Christiane Brems, PhD, ABPP, E-RYT-500, C-IAYT, is an integrative yoga teacher who incorporates all eight limbs of yoga in her yoga classes and workshops. She grounds yoga in yoga psychology and philosophy based on ancient and modern texts, as well as in current research, especially in psychology, neuroscience, and interpersonal neurobiology. She engages in trauma-sensitive and trauma-informed teaching practices and is trained in crisis intervention. She encourages individual tailoring of yoga to the context and needs of each practitioner and makes ample use of adaptations and modifications to ensure that yoga becomes accessible to all.
With nine other yoga teachers, Dr. Brems co-founded YogaX, a special initiative in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University's School of Medicine. YogaX is an integrated, holistic yoga school that offers yoga teacher training, continuing education for yoga teachers and healthcare providers, and services to the community. YogaX has a special focus on creating opportunities to bring yoga into health, mental health, and allied healthcare settings. It unites science and soul in that it is grounded in ancient yoga psychology as well as modern neuroscience and research.
Dr. Brems received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University in 1987. She began her career as an academic at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She then served on faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage for over two decades, where she held a variety of leadership positions, including as Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services, Director of the PhD Program in Clinical-Community Psychology, and Interim Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. Following her time in Alaska, she served for nearly six years as Dean and Professor of the School of Graduate Psychology (SGP) at Pacific University Oregon.
Dr. Brems is licensed as a psychologist in several US states and is board-certified as a clinical psychologist by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). She is a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT500) and certified C-IAYT. She is also certified in Interactive Guided Imagery.
Dr. Brems has worked for decades as an applied researcher and clinical practitioner with particular interests in health promotion, rural healthcare delivery, and all things yoga. Her work has been funded by grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Dis. Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, and local and State of Alaska funding sources. She has shared her work extensively in over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, 100s of technical reports, and several books, including the Comprehensive Guide to Child Psychotherapy (now in its 4th edition), Dealing with Challenges in Psychotherapy and Counseling, Basic Skills in Counseling and Psychotherapy, and others. Dr. Brems is committed to excellence in and integration of clinical services, teaching, consultation, and research.
Dr. Brems has integrated yoga, mindfulness, complementary interventions, and self-care strategies in her work as a consultant, author, dean, teacher, researcher, mentor, supervisor, colleague, and service provider. She values these practices as crucial aspects of day-to-day professional and personal life and seeks to enhance access to them for all who can benefit. She integrates yoga, mindfulness, and other healthy living strategies (e.g., healthful nutrition, good sleep hygiene) in her own life and credits these practices with contributing to her 20-year recovery from cancer.