Yoga and Healthcare: Practice and Lessons from Systems Integration

April 29, 2026

In the second session of our Yoga in Healthcare series, Yoga Alliance welcomes back leaders at Stanford University’s YogaX to explore how yoga programs are successfully implemented and sustained within professional systems of healthcare. As a leading initiative dedicated to advancing research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration, YogaX brings valuable insight into how yoga can operate effectively within complex institutional environments.

Together we will explore examples of how yoga programs are being integrated into healthcare and allied settings, highlighting the conditions that support long-term success. Speakers will share lessons from their work in collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, aligning yoga programming with required structures within professional systems, and providing yoga that meets the needs of the people healthcare systems serve.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of what enables yoga programs to thrive in healthcare environments, including program design, research and partnerships, clinical collaboration, and strategies for long-term sustainability.

This conversation offers a closer look at how thoughtful collaboration between the yoga field and healthcare institutions can support responsible, evidence-informed integration. By examining what is working in practice, this session highlights the opportunities for yoga to contribute meaningfully within professional systems while maintaining integrity, accessibility, and impact.

This event is free and open to the public.

About the Author

Christiane Brems, PhD, ABPP, ERYT-500, C-IAYT
Christiane Brems is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and Director of YogaX within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. With a PhD in Clinical Psychology and decades of experience as an academic leader, applied researcher, and clinician, she has held senior faculty and administrative roles at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Pacific University Oregon, where she also developed a therapeutic yoga clinical initiative and research team. An Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, certified yoga therapist, and Advanced Professional Development Provider, Dr. Brems integrates yoga, mindfulness, breathwork, and guided imagery within healthcare contexts. Her work, funded by agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has resulted in more than 120 peer reviewed publications and multiple books on the clinical application of yoga.

Geno Carvalho, MPH, ERYT-500
Geno Carvalho is a Community Health Educator and Program Manager and Yoga Teacher Trainer with YogaX at Stanford Medicine, where he supports program development, research initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaboration to integrate yoga into clinical and allied health settings. Holding a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Community Health Education, he brings interdisciplinary training as an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. His current doctoral work bridges yoga philosophy, lifestyle medicine, and public health frameworks to support wellbeing, disease prevention, rehabilitation, and pain management within healthcare systems. In collaboration with national professional organizations, he contributes to curriculum development and professional standards that support accessible models of integrative care, grounded in evidence informed and systems-oriented approaches.

The views expressed in this online workshop/virtual event are those of the participant(s) and do not purport to reflect the policy or position of Yoga Alliance (YA) or the Yoga Alliance Foundation (YAF). Further, the participation by an individual or entity in this event, and any reference to a product or service, do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of such by YA or YAF.