She teaches on an AAYT recognised Yoga Therapy training course in Perth, WA at the Yoga Space. She is a fully qualified naturopath and has completed a Masters of Wellness. Chandrika has taught specialised yoga for cancer classes for six years and completed a research project examining the psychological and physiological stress responses of cancer patients and survivors who participated in the Cancer Council of WA’s Life Now yoga program.
A fully qualified and experienced naturopath Chandrika was incorporating pranayama, mindfulness, mudras, mantras, yogic nutrition, yamas, niyamas and asanas with therapeutic intent in clinical practice long before she became of aware of yoga therapy as a distinct modality. She also uses the gunaic qualities of plants to create balanced herbal remedies in her wellness clinic.
In July 2012 she completed the Master of Wellness through RMIT University. Her Masters research project examined the psychological and physiological stress responses of cancer patients and survivors who participated in the Cancer Council of WA’s Life Now yoga program. She taught specialised classes for people affected by cancer for six years prior to the study, which gave her a depth of understanding of the program and led to a project officer role at the Cancer Council. Her ongoing work there has produced a report on yoga as a significant complementary and integrative therapy in the oncology setting and resulted in changes to the program which highlight the need for yoga therapy training and recognition.
Chandrika feels strongly that it is her dharma to help yoga therapy find a niche as a validated, proven modality in mainstream medicine and eventually form part of every oncologists recommendations.
Chandrika Gibson began practicing yoga as a nomadic 20 year old in far north Queensland some 18 years ago. Now happily settled with her family in Perth, she shares her love of yoga through her small studio Surya Health.