Instructor
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M. Mala CunninghamPh.D., C-IAYT
Mala Cunningham is a Counseling Psychologist and Certified Yoga Therapist in Charlottesville, VA. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing where she teaches courses in Foundations of Medical Yoga for Health Professionals. Dr. Cunningham is also the president of Positive Health Solutions and is the founder and director of Hospital Bed Yoga and the Cardiac Medical Yoga Teacher Training Program. She is also the co-director of Medical Yoga at the University of Virginia and is involved in several Yoga-based initiatives, including a research study exploring the impact of Medical Yoga on lupus patients. She has developed and teaches CME and CEU courses in Medical Yoga for physicians and healthcare workers offered through the University of Virginia Professional Development office.
Dr. Cunningham specializes in Neuroscience, Yoga Psychology, Cardiac and Medical Yoga, and mindfulness. She is an Integral Yoga Minister and a senior disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda. She has been practicing and teaching Yoga for over 35 years. She is also the author of Medical Yoga: A Gentle and Modified Practice of Yoga for Assistance in Healing; and produced several CDs entitled: Healing Journey, and Before and After Surgery: Guided Imagery & Relaxation for Surgery Patients.
Neuroscience, Yoga, and Mindfulness: How Yoga Heals – Online
Neuroscience can explain how and why Yoga works for healing the body, mind, and emotions. In this online workshop, Dr. Cunningham will share with you some powerful techniques and strategies for increasing healing, happiness, and peace; and conversely, you will learn how to reduce negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that tend to take over our lives.
Researchers are now able to understand how Yoga and mindfulness practices can help us to heal, restore vibrancy, and increase resiliency. Over the last twenty years, research has proven that Yoga and mindfulness techniques can increase empathy, compassion, and optimism, and can significantly reduce negative emotions such as chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. We now know that certain Yoga and mindfulness practices can have a positive impact on our neurobiology and our neuropathways.
Explore and discuss:
- Scientific ways you can rewire the brain, releasing old patterns and introducing new, healing energy into the body, mind, and emotions
- Powerful hands-on healing methods designed to help with emotional balance through their positive impact on anxiety, depression, addictions, anger, stress, and other emotional and mental issues
- Established tools for helping with physical healing
These ideas and tools are on the cutting edge of neuroscience and therapy. Come learn about this fascinating new field and discover what neuroscience, Yoga, and mindfulness have to offer you.
Live sessions on Thursday and Friday at 11 am&1 pm and 4&6 pm, on Saturday and Sunday at 11 am&2 pm and 4&6 pm ET. The schedule includes 18 hours of live sessions plus 8 hours of prerecorded Cognitive, Hatha Yoga, and Pranayama practices with Dr. Mala Cunningham.
Attendance at live sessions is required for certification. Recordings will be available for review for 8 weeks after the program ends, until May 9.
In addition, you will have access to Ashram’s Hatha classes, meditations, and an inspirational talk. You will also have access to an online social community to connect and communicate with other participants about this course.
Prerequisite
Anyone can take this live online program for their own learning experience.
Those who wish to apply for APD credits are required to complete additional homework and Mala’s Neuroscience, Yoga and Mindfulness self-paced course before the live online program. It costs $196 (not included in the tuition for the live online program).
Continuing Education Opportunities
- Yoga Alliance (YA): Approximately 26 total hours
- Integral Yoga 300-hour: 26 hours towards RYT 500 designation
- Integral Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) can provide you a CE certificate with your program’s total contact hours for a $10 fee (free for IYTA members.) For more information, email [email protected].
- International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT): Approved Professional Development (APD) course eligible for IAYT continuing education credits. Those taking this program for APD hours/credits will need to complete an additional homework and section of Mala’s online self-paced course in order to receive a 45-hour certificate of completion for this course. (It is the students’ responsibility to request a certificate of completion and submit all required documents, hours, syllabus, etc. on the IAYT website.)