Opening Minds and Hearts in the Midwest
Cultivating Cultural and Intellectual Humility Through Contemplative Practices
Mary Duryea, MD, C-lAYT, E-RYT 500
Mary first encountered yoga while juggling a busy career as a family practice physician and raising three young children. She was immediately struck by the physical benefits and stress reduction that yoga provided. With continued practice and immersion into the teachings of yoga, she experienced the growth of her own body-mind-spirit connection. Her transformation blossomed into a second career as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. Mary initially worked as a physician assistant, then a family practice physician, before training to become a yoga therapist. She has lectured to medical students, health professionals, yoga training programs, and hosted several workshops. She is author of the book Yoga as Integrative Medicine: Yoga Sutras Meet Gray’s Anatomy. Her goal is to spread the word about the benefits of yoga as a routine part of integrative medicine and as an easily accessible, holistic, nurturing form of individual self-care.
The “Show Me State” is named after the indigenous Missouria (Niúachi) People of the River Mouth tribe who continue to call this place home. Now more than six million people live within this 19th most populous state in the US. Missouri is known for many things, but maybe most famously for its Jazz music and barbecue. It is home to the Mark Twain National Forest, Taum Sauk Mountain, Table Rock Lake and Bennet Springs from which more than 100 million gallons of clear, cool water gush forth each day.
