With over 40 years of teaching experience, Susi Amendola has profoundly influenced the field of yoga therapy. From her early days as a student at a yoga ashram to becoming a renowned yoga therapist, Amendola’s journey reflected her dedication to using yoga for healing and stress management.
“When I started teaching yoga, yoga therapy wasn’t a recognized field. It emerged in the ‘90s when I and others began merging yoga with medicine, using it as a complement to medical treatments,” Amendola recounted.
Initially, yoga in the United States had a spiritual focus, but as its popularity grew, the emphasis shifted to physical fitness and postures. Today, yoga therapy has tailored yoga practices to help people manage specific illnesses, integrating with hospitals and medical teams nationwide.
Amendola’s new book, “The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based Mind-Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health,” was a testament to her expertise and experience. Inspired by her personal struggles with anxiety and her extensive work in yoga therapy, Amendola shared, “Yoga was introduced to me and saved my life. I studied at a yoga ashram at 18, seeking deeper knowledge of health. After several years there, I moved to Omaha and started a yoga center.”
In 1993, Amendola was approached by Ornish Lifestyle Medicine to be a stress management specialist for a Lifestyle Heart trial. She worked with patients for 12 years and then joined the Ornish national team, training others to deliver the program in hospitals nationwide. “Over the years, I saw improvements in heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune diseases, and more. This experience highlighted the significant impact of stress on chronic illness, prompting me to write about practices that build nervous system resilience.”
Integrating yoga into cardiac rehab programs came with unique challenges and rewards. Amendola highlighted, “One major challenge was getting insurance to cover the program. After many years of effort, Medicare now covered it, and it could be done virtually.” Another hurdle was introducing yoga for healing to people who either misunderstood yoga or thought it was too difficult.
Despite these issues, the outcomes were rewarding. “I’ve seen people reverse heart disease and other chronic illnesses, regain mobility, and some even come off heart transplant lists within weeks.”
Amendola also developed yoga-based stress management programs for various settings, including schools, businesses, and hospitals. One particularly impactful program involved working with a group of at-risk teen girls. “They were so traumatized that they would fall asleep during yoga poses. This was before specific trauma-informed protocols in yoga, so I adapted practices to be more trauma-informed. This approach was incredibly helpful, and the girls looked forward to it each week.”
Michelle Miller, a former student of Amendola’s, said, “Amendola is the best teacher I’ve ever had. Her yoga instruction has had a profound impact on my overall health and wellbeing. I have also learned so much from watching her teach. I have emulated her very student-centered teaching style in my own classroom and have grown as a teacher through her guidance and mentorship. Omaha is so lucky to have her!”
Over the years, Amendola saw significant benefits in her students, especially those who integrated her teachings into their daily lives. “Beyond the physical and emotional changes I regularly saw, I also noticed a sense of autonomy. People took back their power to heal, connecting to their inner wisdom and intuition. They recognized they had more agency in their health and healing than they might have imagined.”
As the founder and director of Yoga Now: A Pathway to Peace in Omaha, Amendola’s vision had always been about serving the community. “I aimed to create a place where people could come together to practice and learn from ancient teachings while improving their health and wellbeing. Another part of my vision was to help people realize their connection to a universal consciousness, transcending the prevalent ‘us vs. them’ mentality. This sense of oneness and connection to all beings was essential, as ultimately, everyone sought happiness.”
Amendola’s teaching legacy and contributions to yoga therapy profoundly impacted countless lives, bringing holistic healing and stress management practices to the forefront of modern medicine. Her new book, “The Centered Heart,” continues to inspire and guide individuals toward better health and wellbeing.
o learn more, visit doyoganow.com.
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
