Smitha Mallaiah, MSc, C-IAYT

Ms. Mallaiah serves as the founding Program Director for the Yoga Therapy Training Program at SVYASA Houston. Boasting over two decades of yoga therapy experience, she brings a wealth of clinical and academic expertise to her role. At SVYASA-USA Houston, she holds the position of Program Director for the Yoga Therapy Training Program, which is accredited by IAYT, actively guiding and mentoring students in the field of yoga therapy.
In addition to her role at SVYASA, Ms. Mallaiah is a Senior Mind-Body Intervention Specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's Integrative Medicine program. With over a decade of dedicated service, she has worked extensively with thousands of cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She played a pivotal role in establishing the first yoga therapy clinic at MD Anderson, where she collaborates with other integrative medicine clinicians to incorporate yoga therapy into the care of inpatients and outpatients throughout the cancer journey—from prevention and diagnosis to end-of-life support.
Ms. Mallaiah's contributions extend to the research domain, where she has developed and taught yoga research interventions for diverse cancer populations, including Breast, Lung, Brain, Head and Neck cancers, among others. Her commitment to advancing knowledge is reflected in her authored/co-authored yoga publications and book chapters. She has also presented her work at both national and international conferences, focusing on the efficacy of yoga in cancer care.