447 About the Contributors Shirley TellescompletedM.B.B.S.andPh.D.inNeurophysiologyfromtheNationalInstituteof MentalHealth&Neurosciences(NIMHANS),Bangalore,India.SheistheDirectorofPatanjaliResearch Foundation,Haridwar.Shehas166researchpublicationsrelatedtoyogaresearchinjournalsindexed ininternationalbibliographicdatabases(e.g.,Medline),18chaptersinbooksand6publishedbooks includingabestsellingbook‘PrinciplesandPracticeofYogainHealthCare’publishedbyHandspring PublishingLimited,UnitedKingdom.Apartfromthissheisthememberofeditorialandreviewboard inmorethan25internationalindexedjournals.ShereceivedanawardfromTheIndianCouncilof .MedicalResearch(forexcellenceinbiomedicalresearch),fromtheJohnTempletonFoundation(www templeton.org),U.S.A.(January,2002),foranessayon‘Creativeresearchideasinneurobiology’anda FulbrightFellowship(J.WilliamFulbrightFoundation,U.S.A)tostudy“Functionalmagneticresonance .”imaginginmeditators ,Nilkamal SinghcompletedhisMasterofScienceinYogafromS-VYASAUniversity,Bengaluru Indiain2006.Atpresent,heisworkingasaScientist-CintheDepartmentofYogaResearchatPatanjali ResearchFoundation.Hehaspublished25researchpapersinPubMed/PsycInfoindexedjournals,and .4chaptersinbooks.Hehas9yearsofexperienceinresearch *** Rui Ferreira AfonsoPhysicalEducationteacher;masterinScience(Psychobiology-Universidade .(FederaldeSãoPaulo).CurrentlyaPh.D.studentattheBrainInstitute(HospitalIsraelitaAlbertEinstein RuiAfonsohasworkedasaYogateacherforthepast17years,andsincethen,heisinterestedinthe .practiceandacademicstudiesofyoga -Madhur Guruprasad AggithayaisworkingaschiefconsultantAyurveda,intheInstituteofAp pliedDermatology(IAD)thatconductsresearchonIntegrativeMedicine.Heledtheteamtoconduct randomizedcontrolledtrialinayurvedicprocedurebasedtherapiesandtodevelopLymphedemaSpecific QualityoflifeQuestionnaire.Histeamdevelopedprotocolforsystematicreviewofevidencebased Ayurveda,standardizationofimageacquisitiontechniquesforVitiligo,searchstrategyforpublished ayurvedicliteratureandclinicalmethodsforayurvedicdermatology.MGAggithayaauthored32peer .reviewedpublications  About the Contributors .(Akshay AnandgraduatedfromPostGraduateInstituteofMedicalEducationandResearch(PGIMER Afterobtaininghispost-doctoraltrainingatDepartmentofImmunopathologyinthesameInstitutehe joinedtheUniversityofKentuckyasScientistII.Afterservingtheirfortwoyears,hereturnedtojoin -facultyofDepartmentofNeurologyPGIMER.HewasinstrumentalinsettinguptheNeurosciencere searchcumdiagnosticfacilitywhichhecurrentlyrunsinGLPmode.DrAnandisaresearchimprovement specialistwhoisinterestedinunderstandingthemolecularmechanismsofneurodegenerationutilizing -invitro,invivo,alternativeandbiotherapeuticapproaches.Hisotherresearchinterestsrangefromanalyz ingtheroleofgeneticandotherriskfactorsthatmodifyALS,PD,ADandAMDtoscreeningofnovel drugsformemoryenhancement.HehasalsobeeninvolvedinthediscoveryofanimalmodelofAMD publishedinNatureMedicine.DrAnandisarecipientofAnnualPGIfacultyaward-2013,2014,Sardar VallabhabhiPatelFoundation9thInternationalPrestigiousSardarPatelAward,2014,ScopusYoung ScientistAwardRunnerup,NationalAcademyofSciencesIndia,NewDelhi,2012,ICMRShankuntla /AmirChandAward(2010),YoungScientistAwardfromDAE(2005),RetinaResearchFoundation JosephM.andEulaC.LawrenceAward(2003),RunnersupforNASIScopusAwardforBiological ,Sciences(2012),servedasJudgeatISEF,USA(2002-3),obtainedover21Internationaltravelawards -andistheEditorinChiefofAnnalsofNeurosciences,theofficialjournalofIndianAcademyofNeu .rosciencesbesidesservingonEditorialboardofNatureScientificReportsandNeuroepidemiology ,HeisalsoReviewsEditorofFrontiersinBehavioralNeurosciencesandonEditorialAdvisoryBoard -User-DrivenHealthcareandNarrativeMedicine:UtilizingCollaborativeSocialNetworksandTechnolo giesandotherInternationalJournals.DrAnandistheguestfacultyintheHumangenomicsprogramof PanjabUniversityandadvisortothelocalchapterofIndianMuscularDystrophyAssociation.Hehas .over82publicationininternationalpeerreviewedJournals Yogacharya Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani,MBBS,MD(AlternativeMedicine),istheDirector oftheCentreforYogaTherapyEducationandResearch,SriBalajiVidyapeethandChairmanofthe InternationalCentreforYogaEducationandResearchatAnandaAshram,Puducherry,India.Agold medallistinmedicalstudiesandFellowoftheIndianAcademyofYoga,heauthored19DVDs,23books andnearlytwohundredpapers,compilationsandabstractsonYogaandYogaresearch.Heisamember oftheScientificAdvisoryCommitteeoftheCentralCouncilforResearchinYogaandNaturopathyas wellastheExpertCommitteesofAYUSHforCelebrationofInternationalYogaDayandaYogaand Diabetesprogram.HeisConsultantResourcePersonfortheWHOCollaborativeCentreinTraditional .Medicine(Yoga)atMDNIYNewDelhi Ritu ChakuisPh.D.inYogaandLifeSciences.SheworkedasaSeniorResearchFellowinaproject byW.H.O.intheMorarjiDesaiNationalInstituteofYoga(MDNIY),NewDelhibetween2008-2009.She .servedasguestfacultyforBScandDiplomainYogicScienceinMDNIY,NewDelhifrom2009-2016 Dr.ChakuhasassistedMScstudentsofSwamiVivekanandaYogaResearchFoundation,Bengaluru,in .writingtheirresearchpapersforpublicationsinceMarch2008 -Rhiannon Tudor Edwardsisco-directoroftheCentreforHealthEconomicsandMedicinesEvalu ation(CHEME)atBangorUniversityintheUnitedKingdom.Rhiannonhaspublishedcollaboratively ,over100peerreviewedarticles,reportsandbookchaptersonhealtheconomics.Formoreinformation .visithttp://cheme.bangor.ac.uk/RhiannonTudorEdwardsBiography.php 448 About the Contributors Ginger Garnerisaduallicensedphysicaltherapistandathletictrainerwhohasspenthercareer dedicatedtoyoga’sintegrationinhealthcare.SheisthefounderofProfessionalYogaTherapyInstitute andtheauthorofMedicalTherapeuticYoga(2016),amulti-mediaplatformandmedicaltextbook(2000) targetinghealthcarereformthroughevidence-basedyogicbiopsychosocialrehabilitationandwellness -care.Sheisaco-founderoftheYogainHealthcareInitiative,amemberoftheYogainHealthcareAl liance(UK),andservesatuniversitiesandeducationalorganizationsworldwide.Dr.Garnerlivesinthe .UnitedStateswithherhusbandandthreesons Ingunn HagenisaProfessorinPsychologyattheDepartmentofPsychology,NorwegianUniversity ofScienceandTechnology(NTNU),inTrondheim,Norway.Hermainresearchinterestsincludetopics (relatedtomediaandcommunicationpsychology,suchtheroleofmediaandICTin(especiallyyoung ,people’slives.ProfessorHagenisalsointerestedinresearchrelatedtohumancontemplativepractices -likeMindfulness,yoga,andalsowellbeing.Recently,shehasledresearchprojectsontopicslikehu manhappiness,andalsoonpeople’sexperiencesrelatedtopracticingyogainvariouscontexts.More .informationatherworkwebpages:https://www.ntnu.no/ansatte/ingunn.hagen -Alex Hankeyhavinggained1stClassHonoursDegreeatCambridgeUniversity,andaPhDintheo reticalphysicsfromM.I.T.underNobellaureateStevenWeinbergandH.E.Stanley,AlexHankeywas atS.L.A.C.HethenjoinedMaharishiInternationalUniversityrisingtoProfessorofPhysics.Heworked forMaharishi’sorganizationinmanycountriesfor30years,lecturingonVedicsciences,andorganizing seminars,internationalconferences,andcourses.DuringthistimehedevelopedhisdecodingofVedic -sciencesusingquantumtheory,systemstheoryandcomplexity,throughhistrainingintheoreticalphys .ics,thusgeneratingtheapproachusedhere Ned Hartfiel,Ph.D.,isaboardmemberoftheYogainHealthcareAlliancePolicyGroup,anda researchofficerattheCentreforHealthEconomicsandMedicinesEvaluation(CHEME)atBangor .UniversityintheUnitedKingdom.Formoreinformation,visithttps://www.yogainhealthcarealliance .com/policy-group/andhttp://cheme.bangor.ac.uk/NedHartfielBiography.php -Stine KofoedreceivedherBAinpsychologyfromtheNorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnol -ogy(NTNU),inTrondheim,Norwayin2016.Forherbachelorprojectshewaspartofastudyconcern ingyogaandmentalhealthinadolescentsandyoungadults.Sheiscurrentlyfinishingherdegreeasa clinicalpsychologistattheUniversityofSouthernDenmark(SDU).Hermainresearchinterestsinclude .topicsrelatedtoclinicalpsychology,mentalhealthissues,andmemory Elisa H. KozasaisaBiologist,withaPh.D.inthefieldofPsychobiology;sheisalsoincontemplative researchinLatinAmerica,investigatingmeditation,yogaandTaiChieffectsinphysical/mentalhealth andwellbeing.Shestudiesneurophysiologyandbehavioralmechanismofemotionandcognitionusing neuroimagingresources.In2006and2011,sheparticipatedintheroundtableswiththeDalaiLama aboutContemplativePracticesandScience,inSãoPaulo,Brazil.SheisaresearcherattheBrainInstitute