From battling depression as a teenage to emerging as an international yoga teacher, author, holistic health practitioner, acupuncturist, and sports medicine expert, Tiffany Cruikshank has come a long way in her professional career. She is the founder of Yoga Medicine, where she teaches yoga through her uniquely crafted methodology which involves a blend of the Eastern and Western notions of medicine. Her approach has helped thousands of yogis around the world see their practice in a new light. Her innovative thinking and dedication to the practice have healed more than 25000 patients.
Bridging Yoga And Medicine
Practicing yoga in her early teens not only gave her way out of depression but also helped her channel her energy and positivity to healing others too! Her methodology is a culmination of her life’s work, so it evolved from many years of study and experience working with patients and students over the past 22 years. She saw the need for yoga in the medical world and decided to construct a bridge between yoga and the medical world to allow the doctors wanting to use yoga with their patients to do so.
Tiffany Cruikshank, Yoga Teacher, Author, Holistic Health Practitioner, Acupuncturist, and Sports Medicine Expert Photo Credit: Shutterstock
“I created Yoga Medicine as a transparent training program that allows providers and patients to find a teacher trained in both traditional yoga practices as well as western concepts of anatomy, kinesiology, and physiology to provide a more therapeutic practice individualized to the student’s needs,” says Tiffany.
Yoga Medicine comprises over 7,000 teachers around the world. It is a diverse group with many teachers who have been teaching for 10 to 20 years or more. “I’m most proud of our community of teachers. There’s nothing I love more than seeing the impact our teachers are making out there!” exclaimed Tiffany.
Changing Lives In Different Ways
Tiffany thinks it is critical to give back to the world without expecting anything back. This was the reason she started a non-profit project called Yoga Medicine Seva Foundation, which rescues girls in India from trafficking and allows them to choose a vocational training that will ultimately allow them to provide for themselves and their families for a lifetime. “You would never guess what they’ve been through! These girls are some of the happiest I have had the pleasure of knowing,” Tiffany adds. Her second non-profit work is more of a pet project because of her quest for endless knowledge. Yoga Medicine Research Institute will be conducting their first research on the effects of yoga on hip pain.
Tiffany Cruikshank, Yoga Teacher, Author, Holistic Health Practitioner, Acupuncturist, and Sports Medicine Expert Photo Credit: Shutterstock
“Hearing random stories from strangers I run into who have taken my classes or read my books or who had the opportunity to work with me gives me an undefined pleasure. There are so many incredible people all over the world in an industry that has such a profound impact on so many people’s quality of life. I feel so grateful to have a job I really believe in and feel so passionate about,” concludes Tiffany.
About Tiffany Cruikshank
Tiffany Cruikshank is an internationally renowned yoga instructor, founder of Yoga Medicine, and the author of Meditate Your Weight. Based in Seattle, Cruikshank teaches regularly for YogaGlo, and travels extensively around the world. She has graced the cover of over a dozen magazines including Prevention, Yoga Journal, Om Yoga Magazine, Mantra Yoga & Health Magazine, Origin Magazine, Thrive Magazine. She has been a contributor to many major publications like The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Forbes, Dr. Oz, Self, Women’s Health, Marie Claire, Glamor, Shape, Fitness, MindBodyGreen, to name a few. [1]
