Global Wellness Institute announces new initiative to define yoga therapy

With extensive evidence acknowledging that yoga breathing and relaxation lower blood pressure as much as aerobic exercise, the non-profit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is introducing a new Yoga Therapy Initiative.

The Initiative’s mission is to spread awareness about the wealth of evidence-based research, innovations, publications, programs and leadership in the global field and ancient, multidimensional science of yoga therapy.

The Initiative will be chaired by Bija Bennett - a respected author, speaker and business leader whose innovative teachings are derived from ancient yoga traditions.

Bennett (pictured below) is also a wellness consultant and, under her holistic wellness brand YogaAway, she provides programs, products and consulting services to major hospitality brands worldwide.

Commenting on the Initiative, Bennett explains “as one of the world’s earliest systems of holistic health and self-care, yoga therapy is a low-tech, easily accessible, evidence-based system of healthcare that can be applied to a full spectrum of conditions, from chronic disease and mental health to aging and personal growth.”

The Initiative’s Vice Chair is Matthew J. Taylor, PhD and Director of SmartSafeYoga, a leader in integrative rehabilitation who regularly consults with health professionals and recently authored Yoga Therapy as a Creative Response to Pain and serves on two USA-based task forces for non-pharmacological pain management.

The GWI supports 25 industry Initiatives that focus on developing projects, research and trend forecasts that impact wellness in a particular market segment or region of the world - all available free of charge to the global wellness community.

Images courtesy of YogaBar (top) and the GWI (below).