Marisa Perdomo, PT, DPT, MS Board Certified Oncology Physical Therapy Specialist is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. She is a founding member of the USC Institute for Integrative Health and Wellness. She is also a member of the KRI Research Committee.

She received her Bachelor of Science Physical therapy degree at West Virginia University and her Master’s and Clinical Doctorate degrees at the University of Southern California.

She has over 40 years of clinical practice focusing on orthopedic, oncologic, and lymphatic dysfunctions and integrated health. She received her lymphedema training and certification from the Foldi Clinic in Hinterzarten Germany in 1997 and became a certified cancer exercise specialist in 2003 from Rocky Mountain University. Dr. Perdomo also has extensive training in all areas of orthopedic manual therapy via the North American Institute of Manual Therapy. She has been practicing Kundalini yoga since 2013 and has completed the Level II teaching curriculum.  Dr. Perdomo incorporates principles of kundalini yogi, integrative health with her physical therapy interventions to provide unique intervention care plans for individuals with oncologic-related impairments.

Dr. Perdomo developed the USC curricular content regarding the comprehensive management of oncological related impairments and peripheral edema. Her teaching responsibilities included Differential Diagnosis, Cardiopulmonary and Medical Conditions, Complex Patient Management and Pharmacology. She developed a physical therapy practice for survivors of cancer at the USC Faculty Practice. To support the need for expert clinicians, she mentored junior faculty as they obtained the unique skillset required to comprehensively treat this patient population.

Dr. Perdomo has a wide range of clinical experience developing interventions for individuals diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, trauma-related edema, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, gynecological cancer, prostate cancer, sarcoma, and hodgkin’s and non-hodgkin’s lymphoma as well as survivors with long-term adverse effects. 

Her scholarly interests include oncology rehabilitation, lymphedema management and kundalini yoga interventions. Publications include clinical practice guidelines for diagnosing and treating Upper Quadrant Secondary Lymphedema Related to Cancer, and  systematic reviews of outcome measures for survivors of breast cancer.

HariKirin Khalsa, MD, C-IAYT, has served in the healthcare profession as a registered nurse who decided to go on to medical school, an obstetrician gynecologist, and now a yoga therapist. She serves as volunteer faculty at UMass Chan Medical School, and in the International Kundalini Yoga Therapy Profession Training via the Guru Ram Das Center. She co-founded Gobinday Yogic Health to provide yoga and yoga therapy by donation. She is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. HariKirin has been honored throughout life to witness the triumph of the human spirit, and the intersection of science and awe.

Guru Karm Kaur, MaGloria Borras-Boneu, MD PhD has worked in the medical area as gynecologist. Her research motivation for Immunology in Gynecologic Cancer moved her from Barcelona to Harvard University, where she also learned about the integrated and yogic approach for health.

By 2000, as kundalini yoga teacher, she experienced the immersion in the GRD mother ashram, at the Center for Medicine and Humanology. Since then she offered these teachings and Sat Nam Rasayan as complementary medicines in courses and to her patients through the GRD medic health institute.

She has also collaborated at the Yoga Festival for the GRD center, the Spanish National Teachers Association, programs for Conscious Pregnancy and Yoga Doula, Mujer de Luz (Woman of Light), and as member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Alzheimer Research and Prevention Foundation supported research for prevention and emotional changes during early decrease of cognition.

Nowadays, she is mainly retired from her gynecological practice, and focuses in neuro-linguistics, for Naad and sound, and brings KY teachings in her programs for integrated health.

Elvira Perez Vallejos is Professor of Mental Health and Digital Technology at the University of Nottingham (UK), NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR MindTech. She is the Chair of the Equities Committee for the research programme Responsible AI UK and the Director of Responsible Research and Innovation at the Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub. Elvira’s research portfolio is highly interdisciplinary with funding from UKRI and NIHR. She specialises in assessing the impact that technology has on the mental wellbeing of groups with protected characteristics (children, young people, older adults) applying co-design and participatory methods. She is driving world-leading research on digital mental health including issues of data ethics and privacy, user and stakeholder engagement, co-production, and responsible innovation. Over the last six years, she has been working with groups of young people and brought to the forefront of policy innovation their concerns and recommendations on digital mental health.

During my talk, I will present the findings of a study introducing a 20-week Kundalini Yoga practice into Children Homes in Nottingham, UK (see attached for free dissemination). The study shows benefits and improved wellbeing among both children in care and staff. Limitations and possibilities for improvement will be discussed.

Gurucharan Singh Khalsa is a renowned expert in Kundalini Yoga and meditation. He was the international director of training for Kundalini Yoga for 40 years and has developed several global training programs. Gurucharan is the author of several books, including “The 21 Stages of Meditation,” “Breathwalk,” and “The Mind” (co-authored with Yogi Bhajan). He has also designed numerous manuals and texts for the application of meditation techniques to communication, lifestyle, vitality, stress, and relationships. Gurucharan collaborated on original research on the effects of Kundalini Yoga and meditation. Most recently “Kundalini Yoga for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease: a Preliminary Randomized Study” In Healthcare 2022. He extends research interests expanding the applications of Kundalini Yoga Processes and their Somatic basis. He taught yoga and wellness programs at MIT for 15 years. He contributes to the KRI research group. Currently he is an affiliated scholar at Chapman University and collaborates with the institute of quantum studies to explore foundational research in how top-down irreducible holisms interact dynamically in time with bottom-up processes of parts. He is fascinated by paradoxes, anomalies, and leading-edge intuitions of the productive questions to ask.

Dr. Innes is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Epidemiology, West Virginia University School of Public Health. She is an experienced epidemiologist and clinical research scientist with a particular interest in yoga and related mind-body therapies for the prevention and management of cognitive impairment, restless legs syndrome (RLS), arthritis, and other burdensome chronic disorders related to stress, sympathetic activation, and metabolic dysregulation. Since her entry into academia in 1999, she has served as principal investigator on over 25 federal and national research foundation grants, and as Co-I, mentor, and/or research advisor on numerous additional awards. Dr. Innes’ most recent research, funded by grants from the NIH, the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, and other organizations, includes clinical trials to assess the effects of yogic practices on cognition, neuropsychiatric impairment, sleep, quality of life, and markers of cellular aging in older adults with preclinical memory loss; RLS symptoms, sleep, mood, and related outcomes in adults with restless legs syndrome; and pain, sleep, mood and other outcomes in older adults with osteoarthritis. Among her earlier clinical trials are those regarding the potential benefits of yoga and meditation for sedentary, post-menopausal women at risk for cardiovascular disease; older adults with type 2 diabetes; elders with Parkinson’s Disease; and individuals with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. Additional research projects include large population studies of memory loss and dementia, sleep disorders, arthritis, colorectal and breast cancer, and other common chronic conditions.

She is frequently invited to speak both nationally and internationally on these topics, and continues to serve on a number of national and international expert panels. Since 1999, Dr. Innes has authored over 250 scientific papers and abstracts, including over 120 peer-reviewed articles; the latter include publications in the J Alzheimer’s Disease, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA, AJE, PLosOne, Psychoneuroimmunology, Epidemiology, J Clin Sleep Medicine, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, J Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Pain Medicine, Sleep Medicine Review, J American Geriatric Society, and other respected journals. Her work has been featured in Time Magazine, NBC News, Psychology Today, Reuters Press, VICE, Prada, Medscape, NPR, MSN, the Yoga Journal, Yoga Therapy Today, Prevention Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Neurology News, Medical News Today, Science Daily, UK National News, Alzheimer’s News Today, Eurasia Review, and many other national and international venues.

In this research talk, Dr Innes will briefly review her recent trials investigating the potential benefits of a simple Kundalini meditation practice (Kirtan Kriya) for adults with preclinical memory loss.