John is an economist turned Yoga teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he receives private students and maintains an active Yoga therapy practice. He often lectures on Yoga and Yoga therapy for allopathic institutions and co-taught the survey course on Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Arkansas Medical School for two years. John has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock. He has additional experience non-profit management and organizational development.

John has traveled widely on the Yoga path, having practiced in several meditative and âsana-based traditions over three decades. In recent years, however, he has focused on digging a deep well in the teaching lineage often known as Viniyoga. John holds teacher and therapist diplomas from the American Viniyoga Institute in Hawaii, headed by Gary Kraftsow, and a teaching certification from A. G. Mohan of Chennai, India. He has been teaching almost full time since 1997. John has also made extended visits to Findhorn in Scotland and Auroville in India where he found inspiration in their ecumenical and entrepreneurial efforts to integrate spiritual, environmental, economic, and social values.

Many of you may recognize John from his articles and reviews in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and Yoga Studies, several of which have a policy perspective. This is not surprising given his background in economics, finance, and public policy. In recent years he has brought that perspective to bear on Yoga and integrative medicine. One of his evolving interests is the sound integration of Yoga with allopathic and complementary and alternatives therapies, while at the same time preserving the classical personal growth, spiritual support, and personal relationship foundations of Yoga.

John holds a M.A. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, His M. B. A is from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, with a concentration in Finance. John did his undergraduate work in liberal arts and economics at the University of Texas-Austin.

Letter from the Director

Dr. B Grace Bullock is an intervention scientist and practitioner with extensive training and experience in both Eastern and Western healing traditions. With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, she has worked with individuals of all ages and stages of life in inpatient and outpatient behavioral health settings. Her numerous scientific publications examine the family and peer dynamics associated with child, adolescent, and early adult adjustment, as well as intervention effects on developmental trajectories. Dr. Bullock has provided peer reviews and editorial consultation for many top-tier scientific journals and book publishers for more than 15 years, and she instructs doctoral students on writing and evaluating scientific manuscripts and federal grant proposals. Her keen interest in the therapeutic effects of asana, pranayama, and meditation led her to become a yoga instructor, Viniyoga Therapist and educator. Dr. Bullock’s private practice and research integrate empirically supported psychotherapy with therapeutic yoga to examine their combined effects while addressing musculoskeletal, physiological, and psychological illness.

Kelly is a practicing yoga therapist living in Ashland, Oregon. For much of the first half of her adult life she travelled the world, including a year in India a quarter-century ago that changed her life. Kelly worked in scientific research in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years before moving to southern Oregon in 2007. Three of her life passions—yoga, editing, and science—meet in the role of editor of Yoga Therapy Today.

 

Based in New Mexico, Julie is the founding publisher and editor in chief of LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health magazine (2002 - 2007). During that time she also conducted over 25 interviews and contributed over forty articles. In 1998, she founded the Southwest Yoga Conference and produced and directed it annually through 2002. These two undertakings exemplify her beliefs that the yoga community benefits immeasurably through dissemination of accurate and unbiased information about: one another; the various traditions/lineages/styles of Yoga; ways in which Yoga and Ayurveda are integrating with bio-medicine and other alternative therapies; possible directions and opportunities for Yoga and Ayurveda in the U.S. Julie is also confident that the mental, emotional, spiritual and health gains made possible through the practices of Yoga and Ayurveda have only reached a small proportion of the population in the west, but as we work together we will enable many more lives to be influenced through these ancient practices. Currently she is on the board of directors of the Light on Ayurveda Educational Foundation.

Prior to 1998 Julie spent over ten years creating multi-dimensional behavior change programs for state and national departments and agencies and for non-profit associations and schools. Among them, for the State of New Mexico she created TobaccoNo for high schools, the award-winning culturally unique Art of Wellness for Indian Health Services and the NM Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, and the original implementation package for Healthier Schools, NM Dept. of Education, utilized in every school statewide.

Originally from Washington State Julie taught in public schools for a total of 15 years there and in New Mexico until 1988. She holds a B.A. in Education from Eastern Washington University with majors in German and Psychology and an M.B.A. from UNM's Robert O. Anderson Schools of Management.

Julie practices hatha yoga and meditation and attempts to live an Ayurvedic lifestyle. The great outdoors, gardening, music, photography and art also play a vital role in her well-being.

Jesse began practicing Yoga & meditation at the age of 14 and has been engrossed with Yoga & the Yogic life-style ever since.   In 1990, she went to Kripalu Institute for the Seva program; which deepened her interest & study in Yoga & meditation.  Jesse completed the 1,000 hour Massage Therapy program at The Desert Institute of Healing Arts in 1994, and has been working in the field of body-work since then.  In 2000, Jesse completed the Yoga Teacher training program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona. She considers herself blessed to have 2 Gurus in her life...her two young sons who bestow upon her the blessings of courage, wonder & enlightenment daily. Currently Jesse considers her practice to be Bhakti by nature and hopes to one day complete her training as an Ayurvedic Practitioner.  Jesse came to the International Association of Yoga Therapists in January, 2006 doing volunteer work as Seva. She has, since then, happily become part of the staff as Membership Services.

Jean Stojkov, Webmaster