Helaine Golann is a certified professional level Kripalu Yoga Teacher, a clinical psychologist, and a former teacher in a variety of graduate training programs including Massachusetts School for Professional Psychology, Harvard Medical School, and Lesley University. I love to teach and share the experience of yoga. My students are encouraged to explore and respect their personal limits, challenging themselves with gentle and loving compassion. By adjusting postures to individual needs, I try to help both beginners and more advanced students experience a combination of challenge and support. I have a profound belief in the healing benefits of yoga. My own experiences have deepened my commitment to encouraging others to integrate yoga into their lives. I offer suggestions on ways to take brief "yoga breaks" in front of the computer, behind the wheel of a car, or in line at the ATM or grocery store. Yoga has helped me emerge from two serious health crises. Fifteen years ago, a car accident left me with two shattered disks in my neck and severe pain that radiated down my arm and back. Yoga was the lifesaver that healed me after surgery, cortisone injections and physical therapy had produced only minimal improvement. I also credit yoga with my recovery from a nasty bout with viral encephalitis that initially left me debilitated in body, mind and spirit. Practicing yoga allowed me to transform both these crises into opportunities for growth. A central theme of my work and personal life has been the facilitation of positive personal transformations. This is reflected both in my practice as a clinical psychologist and my teaching career. I now focus my teaching energy on yoga and on mentoring other Kripalu yoga teachers to help them fine-tune their teaching skills and achieve professional-level certification. I also work occasionally with my lawyer husband on sensitizing mediators to the emotional issues in dispute resolution. Together we have written articles on this subject. I also like to spend time with friends and family, including two college-age children, and when I can, I write, dance, kayak, and study alternative healing practices. Most recently I completed second-level Reiki training. Once or twice a year, I perform with a dance troupe. We call ourselves "Hot Flash" in celebration of yet another positive personal transformation. I thank yoga for the fact that I have more energy and feel more fit now than I did in my twenties and thirties.