On Making Yoga Accessible with Jivana Heyman
What does it mean to truly make yoga accessible?
Accessible yoga is more than simply using yoga props in your classes or reminding your students that Child’s Pose is always an option.
In today’s podcast episode, I’m joined by yoga teacher Jivana Heyman (he/him) from Accessible Yoga and we talk about how we can truly make our yoga classes accessible.
Listen in as we explore accessible yoga as seeing ourselves and our students as whole and not in need of fixing, as diversity and representation in yoga teachers and imagery online, as teaching in a trauma-sensitive and mental health aware way, and about continuing to engage in thoughtful discussions with peers on the ethics of being a human and a teacher, in the world.
Jivana also shares about the challenges that he faced as a young gay man in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, and the ways in which yoga was such a refuge for him during this time.
We also unpack the ways in which yoga is taught, both traditionally with the guru system and more recently in the west in drop-in yoga studios, and the pros and cons of both.
This is an episode not to be missed!
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Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, founder of the Yoga Psychology Institute, host of the A Grateful Life podcast and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers.
Lauren developed the Mental Health Aware Yoga training to help yoga teachers make their classes safe, nourishing and transformative for all.
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The information provided on this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.
Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs for professional training.
Any statements, claims or endorsements expressed by our guest authors, speakers and podcast sponsors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Mental Health Aware Yoga and the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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Hi, I'm Dr Lauren Tober!
As a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher of nearly two decades and the author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers, I'm passionate about integrating yoga and psychology on the mat, in the counselling room and in the world.
With the growing interest in mental health and yoga, yoga students are attending yoga classes for the mental health benefits in unprecedented numbers.
In fact, 79.4% of yoga students report practicing yoga for the mental health benefits.
It's important that Yoga Teachers know how to support them.
I'm glad you're here.
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