Episode Summary: In this powerful episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, host Amy Wheeler welcomes psychotherapist and yoga therapist Michelle Fury for an in-depth discussion on complex trauma, emotional healing, and the role of yoga therapy in mental health. Michelle shares her deeply personal journey, how yoga helped her navigate complex trauma, and how she now integrates yoga therapy into her work with children, adolescents, and families.

Michelle was a pioneer in the field, practicing yoga therapy before it was even a recognized profession. She discusses her time at Colorado Children's Hospital, where she worked alongside art and music therapists, supporting young individuals dealing with self-harm, eating disorders, and trauma. Michelle recounts how her journey led her to develop therapeutic tools, including the use of Optimal State emotional regulation charts, to help children and families reconnect with their emotions and sensations.

We explore topics such as:

• How trauma disconnects individuals from their bodies and emotions
• The impact of yoga therapy on young people in psychiatric care
• Differentiating between dissociation and embodied awareness
• How yoga therapy bridges the gap between mental health and somatic healing
• The process of guiding clients through self-awareness and emotional literacy
• The power of pranayama and mantra in deepening healing practices

Michelle also discusses her upcoming book Yoga Therapy for Complex Trauma, set for release in August, which offers an integrative approach to healing through yoga. She emphasizes the importance of teaching both yoga professionals and mental health practitioners how to incorporate yoga safely and effectively within their scope of practice.

If you're a yoga therapist, psychotherapist, or someone interested in using yoga as a tool for healing, this episode is packed with insights that will deepen your understanding of the mind-body connection.

Resources Mentioned:

• Michelle’s first book: Using Yoga Therapy to Promote Mental Health in Children and Adolescents
• Upcoming book: Yoga Therapy for Complex Trauma (August release)
• Optimal State mobile app for self-regulation and emotional tracking
• The Minded Institute’s Yoga Therapy for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Training

Learn More:

• Michelle Fury’s website (Launching February): www.rhythmyogatherapy.com
• The Minded Institute Training: www.themindedinstitute.com
• Optimal State Mobile App (iOS & Android)
• Connect with Amy Wheeler: www.theoptimalstate.com

Listen & Subscribe: Find The Yoga Therapy Hour on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Follow Us on Social Media:

• Instagram: @optimalstate
• LinkedIn: Amy Wheeler Yoga Therapy
• YouTube: The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast

Support the Podcast: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps bring these important conversations to a broader audience!

Connect + Take Action:

• Want to be a guest on Season 10? Email Amy with your desired topic from the 8 Limbs series!
• Explore Amy’s offerings at TheOptimalState.com
• Subscribe and leave a review if this episode touched you.
• Support the show by sharing this episode with a friend or colleague in the healing arts.

Episode Summary:

In this deeply personal and reflective solo episode, Amy Wheeler closes out Season 8 of The Yoga Therapy Hour and sets the tone for a rich, story-filled Season 9.

Amy shares how the theme of “being human” emerged as the guiding force of Season 8, inspired by the courageous individuals who came forward to tell their stories—many for the first time. These stories weren't just interviews. They were powerful acts of vulnerability, resilience, and truth-telling, offering a mirror into the ways Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Āyurveda can help us feel more, suffer less, and reconnect with ourselves and others.

From feeding the birds on a crisp Minnesota morning to attending the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday celebration with the Tibetan American community, Amy reflects on the importance of embodiment, interconnection, and what it means to belong—to ourselves, to each other, and to something greater.

She also speaks frankly about the state of the yoga therapy profession—naming the challenges in funding, insurance, job growth, and institutional integration—and invites listeners to return to the heart of the practice. Yoga was never meant to be a job market. It was—and still is—a sacred path for healing, presence, and service.

What’s Ahead in Season 9:

• Season 9 will continue the storytelling format, focusing on real humans navigating real suffering and how they found relief and resilience through Yoga and Āyurveda.
• The season is already fully booked through December 2025, with Amy often recording two stories per week to keep up with the demand.
• The core question guiding the season: What does it mean to be human in an age of AI, disconnection, and overwhelm?

Special Announcement: Season 10 Preview

Amy shares a glimpse of what’s coming in 2026:

A 15-month podcast series dedicated to the 8 Limbs of Yoga, integrating ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience and lived experience. Topics include:

• January: Citta-vṛtti-nirodha & the Autonomic Nervous System
• February: Abhyāsa & Vairāgyam
• March: The Kleśas & Suffering
• April–December: The Eight Limbs (Yamas through Samādhi)

Interested in being a guest for one of these episodes? Amy invites you to email her to claim a topic!

Key Quotes:

“Maybe Yoga can’t be your sole source of income right now. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be your sacred path.”

— Amy Wheeler

“When we let go of trying to fit Yoga Therapy into a broken system, we begin to remember the soul of this work.”

— Amy Wheeler

“Humanity is not something we need to digitize—it’s something we need to feel again.”

— Amy Wheeler

Connect + Take Action:

• Want to be a guest on Season 10? Email Amy with your desired topic from the 8 Limbs series!
• Explore Amy’s offerings at TheOptimalState.com
• Subscribe and leave a review if this episode touched you.
• Support the show by sharing this episode with a friend or colleague in the healing arts.

Guests:

Kenya DeJarnette, Yoga Therapist and Cancer Survivor

Tina Paul, Yoga Therapist and Instructor at Memorial Sloan Kettering and MUIH

In this powerful episode, host Dr. Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist Kenya DeJarnette and her former professor Tina Paul for a deeply moving conversation on healing, resilience, and finding one’s path through cancer and beyond. Kenya shares her transformational journey from a breast cancer diagnosis to discovering yoga therapy as a lifeline—a practice that reconnected her to her body, her faith, and her purpose.

Through heartfelt storytelling, Kenya reflects on how yoga helped her navigate infertility, grief, trauma, and the physical toll of cancer treatment. With grace and courage, she opens up about how being part of a supportive yoga and cancer care community reawakened her fighting spirit and taught her to embrace life with newfound openness.

Tina Paul offers a behind-the-scenes look at the integrative yoga therapy work being done at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, describing the role of therapeutic presence, breath, movement, and research in supporting those undergoing cancer treatment.

Together, the three explore themes of:

• Nervous system dysregulation and the role of breath and yoga in recovery
• Faith, spirituality, and openness to healing across different modalities
• Yoga Nidra as a gateway to deeper rest and reconnection
• Community as medicine for trauma and illness
• The importance of clinical training in yoga therapy
• How yoga can bring people back to their true self

Key Quotes:

🌀 "I always say yoga helped me come back to myself." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "You grow through what you go through." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "The healing mechanism isn’t just one thing—it’s the integrated power of presence, breath, movement, and relationship." — Tina Paul

🌀 "There is a blueprint for healing, and yoga offers us the map." — Amy Wheeler

Topics Covered:

• Kenya’s diagnosis and the physical and emotional challenges she faced
• Opening to yoga as a spiritual and healing practice
• Overcoming cultural and religious barriers to holistic care
• The role of social connection and community in healing
• Tina’s work in integrative medicine and current research on yoga for neuropathy
• Yoga therapy education and the journey from student to teacher

Resources & Mentions:

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine Department
• Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)
• Yoga Nidra & Amrit Yoga Institute
• Book: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
• Research on yoga for neuropathy supported by NIH
• Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga Studies Program

Connect with Our Guests:

• Kenya DeJarnette: www.ariseyogatherapy.com
• Tina Paul: www.yogawithtina.com

Subscribe & Share:

If you were touched by Kenya’s story or inspired by the power of yoga therapy, please share this episode with someone who needs hope and healing. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

If you are interested in our programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health, find more information here. We are merging with Notre Dame of Maryland University very soon. If you are seeing this after summer of 2025, just google NDMU Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda to find details.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving and honest episode, Amy Wheeler welcomes Lisa Becks—a yoga teacher, clinical social worker, and long-time practitioner—who shares her lifelong journey with yoga as a steady companion through grief, motherhood, cancer, and healing. Lisa recounts how she first encountered yoga in her early twenties while grieving the sudden loss of her mother, and how that one class at a Zen Buddhist center in Michigan led to decades of inner transformation.

From the profound influence of her first teacher Barbara Linderman (a direct student of Śrī T. Krishnamacharya) to her healing experience with Kate Holcombe after a breast cancer diagnosis, Lisa's story reminds us that yoga isn't about performance or ambition—it's about returning to ourselves, again and again. Throughout this conversation, Amy and Lisa reflect on parenting without a mother, the reverberations of our actions and emotions, and how the most healing practices are often the simplest and most sincere.

Listeners will be inspired by Lisa’s vulnerability, her gentle wisdom, and the way she lives the teachings she practices. Whether you're new to yoga or have been on the path for years, this episode is a tender reminder that yoga, when approached with sincerity and self-awareness, meets us exactly where we are.

Key Topics Covered:

• Grieving the loss of a parent and finding yoga as a healing anchor
• The sacred presence of humble teachers and quiet transmission
• Evolution of practice across life stages: young adulthood, motherhood, illness
• Self-awareness, self-regulation, and the nervous system
• Using observation instead of judgment to shift behavior
• Teaching yoga as a form of service and continued self-discovery
• Cancer recovery, the role of gentle discipline, and meeting yourself with grace
• Yoga as a way to parent consciously without inherited patterns
• Coming home to the self—again and again

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Barbara Linderman (student of Śrī T. Krishnamacharya)
• Kate Holcombe (teacher in the tradition of TKV Desikachar)
• Inward Bound Yoga Collective, Ann Arbor, MI
• Optimal State Yoga Therapy Training

About Lisa Becks:

Lisa is a yoga teacher, clinical social worker, and mother of two. She offers private yoga therapy sessions by request and believes in the quiet, transformative power of personalized practice. Lisa does not actively market her services, but those who find her often discover a steady, compassionate guide.

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) and a leader in the fields of yoga therapy and Ayurveda. She played a key role in helping to set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) from 2018 to 2020. www.TheOptimalState.com

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this thought-provoking solo episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler explores the profound topic of safety in human relationships, drawing from recent co-creative discussions with seasoned therapists and yoga practitioners, as well as insights from Polyvagal Theory.

Episode Highlights:

• The Foundation of Healing: Amy emphasizes that safety—both internal and external—is the essential foundation for healing, transformation, and authentic human connection.
• The Role of Nonjudgment: A central theme of this episode is how nonjudgmental presence, both in therapy and daily life, fosters safety and allows people to open up and be themselves.
• Artificial Intelligence & Safety: Amy reflects on the surprising role AI therapy bots play in creating a nonjudgmental space, and what this teaches us about human interaction.
• Key Qualities that Foster Safety:
• Comfort with silence and emotional presence.
• Ability to repair ruptures in relationships, not just avoid them.
• Unconditional positive regard without creating stories about others.
• Transparency balanced with cultural sensitivity.
• Openness to new experiences and flexibility in thinking.
• Clear and honest communication that eliminates guesswork.
• Self-awareness and the ability to reflect and take responsibility.
• Consistency, calm regulation, and respect for time and commitments.
• Attunement to the emotional state of others, with empathetic mirroring.
• A melodic, regulated voice that supports co-regulation.
• Genuine listening that seeks to understand, not just respond.
• Familiar rituals and environments that offer predictable support.
• Respect for diverse perspectives and willingness to stand up for justice.

Key Takeaways:

• Safety isn't just about avoiding harm; it's about creating conditions where authenticity, trust, and transformation can thrive.
• Even positive judgments can feel like evaluations, reducing the sense of safety in a relationship.
• Sacredness in connection—showing up mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared—amplifies the healing potential of every interaction.

Resources Mentioned:

• Polyvagal Theory – A framework for understanding how safety and social engagement are wired into our nervous system.
• Book Recommendation: Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud – Understanding when and how to bring closure to relationships in a healthy way.

Connect with Amy Wheeler:

For more episodes, resources, and information about Yoga Therapy, visit TheOptimalState.com

Support the Show:

If you found value in this episode, please rate, review, and share it with others who may benefit from these insights into creating safer, more authentic relationships.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving and powerful episode, Amy Wheeler sits down with Dr. Steffany Moonaz—yoga researcher, author, educator, and founder of Yoga for Arthritis—to discuss her professional contributions to the field of yoga therapy, and the personal story that nearly shattered everything she knew about herself.

What begins as a conversation about the CLARIFY Guidelines and the evolution of yoga research quickly transitions into a vulnerable and heartfelt dialogue about grief, identity, traumatic brain injury (TBI), caregiving, and the long, often invisible road to healing.

Dr. Moonaz shares the inspiration behind her memoir Driving Home: Cancer, Concussion, Mom and Me, and invites us into the emotional terrain of a year marked by tragedy, disorientation, and ultimately, profound transformation. Through the lens of yoga, neuroscience, and lived experience, she offers wisdom on surviving loss—not just the loss of loved ones, but the loss of self as we once knew it.

If you've ever questioned how the tools of yoga serve us not just in theory, but in the darkest moments of real life, this conversation is for you.

Topics We Explore:

• The origin and impact of the CLARIFY Guidelines for yoga research
• What makes yoga research replicable, credible, and useful for clinicians
• Dr. Moonaz’s academic leadership in yoga therapy at MUIH and SCUHS
• The backstory of Yoga for Arthritis and its public health mission
• Living through a year of compounded loss: traumatic brain injury, caregiving, and grief
• Navigating healthcare systems and trauma while healing
• Writing a memoir as a healing process and reflective practice
• The psychological and somatic experience of losing identity through injury
• Yoga therapy for grief, loss, and identity reconstruction
• Steffany's personal tapas (discipline) and her decision to keep showing up
• Reclaiming wholeness post-trauma: a new “A-prime” version of self

Featured Book:

Driving Home: Cancer, Concussion, Mom and Me

Now available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

Audiobook coming soon—narrated by Dr. Steffany Moonaz herself

Connect with Steffany Moonaz:

Website: https://arthritis.yoga

Explore professional trainings in Yoga for Arthritis, mentoring opportunities, research publications, and continuing education courses.

Upcoming offerings include:

• Online cohort: Yoga for Arthritis Level 1 Training (starting July 15, 2025)
• Self-paced options in yoga, Ayurveda, and pain science
• In-person retreat at Yogaville, Summer 2026

Quote from the Episode:

“I had to grieve the things about me that I had lost, at the same time as grieving the loss of my mother... But I also believe that I have made up for the loss of function with who I have grown into as a human.” — Dr. Steffany Moonaz

Special Thanks:

To Dr. Moonaz for her honesty, strength, and generosity.

And to our listeners—may this story remind you of your own resilience, your own wisdom, and the power of bearing witness to the full spectrum of the human experience.

Information on Amy:

www.amywheeler.com

www.TheOptimalState.com

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler is joined by Tamala Floyd, LCSW, to explore the powerful integration of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and ancestral healing. Tamala, author of Listening When Parts Speak, discusses how generational trauma can be healed through connecting with our ancestors and unburdening our exiled parts. She shares her journey into the world of IFS, the importance of working with both personal and ancestral wounds and how healing these parts can reveal hidden gifts within us.

Key Takeaways:

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: IFS teaches that we are made up of different parts or subpersonalities, each with its own roles and functions. Protectors guard vulnerable parts, which are often exiled due to past trauma. Healing occurs when these protectors are unburdened, allowing the exile to heal and the person to reclaim their wholeness.
• Ancestral Healing: Tamala introduces the concept of healing ancestral trauma by connecting with well-healed ancestors who are willing to release burdens passed down through generations. This process also allows individuals to access the gifts and heirlooms from their family line.
• The Role of Protectors: Protectors (e.g., people-pleasing, anger) arise as a response to exiled parts. These protective roles often result in behavior that feels out of control or unbalanced but are essential in safeguarding the individual from deeper wounds.
• Connecting with Gifts: Healing the generational wounds allows individuals to access the gifts of their ancestors, such as creativity, intuition, and emotional depth, that were previously blocked by trauma.
• Practical Tips for Exploring IFS: Tamala provides insights on how to begin the journey of identifying and interacting with your parts, including the use of externalizing exercises where others embody these parts to create a tangible, experiential understanding.

Tamala Floyd’s Upcoming Events:

• Retreats & Workshops: Tamala leads transformative retreats and workshops around the world. She shares information about her upcoming retreat in Costa Rica for women healing generational trauma and her upcoming retreats in Morocco and California.
• Book & Audiobook: Listening When Parts Speak is available in both written and audiobook formats. Tamala is also releasing Healing the Wounded Mother, an audiobook focused on healing the mother’s wounds to create healthier relationships with children and others.

Learn More & Connect:

• Website: Tamala Floyd
• Social Media: Follow Tamala for more insights on healing and personal growth.

Related Resources:

• Listening When Parts Speak
• Healing the Wounded Mother (available May 6, 2025)

Join Us: If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with friends who might benefit from this healing work.

Contact Us:

For more information, questions, or comments, please visit www.theoptimalstate.com or email amy@theoptimalstate.com.

Tune in next time for more on yoga therapy, emotional intelligence, and holistic healing!

Would you like to receive your Masters Degree in Yoga Therapy?

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

In this deeply moving and powerful episode, Amy sits down with Nicole Fitch, a yoga therapist-in-training and future occupational therapist from Brisbane, Australia. Nicole shares her inspiring story of transformation—from losing her father in a tragic accident at age 15, through years of shutdown, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to a life of purpose, connection, and embodied healing.

Nicole’s story is not just one of overcoming trauma—it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the healing power of integrative practices. We explore how her early experiences shaped her nervous system, her years of navigating mental health systems, and how yoga became her refuge, offering her hope, empowerment, and the tools to reclaim joy.

From teaching yoga in community centers and mental health hospitals to stepping away from teaching to focus on self-care and finishing her degree in occupational therapy, Nicole's journey is a rich example of conscious healing, radical self-compassion, and the winding, non-linear path to wholeness.

Topics Covered:

• The moment that changed her life: a tragic loss at age 15
• Trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and dorsal vagal shutdown
• The dark period of numbing, partying, and intrusive thoughts
• OCD diagnosis and navigating the biomedical mental health system
• The turning point: a dream, a move to Queensland, and discovering yoga
• The power of japa, prāṇāyāma, and meditation in finding peace
• Yoga as a tool and a potential bypass—why integration matters
• Teaching yoga in non-traditional spaces and building community
• Balancing being a mother and maintaining a personal identity
• Why she’s taking a pause—and how she’s preparing for what’s next
• The connection between OT and Yoga Therapy in mental health care

Key Takeaway Quote from Nicole:

"You can't rush your healing. Even if you are in complete darkness, there's always that glimmer of light through the clouds."

Connect with Nicole:

Nicole's offerings are currently on pause while she finishes her Occupational Therapy degree, but you can follow her journey and future updates via

Embodied Wisdom Therapies-https://www.embodiedwisdomtherapies.com.au/