By Radhika Mishra
BURLINGTON, MA— The 9th annual Health, Fitness, and Wellness Expo will hold a yoga workshop dedicated to encouraging physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health, led by Jay Gupta, Dr. Vijaya Upadrasta, MD, and Pankaj Patel.
The Health, Fitness, and Wellness Expo on August 13th at the Burlington Marriott in Burlington, MA, will kick off the day-long event with an hour and a half of a rejuvenating yoga session featuring the three yoga experts.
The event is free, however, pre-registration is required. To register for the event, click here.
“Attendees can learn practices to develop their inner awareness, build their capacity for self-regulation and enhance their physical and mental health,” said Jay Gupta, Director of Pharmacy and Integrative Health at Harbor Care in Nashua, NH and one of the instructors of the workshop. He is also the President of YogaCaps, Inc. and Faculty Chief of RxRelax.
Mr. Gupta will be joined by Dr. Vijaya Upadrasta, a primary care physician working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinic in Manchester, NH, and Pankaj Patel, a thoroughly trained yoga instructor.
All practices will be adapted to ensure attendees can join regardless of experience or ability.
The instructors will take attendees through a powerful and relaxing session beginning with a subtle warm up and ending with a yoga nidra, said Mr. Gupta, who is also the President of YogaCaps, Inc. and Faculty Chief of RxRelax.
YogaCaps is one of the oldest and largest free therapeutic yoga programs for people with chronic health conditions. RxRelax educates healthcare professionals about evidence-based yoga techniques and provides certification and continuing education credits that empowers use of these valuable “yoga capsules” in their practice settings.
His yoga protocols have been included in several research studies and shared in hospitals and other health settings across the USA. Mr. Gupta began his yoga immersion in India in 1983 and has been scientifically exploring the depths of yoga since then. He uses yoga as a tool for DePrescription and participants have safely reduced or eliminated a number of medications. Jay also serves as a Medical Advisory Panel member for KnowYourMeds.com, a member of the Board of Directors for New Futures, Inc., a Steering Committee member for HepFree Northern New England and a regular panelist for Protect Our Care.
Mr. Gupta is recognized by Cardinal Health, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, Next Generation Pharmacists/Pharmacy Times, the New Hampshire Business Review and VolunteerNH for innovation, excellence in integrative methods and reduction of problematic polypharmacy.
Dr. Upadrasta, MD, has been practicing yoga for the past 11 years, improving her stress relief, flexibility, and work-life balance. She joined the RxRelax program to see if she could help her patients, especially with anxiety, mobility and balance. She incorporates discussions at her primary care practice, as well educating patients about research proven benefits of yoga.
She has also led seated therapeutic yoga classes through YogaCaps, Inc. at Keystone Hall, an inpatient substance abuse rehabilitation facility, at the Merrimack Senior Center and at Catholic Medical Center (CMC). Dr. Upadrasta also started a fall prevention clinic at CMC outpatient rehabilitation about 8 years ago where she does comprehensive evaluation and treatment of people with balance problems and recurrent falls along with physical and occupational therapists.
Additionally, Dr. Upadrasta provides yoga guidance for health-focused special events like “October in the Orchards” to support people with cancer.
Dr. Upadrasta is recognized as a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly and earned the Exceptional Women in Medicine distinction. She has also been honored by VolunteerNH and by YogaCaps, Inc. for her dedicated and skilled yoga service to health-vulnerable populations.
Ms. Patel has studied yoga for over 25 years and has studied under and practiced with Mr. Sudhir Parikh at the Satsang Center in Woburn, MA. She has also studied with Dr. Nagendra from Vivekananda Yoga Kendra Bangalore India.
In 2006, she attended the Shibir of Baba Ramdev in Ahmedabad, India. Pankaj teaches classic Patanjali yoga, named for the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, a major work containing aphorisms on the philosophical aspects of mind and consciousness. She brings a gentle and well-rounded yoga class which addresses the physical, mental and spiritual energies.
