Veronica DeRosa
BSN, RN, CBC, NC-BC, RYT-500
Training: 300HR IAYT Therapeutics in Healthcare
Focus: Oncology, survivorship, grief, adolescent, lifestyle medicine
About
Penny Pikul
MBA · RYT-200 · ISSA-CPT · ISSA Nutritionist
YogaX-trained and rooted in the living wisdom of Thai Buddhist tradition.
Anjali Mudra
About the Author
Penny Pikul is a yoga, meditation, and Muay Thai teacher and practitioner, wellness entrepreneur, author, and creator of the FRIENDS Framework™ — a seven-dimension system for nervous system regulation, neuroplasticity, and healing through connection. Her work bridges training through Stanford Psychiatry's YogaX program with the ancient wisdom of the Thai Buddhist tradition.
She holds a 200-hour YogaX certification through Stanford Psychiatry, where she trained under Dr. Christiane Brems and Geno Carvalho, alongside an ISSA personal trainer certification and verified nutritionist status. Before wellness, her career spanned luxury real estate and marketing analytics — an analytical precision that still shapes everything she teaches. She trained in Muay Thai in Thailand, holds an MBA, and brings the rare intelligence of someone who has crossed the distance between achievement and genuine aliveness.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Penny divides her time between Marina del Rey, California — where Penny Practice serves the Westside Los Angeles wellness community — and Bangkok.
The Sun Is A Blessing: How Love Transforms is her first book.
To work with Penny:
Work with PennyThe FRIENDS Framework™
One idea. Seven dimensions.
FFoundation
RRegulation
IIntegration
EEmbodiment
NNourishment
DDevotion
SService
Penny created the FRIENDS Framework™ to give high-achieving people a single, repeatable system for nervous system regulation — bridging Stanford science with the Thai Buddhist wisdom she was born into.
Focus Areas & Clinical Applications
Nervous system regulation, stress & burnout recovery, somatic practices, breathwork, athletes & everyday athletes, women’s wellness, mind-body integration
City, State/Province, Country
Marina del Rey, CA and Los Angeles
Languages Spoken
Thai and English
Professional Statement / Therapeutic Approach
I am a Stanford YogaX-trained teacher and International Sports Sciences Association-certified trainer and nutritionist specializing in trauma-informed, somatic, and nervous system-based approaches to whole-person wellness. I integrate evidence-informed yoga, breathwork, mindfulness, and strength practices to support high performers navigating stress, burnout, and life transitions. I create compassionate spaces where clients reconnect with their bodies, build emotional resilience, and develop sustainable practices for demanding lives. My approach blends ancient wisdom traditions with modern neuroscience — helping achievement-driven people make regulation, rather than survival, the foundation of how they perform and live.
YogaX Training & Community
Training at Stanford Psychiatry's YogaX
YogaX Alum Database
Explore YogaX Alum
YogaX champions therapeutic yoga through the integration of ancient wisdoms with science-based knowledge and evidence-based practice. The YogaX at Stanford Psychiatry passion for integrated holistic yoga fuels a mission: to inspire, support, and implement science-informed and wisdom-based yoga education, training, and services, dedicated to nurturing the wellbeing of individuals and entire communities.
Rebecca Volino Robinson
PhD, RYT-500, IAYT-Q
Training: 200HR Teacher Training, 300HR IAYT Therapeutics in Healthcare
Focus: Health Psychology, Chronic Pain, Anxiety, Trauma, Addictions
Aditi Sharma
DrPH, MPH, CYT-500
Training: 200HR Teacher Training, 300HR YA Therapeutic Teacher Training
Focus: Mindfulness, mobility, anxiety, breath work
Anna Arnett
RYT-200, Certified Grief Educator
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Grief, Child loss, Multiple Losses, Stigmatized Loss, CSA Recovery
Bridget Braley
OTR/L, RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Acute care, geriatrics, physical disabilities, caregiver support
Marissa Floro
IAYT, RYT-500, MA, PhD, CST
Training: 200HR Teacher Training, 300HR IAYT Therapeutics in Healthcare
Focus: LGBTQ+, identity development, relationships
Nancy Haug
PhD, ABPP
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Addiction, ADHD, eating disorders, spirituality
Manmeet Rattu
Psy.D., IAYT-Q, RYT-500
Training: 300HR IAYT Therapeutics in Healthcare
Focus: Stress and anxiety disorders, burnout, trauma recovery
Sunday Holland
MFT in Training
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Korah Guilar
RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Mijiza Sanchez-Guzman
MPA, EdD, RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Medical students, healthcare professionals, women’s wellness, stress
Tara Barnard
LICSW, SUDP, RYT-500
Training: 300HR IAYT Therapeutics in Healthcare, Mental Health Certificate, Trauma Informed Certificate
Focus: Anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma
Huy Vo
CRNA, RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Anxiety, burnout, stress reduction
Caroline Bullington
LCSW
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Youth & young adults, neurodivergence, anxiety, depression, life transitions
Veronica Alvarez
LCSW, RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Chronic health conditions, burnout, compassion fatigue, resiliency
Hannah Collier
NBC-HWC
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Somatic
Jana Pocrnja
RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
David Leach
RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Mental Health
Jess Farrar
PhD, RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Spinal cord injury, chronic pain, adjustment to disability, complex medical conditions, chronic illness management
Shen Keyao
RYT-200
Training: 200HR Teacher Training
Focus: Meditation, anxiety, mobility, yoga for tech people
