policymakers. She has seen the impact of yoga on her own well-being and is eager to find ways to use the neuroscience of yoga to jumpstart conversations centered around how to integrate the knowledge into science-based policy for the prevention of undue suffering. 

Vedanshi is interested in neuroscience and how activities like yoga or dance can ameliorate neurological disorders and overall well-being. She also works towards improving the general public’s accessibility to scientific research and is currently exploring the bridge between neuroscience and psychology as a writer for Simply Neuroscience, a nonprofit organization. Vedanshi has been a dancer for thirteen years and likes dabbling in various styles in her free time, including hip hop and contemporary.

Student of Sri Dharma Mittra, Dharma Yoga instructor and Physiological Psychology student at Hunter College. Her future goal is completing a Ph.D. program in Neuroscience and researching the effects of yoga on the brain in order to develop therapeutic treatments for psychiatric diseases with the implementation of yoga. Another research interest of hers is understanding the neural basis of thought processes as dysfunctional thoughts alone can turn on the stress response system, lead to hormonal imbalances and affect physical and mental health. In addition, she is interested researching the implementation of yoga in addiction recovery treatments and developing programs that will allow underserved communities to access yoga.

Sarah Margaux Drexler has been studying contemplative practices for over 25 years. She is a dedicated teacher and practitioner of Yoga and meditation, a published photographer and author, an artist, and a deep ecologist. Sarah creates and holds space for community, designs wellness programs for corporate clients, and produces written and visual communication around topics of health, equanimity, balance, symbiosis, and sustainability. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Sarah teaches regular weekly public and private Yoga classes in addition to hosting events and retreats.

For more information visit: www.sarahmargaux.com

Charlotte Multon is the founder of Sadhana, a Yoga School in the French countryside just outside Paris. She is passionate about neuroscience, and believes yoga and neuroscience can help us better understand ourselves, in practice and in theory. At Sadhana, the primary areas of research are the effects of yoga on stress, anxiety and body image.

Charlotte studied Political Sciences & Entrepreneurship in undergrad. She worked for 3 years in the French tech world. As she was struggling with anxiety and could not find solutions to feel better in France, she flew to India looking for answers, where she spent a year studying and practicing. She came home with the urge to teach yoga to those who were struggling with mental health issues. She also wanted to understand and share with other how yoga actually works on their mind. She created a school where you can learn yoga and its effects on the brain and psychology.

She practices Ashtanga most days, sometimes Iyengar Yoga, and meditation from time to time - primarily open awareness and compassion practice.

Jonathan Rosenthal is a chief resident physician in neurology in New York City, and a yoga student of Sri Dharma Mittra. Since 2014, he has worked to bridge the neuroscience world and the yoga world by hosting neuroscience outreach events. He is hosting the Neuroscience and Yoga Online Conference to further this mission.

Ashley Weirich is an Event Strategist, Planner, and Producer who began her career creating unforgettable in-person events and now brings that same energy and intention to the virtual space. She’s passionate about creating impactful, high-quality online experiences that leave attendees feeling motivated, inspired, and truly connected. Ashley turned to yoga as a way to slow down, focus inward, and manage anxiety while navigating life as a busy mom of two—and now it’s something her kids love sharing with her. She’s honored to be part of the Neuroscience and Yoga Conference team.