9:10-9:20 Welcome: Alexandra Seidenstein and Sara-Lee Ramsawak

9:20-9:35 Opening Address: Chandrika Tandon

9:35-9:50 Introduction: Dr. Marshall Hagins and Eddie Stern

9:50-10:50 Keynote: Dr. Stephen Porges
Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Neuroscience: Yoga practices can be deconstructed through an understanding of Polyvagal Theory as a system of efficient and effective ‘neural exercises’ that promote self-regulation, resilience, and social connectedness.

10:55-11:15 Break

11:20-11:45 Dr. Sat Bir S. Khalsa
The Multiple Mechanisms of the Multiple Practices in Yoga: Putting it All Together: Yoga includes many differing practices, each of which exerts effect via different and sometimes overlapping mechanisms.  This presentation will summarize these mechanisms into a logic model that accounts for the full range of practices, mechanisms and final outcomes on psychophysiology, health and behavior.

11:45-12:00 Pranayama practice led by Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa

12:05-12:30 Dr. Gail Parker
Healing the Wounds of Racial Distress: What’s Yoga Got to Do With It? Racial stress and trauma are realities that impact all people, not just people of color. Various yoga practices are ideal for easing the pain and discomfort of ongoing race based stress and trauma and can lead to more adaptive responses to stressful and traumatic events.

12:30-2:30 Lunch and poster session

2:30-2:55 Dr. Pam Jeter
NCCIH, Science, and You: This presentation will focus on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) as a primary source of research funding and briefly discuss the review process that leads to funding decisions for yoga studies conducted in the U.S.  In addition, it will discuss the importance of being an informed science consumer and NCCIH’s initiative to “Know the Science”.

3:00-3:25 Bethany Kok, PhD
Physiological and emotional foundations of loving-kindness: An upward spiral. Emotions and the autonomic nervous system form a complex interplay that exhibits itself in behavioral tendencies.  Loving-kindness meditation can harness that interplay by increasing moments of prosocial positive emotions and higher vagal tone, which accumulate and compound to produce changes in body, behavior, and brain.

3:30-4:10 Q and A
Moderator: Erich Anderer, MD

4:10-5:30 Pro-Social Yogi-Scientist Exercise: Drinks, Food, Music, Conversation, Poster viewing, Book signing

9:15-10:15 Yoga practice led by Dr. Gail Parker (bring your mat!)

10:15-10:45 Break

10:45-11:45 Keynote: Dr. Shirley Telles
Physiological effects of pranayamas and yoga-meditation: This presentation will cover the physiological effects of various pranayamas and yoga meditation giving an insight into possible applications and precautions of these yoga techniques.

11:45-12:10 Dr. Stacy Hunter
Hot Yoga and Vascular Function: Effects of Practice Temperature on Health Benefits: Hot yoga has improved vascular health in young and middle-aged and older adults; however the mechanism remains unclear. This presentation will report the results of a seminal investigation comparing the effects of 12 weeks of thermoneutral versus heated yoga practices on endothelial function in middle-aged adults at elevated cardiovascular disease .

12:15-1:45 Lunch

1:45-2:15 Dr. Crystal Park
The stress-reducing effects of yoga: Mechanisms of effect: Yoga is a complex set of practices that reduces stress through multiple pathways. This presentation will describe the evidence base for yoga’s stress-reducing properties and the physiological and psychological mechanisms that underlie this stress reduction.

2:20-3:00 Deepak Chopra
Exploring Reality: The Science of Yoga

3:05-3:45 Q and A with all speakers
Moderators: Eddie Stern, Marshall Hagins, and Alexandra Seidenstein

3:45-5:00 Yoga/Science Genius bar
Step up to the various stations of the Genius Bar and ask questions of our conference speakers while partaking of refreshment.