Vitalah Simon, the main yoga teacher and movement therapist at YogaShine in Valhalla, is now certified to offer Peggy Huddleston’s workshop Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster. The workshop is designed for anyone facing surgery or with chronic pain who would like to use mind-body techniques to reduce anxiety, use less pain medication and heal faster.

Research subjects who used Huddleston’s process through her book and relaxation CD set had significantly less pre-surgical anxiety, and left the hospital 1.6 days sooner, than subjects in the control group, according to Simon. By the second day at home, they used 60 percent less pain medication and had significantly less insomnia than those in the control group.

In her 75-minute workshop, Simon will guide participants through the five steps of this process using medically proven relaxation and visualization techniques. “By working with a trained facilitator, your healing visualizations can become even more vivid and effective,” she says.

Individual or group sessions are offered in Valhalla or on the phone from anywhere. The fee is $150 including the workshop, two check-in phone calls, the book and the CD. Participants can include a support person in the training.

Simon suggests taking the workshop two weeks before surgery for best results. “But even if you take it two days before surgery, you can still significantly reduce anxiety, insomnia and speed healing,” she says. “To maximize your healing, postsurgery support sessions are also available.”

For more information, contact Vitalah Simon at 914.769.8745 or [email protected], or visit YogaShine.com and click on Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster.