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Sat Bir S. Khalsa, PhD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His projects have focused on the therapeutic applications of yoga in a number of settings, including public schools, and for several conditions, including insomnia, performance anxiety, and PTSD. Dr. Khalsa is one of the most active and experienced researchers in the yoga world today. |
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Lisa Conboy, MA, MS, ScD, is a social epidemiologist affiliated with the Harvard Medical School’s Osher Research Center and codirector of research and faculty at the New England School of Acupuncture. She is currently involved in a number of studies investigating Ayurveda, yoga, and traditional Chinese medicine, including one entitled “Ayurveda and Panchakarma: Measuring the Effects of a Holistic Health Intervention,” which is under peer review. |
 | Sara Lazar, PhD, is an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and a professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she specializes in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Dr. Lazar employs the latest techniques in brain imaging in her research and has been widely cited in the mainstream press for her work on brain plasticity and meditation. |
 | Jessica Noggle, PhD, is a member of Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa’s lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Noggle holds the first postdoctoral research fellowship funded by a yoga institution (Kripalu) in the United States. She currently directs the IEL’s research project on yoga for mental health of students at Monument Mountain Regional High School, and she is also writing grants to expand this project to urban adolescents in Boston.
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 | Edi Pasalis, Director of the Standardized Research for Curriculum for the Institute for Extraordinary Living, is making the magic of Kripalu Yoga and the discoveries of the IEL accessible and available to a broad audience. A veteran Kripalu teacher with graduate study on the impact of yoga on spiritual life, Edi also holds an MBA in organizational development from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. |
 | Jennifer Johnston, LMHC, E-RYT, is a licensed mental health counselor and yoga instructor. Currently, she is pursuing her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from Northeastern University, is a counselor in private practice, conducts research on yoga with anxiety disorders, and is an adjunct professor at Lesley University. Jennifer is the Project Leader for the Military Populations and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Research Project. |
 | Janna Delgado is a Yoga Educator for Kripalu’s Institute for Extraordinary Living, developing and delivering curriculum for research projects. A certified Kripalu Yoga teacher, Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, and personal trainer, Janna also serves on the faculty of Kripalu’s Healthy Living programs, and leads health and wellness courses for Kripalu’s Retreat and Renewal program. Janna is a regular contributor to the Healthy Living E-News and Kripalu's online yoga breaks.
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 | Larissa Hall Carlson, a 500–hour Kripalu Yoga teacher, Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant, Ayurvedic yoga specialist, and Reiki practitioner, is Program Leader and Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist for the IEL’s Yoga for Weight Loss program. Formerly the Manager of Yoga Education for IEL’s Music and Consciousness program, Larissa has taught yoga, meditation, pranayama, and yogic philosophy for the Tanglewood Music Center, Berkshire Opera Company, Juilliard School, and Boston Conservatory. Creator of the CD Meditative Yoga Flow: A Kripalu Sadhana, she travels the country teaching workshops, directing yoga trainings, and providing Ayurvedic consultations. www.larissacarlson.com |
 | Iona M. Brigham, MEd., CYT 500, holds a masters degree in education from Harvard university and a 500-hour yoga teacher’s certification from the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica. She is currently a lead teacher and curriculum developer for the Monument Mountain Regional High School IEL research project, a guest yoga teacher at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and a yoga educator at the Berkshire County House of Corrections. |
 | Debbie Cohen, MA, RYT, has an extensive background teaching yoga and positive psychology. Debbie received her master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and her master’s in education from Harvard University. Debbie is the Project Leader for the Boston Yoga in the Schools Study which will examine the effects of Kripalu yoga on high school students’ psychological well-being and academic achievement.
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 | Ed Harrold, Director of Sports Training and Yoga at Kripalu’s Institute of Extraordinary Living, is the originator of the Flexibility for Athletes® program. He trains sports teams in the Flexibility for Athletes program to enhance athletic performance and endurance. A certified athletic trainer, he also has advanced training in Kripalu Yoga. |
 | Kristen Reinhardt, RYT 200, is a faculty member and researcher for IEL. Currently, she is the research coordinator for Sat Bir Khalsa, Ph.D. at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Kristen has served as director of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Music and Consciousness program. Kristen holds a bachelor’s of music in opera singing and is working toward a PhD in clinical psychology. |
 | Tosca Braun, BA, RYT 200, is a Research Coordinator for the Institute of Extraordinary Living. She participated in Kripalu’s Semester Intensive program, a four-month leadership program for young adults, before realizing her passion for yoga, psychology, and research. Tosca has a bachelor’s degree from Reed College and is preparing for admission into a doctoral program for clinical psychology. A Kripalu Yoga instructor, she plans on becoming a certified yoga therapist. |
 | Jessica Frey, BS, RYT 200, recently joined the IEL team as a Research Coordinator. Jessica graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport with a bachelor’s degree in health education and health science. Jessica currently serves as an intern for the IEL, coordinating the Yoga in the Schools study. She is a 200-hour registered Kripalu yoga teacher. |
