The Yoga Rheum

Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a pain scientist and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, drops March 2026 and will be translated into more than 20 languages. Show Notes: Dr. Ra...

In the season premiere of The Yoga Rheum , host Steffany Moonaz is joined by Emily Johnson , widely known as The Arthritis Foodie , for an honest and empowering conversation about living with arthritis. Emily shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with arthritis and how that moment reshaped her relationship with her body, food, and self-care. Together, Steffany and Emily explore how yoga a...

Ellyn Ito is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innerstill, a women-led neurotechnology company reimagining healing at the root with non-invasive, drug-free neuromodulation solutions that restore balance to the nervous system. She brings over 20 years of operational execution experience across large enterprises, middle-market companies, and start-ups. Prior to founding Innerstill, Ellyn...

Dr. Steffany Moonaz welcomes Leila Stuart —clinical massage therapist, yoga teacher, and somatic educator—who shares her deeply personal journey of navigating psoriatic arthritis and chronic fatigue while continuing to teach, learn, and live fully. With decades of experience teaching embodied movement and leading innovative yoga trainings, Leila brings a profound understanding of somatic reprogram...

In this inspiring episode of The Yoga Rheum , Dr. Steffany Moonaz sits down with Rachel Krentzman—physical therapist, certified yoga therapist, Hakomi psychotherapist, and author—to explore the deeply interconnected worlds of scoliosis, yoga therapy, and emotional healing. Rachel shares insights from over two decades of integrating yoga into physical therapy, her groundbreaking work in scoliosis c...

To learn more from Cheri and Dr. Steffany Moonaz, be sure to join the upcoming Pelvic Yoga Book Summit! This free 2-day virtual event will feature 13 inspiring presentations on pelvic health and yoga therapy, with Dr. Steffany Moonaz as a guest speaker. The summit will delve into the connection between pelvic health, chronic pain, and how yoga therapy can support healing and resilience. Use code S...

About Meredith Hirsh Meredith Hirsh, MBA, FACMPE As Co-Founder and Vice President of The Hirsh Center, Meredith is the catalyst behind the practice's growth from one rheumatologist and four employees to a team of 40 healthcare professionals dedicated to the patient experience. Responsible for the management of the clinical, administrative, and billing departments, Meredith oversees business develo...

​​Joshua Pearce is the Thompson Chair of Innovation at Western University in Canada. He runs the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology research group that finds collaborative solutions to problems in sustainability and to reduce poverty. Show Notes: Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients: https://www.appropedia.org/Economic_Potential_for_Distributed_Manufacturing_of_Adaptive_Aids_for_Arthritis_...

Priaynak Varma is a certified Yoga Therapist (recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapists), RYT-500 (registered with Yoga Alliance), Pilates instructor, Energy worker, sound healer, and has expertise in working with people having chronic pain, Arthritis, chronic spinal conditions, and medical trauma.  She has degrees in statistics and population sciences and is trained in the In...

For 15 years Eddie was President/COO of Corporate Health Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm that specialized in guiding organizations in pursuit of a “Culture of Wellness”. CHS embedded medical/behavioral teams in the “C-Suite” and provided onsite Annual Health Assessments with biometric screenings, coaching, and physician executive services. Prior to that, Eddie held various positions in the ment...

In this episode of The Yoga Rheum Podcast, Dr. Steffany Moonaz is joined by three exceptional guests from the Johns Hopkins POTS Clinic: Dr. Brit Adler : A renowned rheumatologist and physician scientist, Dr. Adler has developed a keen interest in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). She is currently delving into research on immune dysregulation in POTS, providing valuable insights in...

Dr Nikki Tugnet MD, FRACP is a Rheumatologist in clinical practice in Auckland, New Zealand, an RYT®500 yoga teacher and a Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist. She specializes in working one-to-one with people with various forms of autoimmune disease and arthritis, providing online Yoga for Autoimmunity and arthritis. Her clinical research interest is in Systemic Lupus (SLE) and she is an invest...

Julia McNally is an experienced yoga teacher living with Rheumatoid Arthritis living in Montreal. Before pursuing yoga, Julia spent over 10 years working as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in the communtiy, a career that she had to leave behind because of the progression of her arthritis. Julia used her personal experience with arthritis to find a new purpose and to help others thr...

About Posey: Posey Daves M.S. in Mental Health Counseling, E-RYT 500; YACEP, Usui Reiki Practitioner ,Certified, Restorative Yoga Teacher,Certified Yin Yoga Teacher ​ Posey's yoga journey started when she was 16 years old. She started yoga to remain flexible during her athletic career. As the years went on yoga became much more than just the yoga poses: it became a way of life - on and off the...

Jivana Heyman  (he/him), C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the author of  Accessible Yoga: Poses & Practices for Every Body   (Shambhala, 2019),  Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion  (Shambhala, 2021), and  The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body  (2024). Jivana’s work focuses on creating equity and access, starting with his A...

Erin Byron, MA, RP, C-IAYT is a Registered Psychotherapist and co-founder of internationally-accredited Comprehensive Yoga Therapist Training. Erin has co/authored several books in the field of yoga and mental/physical health, including Yoga Therapy for Arthritis. www. ErinByron.com

With over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Nick Turkas is a seasoned professional renowned for his expertise in patient education, program management, and strategic partnerships. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a strategic leader, Nick has successfully developed and managed health promotion programs, securing funding from prominent organizations such as the...

After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and training as an occupational therapist, Cheryl Crow founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE comprehensive self-management and support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful live...

Shelly Prosko PT, C-IAYT, PCAYT ---Shelly is a physiotherapist, yoga therapist, educator, author and pioneer of PhysioYoga who has been integrating yoga into physiotherapy since 1998 with a focus on chronic pain, pelvic health, compassion in healthcare and professional burnout. She guest lectures at numerous yoga therapy and physiotherapy schools, presents at yoga and medical conferences globally,...

Ann Swanson is the author of the internationally bestselling book SCIENCE OF YOGA, a Yoga for Arthritis Teacher Trainer and mentor, yoga therapist, licensed massage therapist, and Tai Chi for Arthritis Instructor. Her new book Meditation for the Real World is coming out in January and available now for preorder at Meditationfortherealworld.com. Ann says she wasn’t a naturally “chill person,” and m...

Prakash Capen (KAY-pen) left behind her career in broadcasting when she realized her real passion — to serve by teaching yoga. Over the years, she was Director of the Integral Yoga Institutes in Washington DC, Boston, and San Francisco. In San Francisco, Prakash served as Director of Life Enhancement for the AIDS/HIV Study Group, taught a popular weekly meditation & yoga program for people with AI...

Dr. Jennifer Daks is a clinical psychologist working within an integrated pain clinic at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She has over a decade of experience researching and providing psychotherapy to individuals with arthritis and chronic pain. Having lived with rheumatoid arthritis most of her life, through childhood, adulthood, and now parenthood, Jenn has a strong drive to help individuals, an...

For 15 years Eddie was President/COO of Corporate Health Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm that specialized in guiding organizations in pursuit of a “Culture of Wellness”. CHS embedded medical/behavioral teams in the “C-Suite” and provided onsite Annual Health Assessments with biometric screenings, coaching and physician executive services. Prior to that Eddie held various positions in the mental...

Suzan Colón the author of: Yoga Mind: Journey Beyond the Physical Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times Plus more I'm currently working on a graphic novel webcomic about my time as a music journalist in the 1980s. https://suzancolon.substack.com https://suzancolon.net Instagram: @suzanacolon To join Yoga for Arthritis' book club and meet weekly discussing Yoga M...

Dolores Marie Natividad is an Exercise Physiologist certified by Marymount College and ACSM. She has practiced Yoga since the mid 1980’s and is a certified Integral Hatha Yoga practitioner for Basic Hatha 1,11, Extra Gentle, Chair Yoga, Pre-Natal,Post-Partum, Stress Management, Bio-medical Yoga,Therapeutic Yoga, Deepening Therapeutics, and Yoga for Arthritis.   Dolores also studied extensively at...