Evidence on Yoga 鈥� Future for Health & Care conference 2026

The conference is organized by Link枚ping University (LiU) in collaboration with the Swedish Institute of Medical Yoga (SIMY).

Purpose

Disseminate new research results on the effects of yoga on various medical conditions.
Strengthen national and global collaboration on yoga research.
Promote yoga as an integrated part of healthcare.
Discuss future challenges, directions and opportunities.

Description

The conference is a 1-day conference that will be held at Link枚ping University with a mix of lectures conducted by invited researchers and presenters, panel discussions and elements of practical application. The conference will take place on site, but with the possibility of digital participation via Zoom.

Place

Link枚pings Universitet, Hasselquistsalen, Campus Universitetssjukhuset, Link枚ping or via Zoom.

Lecturers

"Yoga for patients cared for in cardiac and intensive care"

Anna Str枚mberg

鈥�My research focuses on developing e-health interventions to support rehabilitation and self-care support for people living with long-term illnesses and their families. I evaluate the impact of these interventions on self-care behaviors, health-related quality of life, physical function, participation, perceived control, survival and healthcare utilization.

My research group is currently conducting several projects aimed at evaluating and implementing e-health tools, such as digital group yoga, gamification, digital support and education via the 1177 e-health platform, to support rehabilitation and self-care. These efforts primarily target people with heart failure, but also include those e魛啹ected by cancer and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

"A framework for Yoga in Healthcare"

Pär Krutzén

Pär Krutzén has 20 years of experience in research and clinically oriented yoga. As Executive Director of SIMY – the Swedish Institute Medical Yoga – he has, since 2016, driven the development of medical yoga within Swedish healthcare. With a focus on self-care, equity and clinical quality, he works to connect research, implementation and practical mind–body methods. Pär has been a central force in the development and structuring of MOSI (Medical Yoga Standardized Intervention) in close collaboration with researchers, universities and healthcare professionals. His motivation is to create sustainable, human-centred and research-informed solutions that strengthen patient engagement and quality of life, and to contribute to a future in which evidence-based yoga is an accessible, safe and integrated part of healthcare and society.

Swedish Institute Medical Yoga (SIMY)

par@simy.se

"Yoga in Cardiac Rehabilitation - From Ancient Wisdom to Clinical Practice"

Ambalam M Chandrasekaran

Dr. Chandrasekaran is a board-certified Yoga and Naturopathy physician, public health expert, and researcher with over 15 years of experience. He heads the Centre for Yoga in Public Health Research at CCDC, India, where he leads clinical trials and evidence synthesis on yoga-based interventions for chronic diseases. His work has been published in top journals including Nature Medicine and JACC. He has presented at major global conferences and received multiple awards. Dr. Chandrasekaran holds an MPH, a postdoctoral fellowship from Emory University,and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Leicester, UK, focusing on multiple long-term conditions.

Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi

"Yoga in postcovid"

Mats Hallgren

Mats is Principal Researcher at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and Associate Professor at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Melbourne. His research examines the effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions in populations at risk of poor mental and physical health. He has designed and led to successful completion several community-based randomized controlled trials and more than 100 large-scale epidemiological studies. Findings from his research have impacted public health guidelines internationally. He is the editor in Chief of the scientific journal Mental Health and Physical Activity

"Yoga as part of cancer rehabilitation"

Anna-Karin Ax

I combine research with clinical work as a contact nurse at an oncology clinic in Link枚ping. Side effects of cancer treatment affect individuals both during the treatment period and long after it has ended. My research focuses on cancer rehabilitation during ongoing oncological treatment, with the aim of improving health-related quality of life for indviduals undergoing cancer therapy.

"Teleyoga 鈥� Yoga for patients cared within cardiology and intensive care"

Lotti Orvelius

My interest started early in how patients who survive severe illness and intensive care, and how important it is to capture the patient's perceived health, so-called PROM (patient-reported outcome measure). In 2009, I present my dissertation in the field of Intensive Care and PROM, and since then I have continued to investigate how former intensive care patients can return to as good health as possible. As a certified yoga instructor, I see an opportunity for yoga to be a supportive tool.

Region Östergötland

lotti.orvelius@regionostergotland.se

"Yoga for Mental Health Problems in Young People 鈥� A Neuroscientific Perspective"

Eva Henje

Eva Henje is a senior consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry and a professor at the Department of Clinical Science at Umeå University. She is also a yoga and mindfulness teacher and trained in several trauma therapies. Eva founded Yogayama in Stockholm more than 20 years ago. Her research has focused on developing and evaluating yoga-based treatments for young people with anxiety and depression, particularly within the Training for Awareness, Resilience and Action (TARA) program. For more information about her research, teaching and clinical work in her private psychotherapy practice, please visit www.evahenje.com or email info@evahenje.com.

Institutionen f枚r klinisk vetenskap Ume氓 Universitet

info@evahenje.com

"Yoga and Hypertension"

Hanne Konradsen

I am a nurse and a researcher with more than 30 years of experience. I am involved in ongoing research in more than 10 countries around the world and in most hospitals in Denmark. My research mainly focuses on non-communicable diseases, family nursing, innovation, and technology. Non-pharmacological interventions are a special focus, and included in this are yoga and mindfulness.

Copenhagen University Hospital

hanne.konradsen.03@regionh.dk

"A framework for Yoga in Healthcare"

Maria Wahlström

Maria Wahlström is a senior lecturer and researcher at Sophiahemmet University in Stockholm. She has been a registered nurse since 1985 and has extensive expertise in cardiovascular diseases. Maria has also been a certified MediYoga therapist since 2013 and has conducted research on MediYoga since 2010. Her doctoral thesis (2019) examined the effects of MediYoga on individuals with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, focusing on outcomes such as health-related quality of life, blood pressure and heart rate. Her current project investigates the effects of a digital MediYoga program for individuals with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Sophiahemmet college

maria.wahlstrom@shh.se

"MediYoga in primary care for people with common mental disorder"

Madeleine Bellfjord

I am a physiotherapist and work with rehabilitation in primary care in Gothenburg. My interest in working with people with common mental disorders and stress-related problems has interested me for a long time. I was enrolled as a PhD student in 2024 and am researching and evaluating MediYoga, MOSI (MediYoga of Sweden Intervention) in primary care rehabilitation for people with common mental disorders.
My first article was published in 2024 with the title: "MediYoga compared to physiotherapy treatment as usual for patients with stress-related symptoms in primary care rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial

G枚teborg University

福利姬