About the Authors

Larry Payne, PhD, is an internationally prominent yoga teacher, author, workshop leader, and pioneer in the field of yoga therapy since 1980. Larry is the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and cofounder of the yoga curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine. He was the first yoga teacher at the World Economic forum, was named “One of America’s most respected yoga teachers” by the Los Angeles Times, and was selected as a yoga expert by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Reader’s Digest, Web-MD, Rodale Press, and the Yoga Journal. In Los Angeles, Larry is the founding director of the Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Life Yoga programs at Loyola Marymount University. Larry is the coauthor of five books and is featured in the DVD series Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Yoga. Most recently he is coauthor “Yoga Therapy & Integrative Medicine” His website is www.samata.com.

Georg Feuerstein, PhD (1947–2012), studied and practiced yoga since his early teens and was a practitioner of Buddhist yoga. Internationally respected for his contribution to yoga research and the history of consciousness, he has been featured in many national magazines both in the United States and abroad. He authored more than 40 books, including The Yoga Tradition, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, and Yoga Morality, which have been translated into eight languages. After his retirement in 2004, he designed and tutored several distance-learning courses on yoga philosophy for Traditional Yoga Studies, a Canadian company founded and directed by his wife, Brenda (see www.traditionalyogastudies.com).

Sherri Baptiste, an inspirational teacher at the forefront of yoga training in the United States, is the daughter of two of America's yoga-health-fitness pioneers — Magaña and Walt Baptiste — who established yoga on the West Coast in the mid-50s. Sherri has been teaching since her teens and is the founder of Baptiste Power of Yoga, a nationally recognized method of yoga, and Yoga with Weights. Sherri offers comprehensive training programs, including online learning and certification courses designed with mainstream appeal. These programs are registered and recognized by Yoga Alliance. A TV and radio personality, Sherri also teaches yoga classes throughout the United States and hosts retreats around the world. She is also a presenter for IDEA World Fitness, Western Athletics, Equinox, Gold’s Gym, Body Mind Spirit, and ECA, and offers retreats at Montage Spas, Rancho La Puerta, Cal-A-Vie-Spa, Kripalu, Omega, International Yoga Therapy Conferences, Green Gulch and Tassajara Zen Centers, Esalan Institute, Noetic Institute, and Feathered Pipe Ranch. Her websites are www.powerofyoga.com and www.yogawithweights.com.

Doug Swenson is an internationally known yoga teacher and health educator. Doug began studying Yoga in 1964 with Dr. Ernest Wood and has been practicing and teaching Yoga ever since. Doug has studied under many great teachers, including Dr. Ernest Wood, Ramanand Patel, and K. Pattabhi Jois (guru of Ashtanga Yoga), from which Power Yoga was born. Doug is a master yoga practitioner and teacher dedicating his life to a holistic approach of yoga, learning from several different systems, and combining them with his interest in nutrition, concern for the environment, and warm, humorous approach to life to create his own unique and powerful system of yoga practice. Doug teaches yoga workshops and teacher-training courses across the U.S. and in other countries and is the author of three books on yoga and another book on diet and nutrition, plus many videos and DVDs. Contact Doug at dougswen002@yahoo.com or www.dougswenson.net.

Stephan Bodian is an internationally known author, psychotherapist, and teacher of mindfulness and spiritual awakening. As the founder and director of the School for Awakening, he leads regular retreats, workshops, and intensives and offers spiritual counseling and mentoring, by phone and Skype, to people throughout the world. His popular guidebook Meditation For Dummies (Wiley) has sold nearly a quarter of a million copies, and his digital program Mindfulness Meditation (with Mental Workout) has been praised in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His most recent book, Beyond Mindfulness (available on Amazon.com), critiques the practice of mindfulness and offers a more direct approach to lasting happiness and peace. Stephan trained for many years as a Buddhist monk and edited the magazine Yoga Journal for a decade. His other books include Buddhism For Dummies (Wiley) and Wake Up Now (McGraw-Hill). For more information, visit www.stephanbodian.org.

Therese Iknoian, an internationally published and award-winning author and speaker, spent a decade as a newspaper reporter before launching a freelance career specializing in sports and fitness writing and instruction and earned her master’s degree in exercise physiology. She, along with her husband, also operated a decade a successful news business for the outdoor and fitness industries for more than a decade. Today, Therese takes her adventurous spirit around the world, writing for their website, HI Travel Tales (www.HITravelTales.com) and working as a German-to-English translator (www.ThereseTranslates.com). She is a nationally ranked race walker and an ultra-runner. She has authored numerous books, including Tai Chi For Dummies (Wiley), Mind-Body Fitness For Dummies (Wiley), Walking Fast (Human Kinetics), and two editions of Fitness Walking (Human Kinetics). She was a contributing expert-author to Precision Heart Rate Monitoring and Men’s Fitness Magazine’s Complete Guide to Health and Well-Being, a contributing editor for the now-defunct Walking magazine, and the Ask the Coach columnist for eight years for Trail Runner magazine. She has been published in a wide range of popular magazines, including Backpacker, Men’s Health, Fitness, Health, and Women’s Day, and has written a self-syndicated fitness/sports newspaper column. She remains an American College of Sports Medicine-certified Health Fitness Specialist and a USA Track & Field Level II-certified endurance coach.

LaReine Chabut is a distinguished lifestyle and fitness expert, best-selling author, model, and mom. On Focus on Feeling Better, her weekly web series for MSN, LaReine took a well-rounded approach to healthy living as she helped everyday people deal with lifestyle issues and weight loss. LaReine’s fitness books — Lose That Baby Fat!, Exercise Balls For Dummies, Golf-All-in-One For Dummies (with Gary McCord), Stretching For Dummies, Core Strength For Dummies, Dieting For Dummies, and Weight Training For Dummies, among others — have sold over half a million copies. LaReine is the Director of Women’s Health and Wellness for the International Sports Sciences Association. She is also the lead instructor of The Firm, a series of popular workout videos that have sold over three million copies worldwide. As a model, LaReine has appeared on the covers of Shape, Health, New Body, and Runner's World, and represents sports giant Nike. In addition, she has appeared on Chelsea Lately on E!, Dr. Phil, CNN, ABC, FOX News, Extra, Access Hollywood, and Good Day LA. To find out more about LaReine, go to www.LaReineChabut.com.

Deborah Myers, MS, CNS, is a lifetime practitioner of yoga, longtime student and writing associate of Larry Payne, PhD, and trained yoga teacher. Deborah brings yoga to her workplace and professional conferences in her field. In addition to her passion for yoga, Deborah is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of families. She is Chief of Nutrition and Breastfeeding Services at South LA Health Projects, a local agency of the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).