Shirley Telles has a degree in conventional medicine (MBBS) after which she completed a MPhil and PhD in Neuurophysiology at the National Institute of Mental of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. For both MPhil and PhD Dr. Telles’ theses were related to research on the effects of yoga practice and their applications in health and rehabilitation. Ever since then she has continued her research in this area. After her doctorate she joined the Swami Vivekananda Research Foundation in Bangalore and had the unique post-doctoral experience of setting up the laboratories there before starting research. Dr. Telles received a Fulbright fellowship in 1998 to assess fMRI in meditators, which was conducted at the department of radiology, University of Florida. Gainesville, FL. Later Dr. Telles was awarded the first ever Indian Council of Medical Research Center for Advanced Research in Bangalore to assess the effects of meditation through autonomic and respiratory variables, evoked and event related potentials, polysomnography and fMRI. This was followed by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology to study attention in meditators using high density EEG and event related potentials during fMRI. From 2007 Dr. Telles has been the Director of a research foundation committed to researching the effects of Yoga and Ayurveda (Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, India). Dr. Telles has 152 publications related to yoga, for most of which she is the first and main author; most of them appear in PubMed, the others appear in PsycLit or similar databases. Dr. Telles has been invited to talk on yoga and its applications in health and treatment across India and in various continents and countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, the U.K. and the U.S. The way people respond to yoga world-wide is interesting and enriching. Dr. Telles is an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga herself and believes that yoga research can positively impact all aspects of life.

- Physiological effects of voluntarily modified breathing - Impact of breathing on the brain and on cognition - Use of mind-body practices to reduce breathing disorders associated with anxiety