About Tonia

My name is Tonia Kulp,

Thank you for stopping by to learn more about yoga therapy!

My journey toward the path of yoga began in my early 30s during a time when my life was in complete turmoil. My mother was sick, I had terrible postpartum depression, and I felt like giving up on life. My next door neighbor taught yoga at the local YMCA and dragged me out of the house one Thursday evening for her gentle yoga class. I had never "done yoga before" and as I listened to my friend speak to our community in a gentle and caring voice, I realized that the magic was not in the postures, it was simply about showing up. I couldn't hold a warrior or press up to wheel but what I could do was follow the cues to regulate my breath. It was my therapy. I have never looked back. 

I have completed several advanced study programs in trauma informed yoga, yoga for oncology, the resilient health care provider and others. I can't stop learning!  I am an adjunct faculty member in the Yoga Therapy program here at MUIH and currently work as a Yoga Therapist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where I have been since 2017.

I believe that much of the practice of yoga is about continuing to develop our self-awareness, the way we show up for ourselves and for others. It is a continual refinement in finding balance--physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It is truly a path to peace and joy. Different practices are different paths to joy. Some find the sweat and struggle of a bikram practice cleansing, others a restorative practice to refill their tank. Some have an extensive pranayama practice to ground them every morning, and others are master meditators. I like to think of myself as a student of yoga, a student of life. My practice shifts and changes according to what I need and where I am. I offer that freedom to my patients and clients as well. Choice is good...anything other than that is just setting unnecessary limits. 

As a yoga therapist, I work with clients to co-create plans of care that address individual causes of suffering. The majority of my current clients are patients in a pediatric hospital. Most are very ill, some terminal. I have the honor of working with their caregivers as well, supporting them through the practices of yoga therapy--again as a means to address suffering. As yoga therapists, we have the incredibly important job of providing our clients with the tools to access their inner resource. Balance, peace, joy, equanimity, even if for just a brief moment, in the darkest of times, is light. That is yoga.

Training and Credentials

EDUCATION

  • M.S., Yoga Therapy, Maryland University of Integrative Health, 2020

  • BA, International Relations, West Chester University, 1995

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS:

  • Certified Yoga Therapist, International Association of Yoga Therapists, July 2020

  • Trained Patient Navigator, Integrative Oncology, Smith Center for Healing Arts and Maryland University of Integrative Health, December 2024

  • End of Life Doula Certification, University of Vermont, August 2021

  • Reiki Master Teacher and Trainer (2019)

  • Certified Reflexologist, Reflexology Certification Board, June 2021

  • iRest (Integrative Restoration Institute), Level 1 Teacher, April 2020

  • 500 Hour E-RYT, Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, May 2017

  • Unite for Her, Certified Provider, July 2017

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), University of Massachusetts: The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, 2017

  • Child Light Yoga Certified Instructor, March 2014

  • Yoga4Classrooms Licensed Trainer, August 2014

  • 200 Hour E-RYT, Prana Flow Vinyasa, May 2012

ADDITIONAL COURSES OF STUDY:

  • University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Introduction to Integrative Oncology (December 2019)

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Yoga for the Cancer Patient, 2018

  • The Science of Yoga and Yoga Therapy: Understanding the Research, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD., 2018

  • Traumatic Stress, Resiliency and Healing Through Yoga, Yoga International, 2018

  • Yoga for Strength and Stamina with Luke Ketterhagen, Yoga International, 2017

PRESENTATIONS & RESEARCH:

  • The Effects of Mindful Movement Sessions on Pediatric Behavioral Health Patients in Acute Psychiatric Crisis,  Amanda Nomie MSN, RN, CPEN, Tonia Kulp, MS, C-IAYT; Maureen Heil RAYT, ERYT, Lisa Squires, BSN, RN, CCRN, PHRN, HNB-BC

  • Yoga as a Non-Pharmacologic Therapy to Reduce Dinutuximab-Induced Pain in Patients with Neuroblastoma, Rochelle Bagatell, MD, Tracey Jubelirer, MD, Katie Parisio, MD, Tonia Kulp, MS, C-IAYT

  • Yoga: a non-pharmacologic therapy to reduce dinutuximab (DIN)-induced pain in patients with neuroblastoma (NBL)” Katie Parisio, DO; Maureen Heil, C-IAYT, RCYT; Yimei Li, PhD; Kristen Dalton, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC, CPHON; Cecilia Carlowicz, BA, CCRC; Rochelle Bagatell, MD; Tracey Jubelierer, MD, Tonia Kulp, MS, C-IAYT; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Philadelphia, Society for Yoga Research, October 2022

  • Development of a Multidisciplinary Pediatric Integrative Oncology Program in a Large, Urban Children’s Hospital Setting; Tonia Kulp, MS, C-IAYT, Douglas McDaniel, DACM, Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM), L.Ac., Robin Miccio, MS, LMT, CPMT, Tracey Jubelirer, MD, Society for Integrative Oncology, October, 2022

  • Assessing Patient Satisfaction and Impact of Treatment on Symptoms in Pediatric Integrative Oncology: Tracey Jubelirer, MD, Tonia Kulp, MS, C-IAYT, Doug McDaniel, DACM, L. Ac., Tiffany Silliman-Cohen, LMT, Kristen Devirgilio, PT, DPT, Brian Vernau, MD, CAQSM, Brandy DeRosa, PhD, Lisa Schwartz, PhD, Mariam Kochashvili, Society for Integrative Oncology, October, 2022

  • The Role of Creative Arts Therapies and Mind-Body Therapies in Pediatric Oncology: Clinical and Research Panel: Karolina Bryl, Suzi Tortora, Tonia Kulp, Tina Paul, Ashley Ervin, Jenifer Whitley, Bethany Pincus, Malik Cadwell, Society for Integrative Oncology, September 2023

  • Connecting Mind, Body and Breath for Self-Care and Support of Others, Integrative Health Seminar, November 13, 2019.

  • Mudras, Mantra and Meditation for Healthcare Provider Self-Care & Resiliency, Palliative Care Provider Retreat, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, October 2019.

  • Yoga Therapy for Healthcare Provider Resiliency, Nursing Professional Education Series, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2020.

  • Integrative Approaches to Brain Health; Anxiety and Depression: Panel Presentation, Fourth Annual Integrative Health Symposium, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, September, 2020.

  • Mind-Body Modalities to Support the Social Worker,  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, December, 2020.

  • Mind-Body Modalities for Headache Treatment and Relief, Presentation to Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, February, 2021.

  • Yoga Therapy for Pain Care and Management, Presentation to Psychology/Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, April, 2021.

  • Yoga Therapy and Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic: A Case Study, Society for Integrative Oncology International Conference, September, 2021.

  • Yoga Therapy and Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic: A Case Study, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Evidence-Based Practice Symposium, September, 2021.

  • Integrative Modalities for Appetite Stimulation and Digestion, Panel Presentation, Fifth Annual Integrative Health Symposium, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, September, 2021.