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Presentations Outline

Dr. Holger Cramer PhD
Yoga for Chronic Pain: Utilization, Efficacy and Safety
Yoga is the most commonly used mind body practice worldwide; and this strong increase in popularity has been paralleled by a sharp increase in yoga research initiatives in the past years. Chronic pain has been a major focus of clinical yoga research from the beginning and there is growing evidence that yoga can ameliorate spinal pain, rheumatic diseases, headache and other pain conditions. This talk will outline the evidence-base of yoga for chronic pain conditions. Special emphasis will be laid on the safety of yoga interventions.

Daiva Daukantaitė, PhD, Associate Professor
The effects of yoga on psychological and physiological health

Marian Papp, PhD
The components of yoga and their use

Ina Schuppe Koistinen, PhD
Effect of yoga and aerobic exercise on gut microbiota and the gut-brain axis

Eddie Stern
Yoga’s presentation of the nervous system

Conference Schedule

Sunday June 16, 2019
14:00 – 14:10 Presentation of the program by Petra Bianco, yoga teacher
14:10 – 14:20 Welcome speech of H. E. Mr. Arindam Bagchi, Ambassador of India in Croatia and Mr. Pradeep Urs, Ministry of AYUSH, India
14:20 – 14:25 Welcome speech of Jelena Jadreško, president of Croatian Yoga Federation
14:30 – 15:00 THE ORIGINS OF YOGA FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, presentation by academic Mislav Ježić, Ph.D, Croatian philosopher, indologist and author of Croatian Yoga Declaration
15:00 – 16:00 ON YOGA AND SCIENCE, presentation of the Conference by Dr. Marshall Hagins, Ph.D, Eddie Stern, yoga teacher, author, and lecturer, Ing. Jadranko Miklec, yogacharya, author and lecturer
16:00 – 16:15 EXPERIENCING YOGA by Jadranko Miklec, yogacharya, author and lecturer
16:15 – 17:15 – BREAK-Tea and vegan snacks by our sponsor Garden organic food store
17:15 –18:00 GENE EXPRESSION AND YOGA presentation by Ivana Burić, Ph.D
18:00 – 18:45 PAIN MANAGEMENT, presentation by Dr. Marshall Hagins, Ph.D and Eddie Stern, yoga teacher, author, and lecturer
19:00 – 19:15 PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK: One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life with Eddie Stern, author of the book
19:15 – 19:45 EXPERIENCE SHARING AND MODERATED TALK on how we can begin to include Yoga in social structures. Speakers: Marshall Hagins, Eddie Stern, moderated by Petra Bianco

Conference Schedule

DAY 1 – Saturday January 19, 2019
9:10-9:20 Welcome: Alexandra Seidenstein and Sara-Lee Ramsawak
9:20-9:35 Opening Address: Chandrika Tandon
9:35-9:50 Introduction: Dr. Marshall Hagins and Eddie Stern
9:50-10:50 Keynote: Dr. Stephen Porges Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Neuroscience: Yoga practices can be deconstructed through an understanding of Polyvagal Theory as a system of efficient and effective ‘neural exercises’ that promote self-regulation, resilience, and social connectedness.
10:55-11:15 Break
11:20-11:45 Dr. Sat Bir S. Khalsa The Multiple Mechanisms of the Multiple Practices in Yoga: Putting it All Together: Yoga includes many differing practices, each of which exerts effect via different and sometimes overlapping mechanisms. This presentation will summarize these mechanisms into a logic model that accounts for the full range of practices, mechanisms and final outcomes on psychophysiology, health and behavior.
11:45-12:00 Pranayama practice led by Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa
12:05-12:30 Dr. Gail Parker Healing the Wounds of Racial Distress: What’s Yoga Got to Do With It? Racial stress and trauma are realities that impact all people, not just people of color. Various yoga practices are ideal for easing the pain and discomfort of ongoing race based stress and trauma and can lead to more adaptive responses to stressful and traumatic events.
12:30-2:30 Lunch and poster session
2:30-2:55 Dr. Pam Jeter NCCIH, Science, and You: This presentation will focus on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) as a primary source of research funding and briefly discuss the review process that leads to funding decisions for yoga studies conducted in the U.S. In addition, it will discuss the importance of being an informed science consumer and NCCIH’s initiative to “Know the Science”.
3:00-3:25 Bethany Kok, PhD Physiological and emotional foundations of loving-kindness: An upward spiral. Emotions and the autonomic nervous system form a complex interplay that exhibits itself in behavioral tendencies. Loving-kindness meditation can harness that interplay by increasing moments of prosocial positive emotions and higher vagal tone, which accumulate and compound to produce changes in body, behavior, and brain.
3:30-4:10 Q and A Moderator: Erich Anderer, MD
4:10-5:30 Pro-Social Yogi-Scientist Exercise: Drinks, Food, Music, Conversation, Poster viewing, Book signing

DAY 2 – Sunday January 20, 2019
9:15-10:15 Yoga practice led by Dr. Gail Parker (bring your mat!)
10:15-10:45 Break
10:45-11:45 Keynote: Dr. Shirley Telles Physiological effects of pranayamas and yoga-meditation: This presentation will cover the physiological effects of various pranayamas and yoga meditation giving an insight into possible applications and precautions of these yoga techniques.
11:45-12:10 Dr. Stacy Hunter Hot Yoga and Vascular Function: Effects of Practice Temperature on Health Benefits: Hot yoga has improved vascular health in young and middle-aged and older adults; however the mechanism remains unclear. This presentation will report the results of a seminal investigation comparing the effects of 12 weeks of thermoneutral versus heated yoga practices on endothelial function in middle-aged adults at elevated cardiovascular disease .
12:15-1:45 Lunch
1:45-2:15 Dr. Crystal Park The stress-reducing effects of yoga: Mechanisms of effect: Yoga is a complex set of practices that reduces stress through multiple pathways. This presentation will describe the evidence base for yoga’s stress-reducing properties and the physiological and psychological mechanisms that underlie this stress reduction.
2:20-3:00 Deepak Chopra Exploring Reality: The Science of Yoga
3:05-3:45 Q and A with all speakers Moderators: Eddie Stern, Marshall Hagins, and Alexandra Seidenstein
3:45-5:00 Yoga/Science Genius bar Step up to the various stations of the Genius Bar and ask questions of our conference speakers while partaking of refreshment.