Today we’d like to introduce you to Steffany Moonaz
Hi Steffany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A series of serendipitous events lead me to my professional calling as a yoga scientist and yoga therapist working primarily in the management of arthritis and chronic pain conditions. As a young dancer, I had an epiphany one day that my outlook and mood completely changed when I was dancing and anything bothering me outside of the studio disappeared when I was immersed in practice. I realized that this awareness could benefit many people who were experiencing suffering in the world and decided it would be my life’s work to investigate what exactly was happening in that process. But studying it alone doesn’t bring it to the people who are suffering. After becoming a research scientist and studying the effects of mind-body practices for chronic pain management, I founded Yoga for Arthritis to ensure that these practices and the scientific knowledge about their effects, could be accessed by people living with arthritis and other chronic conditions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is a lot of misunderstanding about what yoga is and who it is for. This is pervasive in the medical community that rightly wants to protect patients from harm, and also in the yoga community where the comprehensive teachings and tools of yoga have been reduced to fancy looking poses. The full toolbox of yoga practices includes poses and movement that can be adapted for each individual, but also breathing practices, relaxation, body awareness, mindfulness, meditation, concentration, chanting, ethical living, lifestyle changes, mindset, applied philosophy and more. Perhaps my greatest challenge has been serving as a bridge between science and tradition so that neither is devalued in the process of honoring the other.
We’ve been impressed with Yoga for Arthritis, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As a PhD in public health, it is important to me that my research findings actually benefit the general public. I founded Yoga for Arthritis, so my scholarly work didn’t get stuck in an ivory toward to be read by a few other academics. A strong value of my work with Yoga for Arthritis is that it is evidence-based, and my teaching continues to expand and evolve as the science provides new awareness of connections and opportunities to improve best practices. But I also do my best to reach beyond the science, knowing that some things can only be understood through direct experience. I trust each individual to be the world’s leading expert of their own body-mind, empowered to be the ultimate decision-maker about what is best. We also take a whole-person approach to this work. Pain impacts every aspect of life, including the experience in the body, but also the thoughts, emotions, relationships, roles, and outlook. We use the tools of yoga to improve whole-person wellbeing to optimize thriving, no matter what the diagnosis. We train yoga professionals to work safely and appropriately with this population, and we also offer yoga classes, courses, practices and education for people living with these conditions. Additionally, we advocate for greater accessibility, transparency, and inclusion so that yoga and other mind-body practices are available to anyone who is seeking them.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I was already operating mostly online before the pandemic. I was teaching yoga and offering yoga therapy via Zoom and conducting research with international teams of researchers with teleconference and project management software. Part of what changes was the way I conducted continuing education programs for yoga professionals. Moving those programs online has absolutely broadened access by eliminating travel costs and allowing a move away from very condensed and time-intensive programs. At the same time, something is definitely lost when we stop sharing actual space with others. I have worked to bring some of the benefits of in-person learning to online platforms and have looked for ways to support our teachers in creating local in-person opportunities for community-building. Connecting online is better than not connecting at all, but the benefits from being in a room together are especially important for reducing isolation and fostering the type of connectedness that yoga promotes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arthritis.yoga/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogaforarthritis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yoga4Arthritis
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yogaforarthritis923
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/yoga4arthritis/yoga-for-arthritis/
