tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-692031121885052202024-03-12T20:33:53.691-07:00Accessible YogaJivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00922640877429788972noreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-6558046222420699862021-12-17T14:18:00.000-08:002021-12-17T14:18:04.079-08:00Practicing Liberation Through Compassion: An Excerpt from Yoga Revolution<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzeUaLeDqsizOvzA4Ar0drNETQqlA4_l04jmPCZ_oK_4HlHh_q7FKZ5Elz6ij9vvHsIEPEX9EuraIkDfbN85spctfnixbjzzcasrjRa-KrhMOSsF4kgrTYu_Zv1HjuMt8QopsyeRKxJY4C4_nXJMFzPTtY2HyWjqUEojCQmFUqT1kP0a4JqRPTiIM=s1622" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1622" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzeUaLeDqsizOvzA4Ar0drNETQqlA4_l04jmPCZ_oK_4HlHh_q7FKZ5Elz6ij9vvHsIEPEX9EuraIkDfbN85spctfnixbjzzcasrjRa-KrhMOSsF4kgrTYu_Zv1HjuMt8QopsyeRKxJY4C4_nXJMFzPTtY2HyWjqUEojCQmFUqT1kP0a4JqRPTiIM=w296-h400" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Image Description: The cover of the book <i>Yoga Revolution</i> by Jivana Heyman is shown. The cover has an off-white background. The book title and author's name appear in colorful, rainbow text.]</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;"><i>This post is an adapted excerpt from </i><a href="https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/yoga-revolution" target="_blank">Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion</a><i> by Jivana Heyman</i><i>. </i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><i>© 2021 Shambhala Publications. Reprinted with permission. This article may not be reproduced for any other use without permission.</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>By Jivana Heyman<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">
</b><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">[The] practice of liberation is ongoing, and extremely challenging. We get to practice stepping back from the tyranny of our own ego-centered thinking. We also get to step back from a culture we’ve been steeped in, from a world focused on the individual self, into a life focused on the communality. Liberation is a state of isolation from personal likes and dislikes so that we can get over ourselves....</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">... The question of yoga is, “How can I transcend my personal desires to connect to a universal experience of connection and the communal liberation of all beings?”</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This is how my liberation is tied to yours. It’s not simply because I’m a nice person, or I’m politically correct. Our hearts are all knotted together in the expanse of space and time. My ability to let go of my personal desires draws me closer and closer to you. As I release myself, I can embrace you more fully. It reminds me of recent scientific research into the substantial similarities between neuronal networks in our brains and the cosmic network of galaxies in the universe–between microcosm and macrocosm. What I find within myself is found without me too.</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For example, if we’re friends and we have an argument, how do I heal that pain? Say we have both expressed our positions clearly, but we’re still stuck in the anger and frustration? Do I stay in my desire to be right, or do I see that you’re also in pain, and reach out to you across that space that separates our hearts? Yoga is literally the realization that you’re also suffering, and that if I can overcome my pride and reach out to you, I’ve just practiced samadhi. It sounds illogical, but the way to really win an argument is to be wrong!</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">... Let's be clear about this, because it's particularly important to understand the ways that our mutual awakening works. It's not that I'm doing you a favor by being compassionate to you. It's my own liberation that's at stake.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>
<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b><i>You can purchase your copy of</i> Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion <i>by Jivana Heyman <a href="https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/yoga-revolution#section-1626381752404" target="_blank">here</a>.</i> </b></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA=s32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="20" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA" width="20" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjASt75uO6YwJu0ARKC6cZplOHAiLSXCWmq7--mv4WVjDzrSHrrYOR3bhGO5a3vMUvsGtYgPNAMMFFjkFBdlGmbb681ZOCaxnOW8hH3yHSod1eo7A0lWUpIcQqoVQZUm38f8a9h1HfMPIdg33s5b_6X6fCwHad9uzPxoj9rKOISBr13OL8luxTpNpM=s1440" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjASt75uO6YwJu0ARKC6cZplOHAiLSXCWmq7--mv4WVjDzrSHrrYOR3bhGO5a3vMUvsGtYgPNAMMFFjkFBdlGmbb681ZOCaxnOW8hH3yHSod1eo7A0lWUpIcQqoVQZUm38f8a9h1HfMPIdg33s5b_6X6fCwHad9uzPxoj9rKOISBr13OL8luxTpNpM=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><b>Jivana Heyman</b>, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Community Forums, a Podcast, and a popular Ambassador program. He’s the co-founder of the Accessible Yoga Training School, and the author of <i>Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body</i> (Shambhala Publications), as well as the newly-released <i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion</i> (Shambhala, Dec. 2021). More info can be found at <a href="http://jivanaheyman.com">jivanaheyman.com</a>.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-34326485003095342572021-12-10T12:37:00.000-08:002021-12-10T12:37:02.884-08:00Exploring Yoga & Pain Care: An Overview of Our December Programs<p> </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguBEcTZ6jsqsxLcvbf-HCs_TgsoXUFULmpkYz2yPEpvCeJy5ZQYvby6IQR1zS7-q3iNoZxcxvFKG6nsH1tQ5cGPLJkVLB_fd2pScvCk-Oclt05_GCSLEofPz_fSB_cTBcoxVq9PP3H6mEDJNbmQSDV6IMvN8la_zkjpd998VBm5IefQtb3oV04Tu8=s2600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="2600" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguBEcTZ6jsqsxLcvbf-HCs_TgsoXUFULmpkYz2yPEpvCeJy5ZQYvby6IQR1zS7-q3iNoZxcxvFKG6nsH1tQ5cGPLJkVLB_fd2pScvCk-Oclt05_GCSLEofPz_fSB_cTBcoxVq9PP3H6mEDJNbmQSDV6IMvN8la_zkjpd998VBm5IefQtb3oV04Tu8=w400-h84" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Image Description: A black and white photo of a group of yoga practitioners seated with their eyes closed, each with a hand over their heart. Over the image is a burgandy box with white text that reads "December 2021: Pain Care & Yoga."]</td></tr></tbody></table></p><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>
At the beginning of 2021, as the world continued to adjust to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Accessible Yoga likewise opted to continue expanding our online offerings to continue serving our community from the safety and comfort of home. Beginning January with our first official Accessible Yoga Community Forum on mental health and trauma-informed yoga, and eventually expanding into a full slate of sample asana classes, teacher workshops, and continued forums on new topics each month. We're excited to continue offering these programs in 2022.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Our theme for this month, December 2021, is pain care and yoga. Below you'll find an overview of the exciting events and incredible presenters who will be offering their wisdom and sharing their expertise throughout the month!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><b>Did you know that <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/ambassador-program" target="_blank">Accessible Yoga Ambassadors</a> get to attend all of our monthly programs and access the replays for free as a benefit of membership? Ambassadors support our organization and programs with a monthly or annual contribution to our work. Access to these monthly programs is only one of many perks to becoming an Ambassador. <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/ambassador-program/" target="_blank">Learn more</a> and join the program today! </b></i></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">December 2021 Programs: Pain Care & Yoga</h3><h4 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Cultivating Self-Compassion and Ease: </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Yoga for People with Persistent Pain </span></h4><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiI1_AbDxDI0BzBuFe9Y7Cl_Xj5SK4qD9DjLM80meXPDlnO9pgO26rIfsPKoGo5-rz0yvJ22HDMHgOZcPIhtIa_DS_Z7m8hq3OwuefVY1NAe9RaTccU19cgEP8M5xF_b6Oj4-rVUKPrLeBda_BfFNxubTXbSpr5jBW1eU90V0ZusKtdFPgdX-D7hvY=s500" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="500" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiI1_AbDxDI0BzBuFe9Y7Cl_Xj5SK4qD9DjLM80meXPDlnO9pgO26rIfsPKoGo5-rz0yvJ22HDMHgOZcPIhtIa_DS_Z7m8hq3OwuefVY1NAe9RaTccU19cgEP8M5xF_b6Oj4-rVUKPrLeBda_BfFNxubTXbSpr5jBW1eU90V0ZusKtdFPgdX-D7hvY=s320" width="320" /></a></div></h4><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><i>An asana class with Shelly Prosko, </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i>PT, C-IAYT, PCAYT</i></span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>Monday, December 13th, 2021</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>10am-11am PST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>1pm-2pm EST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Closed captions and replay available to registrants.</i></span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i>“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” - Jack Kornfield</i></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Yoga practices and teachings are rooted in compassion, and regular practice can enhance our capacity for compassion, including self-compassion. Self-compassion and movement have each been shown to improve many aspects of our physiology and psycho-emotional health and can positively influence our pain experience. However, movement can also increase pain. How we move, the context within which we move, and the language we use in our self-talk or to guide people in pain during movement are all essential to consider for a safe and easeful yoga practice.</span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Join Shelly for this pain-informed asana class where she will guide you through a variety of yoga practices including awareness, breathing, and mindful movement, using Pain Care Aware movement guidelines, with a focus on the theme of self-compassion.</span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i>Recommended props: a comfortable space to lie down, chair, 2 blankets or large bath/beach towels, 2 pillows or a bolster, any other props you know you often like to use.</i></span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-december-2021#section-1624413400498" target="_blank">Learn More & Register >><br /><br /><span><!--more--></span></a></b></div><h4 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG8L6PwDhbS9UFjYnc7Url15EQyOeA5O70dYxzYF28iaWfrHud1mw7EoOEbfUxlz5BZWOuJOQGWOlCDGnQx08uo2dK1FhsO1MOeYHtKYmCv6K5UeVKxD5RW_SYYbBskLbZGOvUq80mE5zr6oGtoh0ZWtt7vTtuPP3xXFV2KSxT0m9awSDnnarqZ8Q=s500" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="500" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG8L6PwDhbS9UFjYnc7Url15EQyOeA5O70dYxzYF28iaWfrHud1mw7EoOEbfUxlz5BZWOuJOQGWOlCDGnQx08uo2dK1FhsO1MOeYHtKYmCv6K5UeVKxD5RW_SYYbBskLbZGOvUq80mE5zr6oGtoh0ZWtt7vTtuPP3xXFV2KSxT0m9awSDnnarqZ8Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Teaching Yoga for Pain Care</span></h4><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></div><div><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">A workshop with </i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i>Elaine Oyang, C-IAYT</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>2pm-3:30pm PST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>5pm-6:30pm EST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><i style="font-family: arial;">Closed captions and replay available to registrants.</i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Pain, of all dimensions, is a shared human experience. Yet, pain is not very well understood, and current treatments rely mostly on pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, those living with chronic (physical) pain experience trauma not only from the debilitation that their conditions can bring about, but also from being often misdiagnosed, treated with a lack of empathy and compassion, and marginalized.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">In this workshop, learn how yoga, from asanas to philosophy, can be incorporated into pain care for a holistic and person-centered approach. Learn to use teaching cues, body language, voice, and class settings to help your students with chronic pain feel safe and supported.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i>Recommended Props: You may like to have a notebook + pen for taking notes (completely optional). You are welcome to sit in a chair, lie reclined, or walk/move around as needed during the presentation. Be comfortable!</i></span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><b><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-december-2021#section-1624418798639" target="_blank">Learn More & Register >></a></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><!--more--></span><h4 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQrWWZ9F4pb-yqGREGk76K002AAIMr-6SAHArpeHYPLh-mxUhTIZGbhSZM5m94q2FGKmVrLW7Fb2EhzYmZYKmDBcchHkmN0yeOLuABa9lnRfI3ubB2YChrMLSgMw3Otj7Xd1lXl8RT5LB7nAFQk1OQh68e-d3Qpul_5rssdEK6L0zQrA-HhKu5Smc=s1395" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="1395" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQrWWZ9F4pb-yqGREGk76K002AAIMr-6SAHArpeHYPLh-mxUhTIZGbhSZM5m94q2FGKmVrLW7Fb2EhzYmZYKmDBcchHkmN0yeOLuABa9lnRfI3ubB2YChrMLSgMw3Otj7Xd1lXl8RT5LB7nAFQk1OQh68e-d3Qpul_5rssdEK6L0zQrA-HhKu5Smc=w400-h105" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;">Community Forum: Pain Care & Yoga</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;">Featuring Avery Janeczek Kalapa, Marsha D. Banks-Harold & Astrid van Rens. Hosted by Pamela Stokes Eggleston.</i></div></h4><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Tuesday December 28th, 2021</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>9am-10:30am PST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>12pm-1:30pm EST</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>6pm-7:30pm CET (Netherlands)</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><i style="font-family: arial;">Closed captions and replay available to registrants.</i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Join experienced teachers Avery Janeczek Kalapa, Marsha D. Banks-Harold and Astrid van Rens, with host Jivana Heyman, for our December Accessible Yoga Community Forum. The panelists will share their knowledge and experience in teaching yoga for pain care. Our presenters will discuss how to best serve students with chronic pain and related conditions, as well as special considerations for teaching these students.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">As part of this discussion, we will invite you to ask questions, share your own work and wisdom, and network with other yoga teachers and organizations whose work with sharing yoga for pain care.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><b><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-december-2021#section-1624419074749" target="_blank">Learn More & Register >></a></b></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA=s32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="20" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA" width="20" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.katz-creative.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br />MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-91572875912046556652021-12-03T16:00:00.002-08:002021-12-03T16:00:55.095-08:00International Day of People with Disabilities: Editor's Picks from the Archive<p> </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOAfdVNc-V4YSiHSeDQ_omR8OVdJewVpoCOUD1hEp2IQscGSIvdFQPmi_XtREfHnblsgs2Ip6132FH5JQGWkNSC_MbnN3e1rlzu9kekzyF4-qov8MmP_lwW3QT_nxPWwPmYUgLP1_gyUv_uMx3imrAoyC3vlHAIbFHvOSabVN5WwRtmbjImGGma_g=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOAfdVNc-V4YSiHSeDQ_omR8OVdJewVpoCOUD1hEp2IQscGSIvdFQPmi_XtREfHnblsgs2Ip6132FH5JQGWkNSC_MbnN3e1rlzu9kekzyF4-qov8MmP_lwW3QT_nxPWwPmYUgLP1_gyUv_uMx3imrAoyC3vlHAIbFHvOSabVN5WwRtmbjImGGma_g=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Image Description: Jivana Heyman, a white man wearing all white clothing and glasses, is facing away from the camera while instructing a chair yoga class. Multiple participants can be seen doing a seated variation of Vrikshasana (tree pose) in the background.]</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">A Letter from the Editor:</span></h3><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">
</b><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Accessible Yoga Blog is currently in a phase of an exciting transition. As the Accessible Yoga Association has grown in size, impact, and scope over the last several years, we’ve also been working behind the scenes to ensure that our tools and technological platforms adapt to meet the needs of our growing staff and community, and that the content we offer via this blog, our podcast, monthly programming, and annual conferences continues to be reflective of our ever-evolving understanding of expansive-nature of what "accessibility" really means.</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You will learn more about this transition very soon, and I’m excited to more formally introduce myself, thank our outgoing editor Priya Wagner for her years of dedication and service in this role, and to show you some of the updates we’re making improve the blog! In the meantime, I want to make sure we continue to offer our community and dedicated readers great content every week, even as we turn some of our attention to handling the back-end particulars of this transition. Luckily for all of us, the extensive archive of posts from our incredible list of past contributors contains a true wealth of wisdom that remains just as poignant, pertinent, and valuable as when we first published it. I’m excited to be able to re-share some of those posts alongside original content as we move through this transition.</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Today, Friday, December 3rd, 2021, is the 29th annual observance of the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities" target="_blank">International Day of People with Disabilities</a></b>, originally declared by the United Nations in 1992 as a day to celebrate and promote “the well-being and welfare of people living with disabilities,” (<a href="http://idpwd.org">idpwd.org</a>). In honor of IDPWD and in the spirit of sharing some of the incredible voices and perspectives from our archive, I’ve rounded up three selections from our blog archive to re-share with you all today.</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Whether you’re new to our community or are a dedicated reader engaging with these posts for a second time, I hope you enjoy and learn from the wisdom that’s been shared on this platform over the years by some incredible members of the Accessible Yoga community. Thank you!</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span> - M Camellia (they/them), Editor</span><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1czXuhudEpPJxdXUXs3sqablUeP5PlVjEb5ArN6taNtQ_NDdOITTnYcNOXeyKUiSnqGUCrtZI2IYvltmcVb7PLa4e5kqr0bkG9oEWNC0ZHNu4Ewwkok8mK1xtluBBvFDwz_sMT2hb5xGKS9f42Qv_JceXLkFTjs5_ouM03DdZw4-EWE6XzWVlaz0=s320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1czXuhudEpPJxdXUXs3sqablUeP5PlVjEb5ArN6taNtQ_NDdOITTnYcNOXeyKUiSnqGUCrtZI2IYvltmcVb7PLa4e5kqr0bkG9oEWNC0ZHNu4Ewwkok8mK1xtluBBvFDwz_sMT2hb5xGKS9f42Qv_JceXLkFTjs5_ouM03DdZw4-EWE6XzWVlaz0" width="298" /></a></div>"Disability Culture 101" </h4><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">by Virginia Knowlton Marcus</h4><div><br /></div><div><i>Originally published January 6, 2020.</i></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Disability culture is richly diverse. When we refer to the 'disability community' it may create a false impression of a homogenous or monolithic group, but the opposite is true. Disability intersects with every other form of identity to create a rich tapestry of human diversity. Our vision is that someday the world will see and appreciate this beautiful tapestry and recognize that disability is a natural part of human diversity, not something to avoid."</div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><a href="http://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com/2020/01/disability-culture-101.html" target="_blank">Read On >><br /><br /><span><!--more--></span></a></b></div><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU4P6YzCg8I4qtmtHwH0J1poM1qBLjgTRsb5CqmngEC-PcHEFZrA6uKS2zfiDd5XsDeMBDEunS-hAHnUc4xTCs8bniCqS8Of0FpgA-fSy922Uy1jxNJpAXboAqCN0GUvMPIAtLuHtkza8goIlgn4mzBgUwXLtDL8rxKEQQ1ez636D-p73ODrsJ7Gk=s320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU4P6YzCg8I4qtmtHwH0J1poM1qBLjgTRsb5CqmngEC-PcHEFZrA6uKS2zfiDd5XsDeMBDEunS-hAHnUc4xTCs8bniCqS8Of0FpgA-fSy922Uy1jxNJpAXboAqCN0GUvMPIAtLuHtkza8goIlgn4mzBgUwXLtDL8rxKEQQ1ez636D-p73ODrsJ7Gk" width="320" /></a></div>"The Invisibility of Disability"<br />by Sarit Z. Rogers</h4><div><br /></div><div><i>Originally published November 29, 2016.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div>"Thick, like cold honey, oh how hard it is to move, to breathe, to rise and dissolve the sleep from my eyes, with bones, stiff and swollen, this immovable framework tangled in bed-sheets.</div><div><br /></div><div>An invisible disability is only invisible to you. To me, to us, it is glaring, screaming at us from within, beating the drum of felt insignificance. The “I can’t do this” becomes a mantra, the “I’m too tired” becomes a way of life, as we wear our loneliness like a shapeless shift. It doesn’t have to be this way."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-invisibility-of-disability.html" target="_blank">Read On >></a></b></div><div><br /></div><span><!--more--></span><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoia8BoJhJPs5a96vdg98ISmEy5xxNydow2GaEr1WBf5VHatw2krPk9f-ACnr1NHRmDlzh6RE11B2K8riveAX395cwVEJZHc4zi6f_mFuJ4Xy36erCgPshpNhLZik14HJblhBtfGPK7hU7zKHst5gj1YitXmoIgfr5ko3mklQY9m3udL1eFUJB4zA=s1118" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1118" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoia8BoJhJPs5a96vdg98ISmEy5xxNydow2GaEr1WBf5VHatw2krPk9f-ACnr1NHRmDlzh6RE11B2K8riveAX395cwVEJZHc4zi6f_mFuJ4Xy36erCgPshpNhLZik14HJblhBtfGPK7hU7zKHst5gj1YitXmoIgfr5ko3mklQY9m3udL1eFUJB4zA=w320-h179" width="320" /></a></div>"Disability Rights in a Pandemic: Discussion with Ryan McGraw" [Video with Closed Captions]</h4><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Originally published on June 8, 2020.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>"In this Accessible Yoga Community Conversation, Jivana Heyman speaks with disability activist, Ryan McGraw. Ryan discusses his advocacy work and 'Disability Rights in a Pandemic.' In particular, Ryan explains the challenges facing people living in nursing homes with little access to communication with the outside world."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com/2020/06/disability-rights-in-pandemic.html" target="_blank">Watch Now >></a></b></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA=s32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="20" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA" width="20" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.katz-creative.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;" /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://foundspaceyoga.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimechk3FBQzCfTZvDg0nWuRYXrTaARPbNg-emoswF4Q9ZS0ROS_OTiSX0ejtIbkABiWszbAez6IPPyFlJFBP493k1n_OPs-_ACH7QhA1uAboeqkcws4b63lcemaOT8uO7wQVnUIgJK2flTvqefaWtfi1WxY8E4wLZtKMR3XjD3Kln34JpDYtg6fUw=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimechk3FBQzCfTZvDg0nWuRYXrTaARPbNg-emoswF4Q9ZS0ROS_OTiSX0ejtIbkABiWszbAez6IPPyFlJFBP493k1n_OPs-_ACH7QhA1uAboeqkcws4b63lcemaOT8uO7wQVnUIgJK2flTvqefaWtfi1WxY8E4wLZtKMR3XjD3Kln34JpDYtg6fUw=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://foundspaceyoga.com/" target="_blank">M Camellia</a> (they/them), is a yoga practitioner and facilitator, writer, consent educator, and the incoming editor of the Accessible Yoga Blog. They believe that yoga is a practice of collective liberation and challenge contemporary yoga practitioners to dismantle the systems and beliefs that hold us all back. M is a co-founder of the Trans Yoga Project and has served on the staff of Accessible Yoga since 2018, among other roles within the realm of yoga service. Their teaching and writing center Queer and Trans* identity, consent and agency, body liberation, and disability justice in relation to yoga philosophy and practice, and they serve as a mentor for other yoga teachers and practitioners desiring to deepen their understanding of accessibility, power dynamics, trauma, and yoga as social justice. M lives in Southern Maryland amongst beloved, intentional community and regularly makes offerings online and in the Washington-Baltimore metro area.</span></span></span><p></p><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-78293701467169107822021-11-26T11:00:00.001-08:002021-11-26T11:21:38.656-08:00Yoga Therapy for Diabetes<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrB5cYMYKrdAIQr-nQBgq6Q_qp7rsfCGxyDGmYAxVteYe5QPxRXHXxyaWvrjHxlrEylaCE88OTmQL0tZWO2CW3EB4EBeMkNrhd9MZ1y_e-4ZTLnXh9_s9KKQwPyOzqgsviPxis-EM0TfjstHVcIEtB9dbMSxPbrznoraIohTwfMo8J61AInK_P1AQ=s1842" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1842" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrB5cYMYKrdAIQr-nQBgq6Q_qp7rsfCGxyDGmYAxVteYe5QPxRXHXxyaWvrjHxlrEylaCE88OTmQL0tZWO2CW3EB4EBeMkNrhd9MZ1y_e-4ZTLnXh9_s9KKQwPyOzqgsviPxis-EM0TfjstHVcIEtB9dbMSxPbrznoraIohTwfMo8J61AInK_P1AQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Image Description: A white woman with dark hair is practicing Balasana (child's pose). She is wearing an all white outfit and has a visible insulin pump.]<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;"><i>This post is an excerpt from the introduction to </i><a href="https://us.singingdragon.com/products/yoga-therapy-for-diabetes" target="_blank">Yoga Therapy for Diabetes</a><i> by Evan Soroka. </i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><i>© 2021 Singing Dragon. Reprinted with permission. This article may not be reproduced for any other use without permission.</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>By Evan Soroka<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>
<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Any diagnosis is stressful, but as a pre-teen, you are just trying to figure out who you are. All of a sudden, you are required to be highly disciplined and aware of everything that you are doing, as it relates to your health. You are supposed to keep your blood sugars in a tight range of 80–180 mg/dL (4.4–10.0 mmol/L) and inject insulin several times a day. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">...<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">The moment I was diagnosed, I fervently rejected any attempts by my parents or others to help me do diabetes. I wanted the responsibility to fall entirely on my shoulders. The first time my parents tried to inject me, their trepidation was palpable. Their hands shook with fear of hurting me. It was the first and only time I let them. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">On the one hand, the declaration of independence was a positive attribute, and on the other hand, it produced unnecessary drama in my life. I just wanted everyone to let me be and allow me to take care of diabetes on my own. I did not want extra attention, I just wanted to be normal. Anytime I was to go over to a friend’s house, their parents would receive an instruction manual about how to take care of me. I hated the spotlight and was annoyed that special measures had to be made for me when I knew how to take care of myself. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">My parents and I fought a lot. I resisted, rebelled, and retaliated every time there was a question about my blood glucose (BG), what I was eating, or what I should do. That is an excellent way of saying I gave them a lot of reason to worry; I was a wreck. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">My behavior was more than teenage angst, it was a product of diabetes and stress. I was so insecure about my body, overwhelmed by diabetes management, and frustrated by adults looming over every decision that I made. It was at a boiling point, and I did not have any outlets for the emotional overflow. Hope was not all lost; underneath the guise of rebellion was a person who cared deeply about her health and wellbeing. I am lucky, and I think that the only reason why I do not have any complications is that no matter what I did, I always tested my BG and tried to correct it if it was off. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">...<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">One day, my best friend at the time went to a yoga class. We met up afterwards, and she was a different person. Glowing and happy, she did not want to participate in the usual debauchery that the others and I were into. Naturally, I was intrigued, and the next week I went to a class on my own to see what it was about. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">All I can say is that I was uncomfortable and awkward. Every position made me want to scream and run away, but for some reason, I stayed. I remember lying in a pool of sweat at the end of the first class, feeling euphoric. It was unlike anything I had felt in my entire life. I was alive, at ease, and complete. All of the distractions, discomfort, angst melted away for a moment.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">I kept going back to yoga, even when I did not want to. There were times when I hated it. I wanted to leave and run away. But I stayed, and when I did, I was rewarded. We do not realize how much we are suffering until we experience the opposite. Yoga showed me that the way I was living was not sustainable and awakened an interest in self-discovery, health, and wellness. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Those first years of intense physical practice helped purify my body, mind, and senses and prepared me for what was next: transformation. I learned how to love myself more, cherish my body, and practice self-care. I felt more equipped and confident to handle diabetes challenges. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Yoga taught me that I was more than the experience of diabetes, more than my emotions, fears, and discomfort. I learned that if I took time to practice, I always felt better, and when I felt better, I was more myself. That was the beginning of the rest of my life. I thought I was practicing for my physical appearance, but as time went on, yoga began to inform my whole life. It was what I did to feel whole again, to give myself space to just be present. When I practiced, I felt better. All of my relationships improved and, most importantly, so did my relationship with myself. This relationship is fluid, continually growing, and evolving. I became a teacher and started to share my experiences with others. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">About five years into practice, I herniated a disc in my back. I had to completely stop the way I was practicing. It was the first time in my life I sustained an injury like that—where I could not walk. Like a diabetes diagnosis, an injury is a wake-up call to change your direction. I wanted to continue the feeling I once achieved in yoga āsana, but my practice motivation had to shift. I began to look deeper into the philosophy and psychology of yoga and went on to complete my studies in yoga therapy with Gary Kraftsow and the American Viniyoga Institute. I learned how to work with the breath and sequence for energetics, specifically the autonomic nervous system. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">I noticed that when my energy was low, I could do a practice to build it back up. If my energy was too high, or I was anxious or nervous, I could practice to calm myself down. I noticed that these qualities of energy could be applied to specific diabetes challenges, addressing short-term needs, and reducing long-term complications. If my blood sugar was running high, I could practice increasing circulation and lowering the number. Even if the number did not come down, the practice helped me have more energy for the rest of my day. I could go about my day with more vitality. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share with you my life experience of practicing for and with diabetes. I am not here as an expert and do not claim that yoga is the answer to diabetes. Yoga is a self-care strategy which improves diabetes management and builds resilience against diabetes risks.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">This book is an amalgamation of my science experiments with yoga therapy for diabetes. All the practices are informed by science and yoga tradition. I am sharing what works for me and for those I work with. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Yoga and diabetes are complementary practices. They both teach you how to be the observer of the experience and watch your thoughts, sensations, emotions, and actions as an observer. Whenever I inject my body, I do not think I am injecting my body. I do it without identification. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">When I sit in meditation and witness my mind having a tantrum, I learn how to stay and not get involved. This informs the way I take care of diabetes. If I test my BG and do not like what I see, I have a choice. I can freak out, blame myself, or something else, or I can see the number and respond appropriately. If I still cannot figure it out, I have a practice that always nourishes my system, calms my mind, and purifies my body. I know that no matter what diabetes or life throws at me, I always have what I need. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Diabetes still throws me curveballs from time to time. I do not profess to be perfect at it. I still have highs and lows. I make mistakes sometimes and get frustrated, and that is okay. Yoga has equipped me with the skills to be aware of my needs, identify the imbalances, and choose appropriate practices to reestablish equilibrium. I feel confident in my ability to manage diabetes and equipped with an understanding that although I am in charge, I am not the master of everything I do. I can let go of things that cannot be changed (diabetes) and focus on what I can change (feeling well). This skillset trickles into every avenue of my life and is what I most enjoy sharing with others.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>
<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b><i>You can purchase your copy of</i> Yoga Therapy for Diabetes <i>directly from Singing Dragon <a href="https://us.singingdragon.com/products/yoga-therapy-for-diabetes" target="_blank">here</a>. Use the code SOROKA21 at checkout to save 20% off the purchase price.</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA=s32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="20" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA" width="20" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.katz-creative.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;" /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAUi-IfUqr79fI9DYFJuPyVTO26izQpyqAfCp2DOwb3prJXtEjkafQ3Cz9iGcNcnSVn1RasTRwBqGXSUFte9TQ2KBj8d82mJVu12UkJj1YNd6pPzq6C981VqNC53qLl1QoMOHIU1tofq96bRF7s4v_MIDnduJ943OsCzTiOLvxHE5ORfDLA3T-dZU=s1027" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="971" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAUi-IfUqr79fI9DYFJuPyVTO26izQpyqAfCp2DOwb3prJXtEjkafQ3Cz9iGcNcnSVn1RasTRwBqGXSUFte9TQ2KBj8d82mJVu12UkJj1YNd6pPzq6C981VqNC53qLl1QoMOHIU1tofq96bRF7s4v_MIDnduJ943OsCzTiOLvxHE5ORfDLA3T-dZU=s320" width="303" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.sorokayogatherapy.com/" target="_blank">Evan Soroka</a>, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is an educator, yoga therapist, and author. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in adolescence and chronic musculoskeletal issues throughout her life, Evan’s mission is to advance and inspire autonomy in healthcare through yoga and Ayurveda. Trained as a Viniyogaä therapist, and initiated into the Sri Vidya tantric lineage of the Himalayas, her method unites the mind and heart, focusing on intelligent biomechanics, energetic healing, and spiritual meditation practices. Evan's critically acclaimed book, <i>Yoga Therapy for Diabetes</i>, was published by Singing Dragon in 2021. She is a featured yoga therapist on <i>Yoga International</i> and a contributor to <i>Yoga Journal</i> and <i>Yoga Therapy Today</i> magazines. You can learn more about Evan at <a href="http://www.sorokayogatherapy.com">www.sorokayogatherapy.com</a>.<br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div> <p></p><p><br /></p>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-72354245030244543472021-11-18T11:44:00.004-08:002021-11-18T11:45:32.426-08:00We Need More than Transgender Awareness<p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-style: italic;">In honor of trans awareness week; to be explored all year round.</span></span></h3><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn_VGC07FX2AmLyAwbqhjn_500Q2Uqhbi-_gzag9TB8r_OCbQ5kOa4m4dNmlPEeMbWn1pqPqkD93DNjkR-kIkte6QmUPIqK0tz1nYD9qq6_XcD3CC7J84ptXp2wzg2B1DOaT2-AXTHdxpuBvUF6T5XMziVgp7fCAvnL5dpKoLTCXKh52SdsTW4lCM=s1242" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1242" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn_VGC07FX2AmLyAwbqhjn_500Q2Uqhbi-_gzag9TB8r_OCbQ5kOa4m4dNmlPEeMbWn1pqPqkD93DNjkR-kIkte6QmUPIqK0tz1nYD9qq6_XcD3CC7J84ptXp2wzg2B1DOaT2-AXTHdxpuBvUF6T5XMziVgp7fCAvnL5dpKoLTCXKh52SdsTW4lCM=w400-h394" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A burgundy square with white text that reads: "We need more than transgender awareness. In honor of Trans Awareness Week; to be explored all year round." The letters in the 'trans' part of the word "transgender" are depicted in alternating blue, pink, and white, representing the colors of the transgender flag. In smaller letters at the top of the square, attribution is given to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tristankatzcreative/" target="_blank">@tristankatzcreative</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>This post was adapted from an Instagram post by the author. You can find the original post <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWTglNLPyrY/" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Tristan Katz</b></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Each year between November 13-19, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility about transgender people and address issues members of the community face (explanation of Trans Awareness Week from <a href="http://glaad.org"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;">glaad.org</span></a>). This week of awareness-raising leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20, a day to honor the lives lost due to anti-transgender violence.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">2021 is the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States, with at least 45 trans folks killed, most of them BIPOC (and these are just the cases that have been recorded). This year, we’ve also seen over 100 anti-trans bills introduced in the U.S., and in spite of the claim from Netflix leadership that content like Dave Chapelle’s recent special “doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm,” we know this to be factually untrue. We need more than one week of transgender awareness, and we need our allies to do more than cultivate awareness.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The word ally is not a passive noun. Ally is an active verb. This is a call to action that spans well beyond the seven days of Trans Awareness Week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">For this Trans Awareness Week and beyond, consider dedicating time to reflecting on how you might show up to actively challenge systems, structures, and beliefs that stigmatize and marginalize transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and queer individuals. The following questions are a sampling of inquiries you might reflect on via free-writing or journaling, or through conversations with others. Feel free to bookmark, save, and return to these prompts. There is always room for more (un)learning. Fun!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Reflection Questions:</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you considering how you’ve been impacted by the gender binary?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you noticing the assumptions you make about others’ gender identities based on appearances?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you dedicating time to listening to and learning from trans voices and stories from a wide array of different identities and experiences?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you supporting trans educators, activists, and creators beyond simply sharing their content?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you challenging the norm that genitalia is what defines gender?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you interrupting cis-heteronormative, transphobic, and homophobic statements when you hear them?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you slowing down when you speak about other people?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you exploring gender-inclusive language?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you dedicated to the practice of using all pronouns correctly?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you recognizing where you hold privilege?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you using your privileges to name and interrupt harm?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA=s32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="20" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhCHeReV9zOhFgiLKFELBLFLI-MNoEvd1cebFNurOKunkR3QvWh0VBER5KsXA1P2oMQ9VnonzvxYZ3WYrRKhjrwvjDZkyASYv9kHz7CEHf_Z_pXsWQwfMopQ9MzYt3A2cl_fEqttXuT6cIExMQj_uJjbXQnXL6bQxa4IqzzVr8RV9OVAbzPsf3YA" width="20" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.katz-creative.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1njprESvcmqG8gz4RqfEnY0qIpNOUCzjsjlaEopo9bB3XEtWL57V_6iPmy3dnRzrSkyKh-4D0IMKpAjWL7MZHruXf8GVfOBxqgqgM5jf5x3ZaRxXbzFr_yR_1ndJMI_anqy6wQ0Q__Oyv6und9QkAATUbUHYMF2biD5AEvCT3QWPNFZHr-8E1Y1M=s615" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="615" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1njprESvcmqG8gz4RqfEnY0qIpNOUCzjsjlaEopo9bB3XEtWL57V_6iPmy3dnRzrSkyKh-4D0IMKpAjWL7MZHruXf8GVfOBxqgqgM5jf5x3ZaRxXbzFr_yR_1ndJMI_anqy6wQ0Q__Oyv6und9QkAATUbUHYMF2biD5AEvCT3QWPNFZHr-8E1Y1M=s320" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.katz-creative.com/" target="_blank">Tristan Katz</a> (they/them) is a writer, educator, and digital strategist specializing in business and marketing coaching-consulting, web and graphic design. Based on the ancestral land of the Cowlitz and Clackamas peoples, now known as Portland, OR, Tristan teaches workshops and trainings centered around queer identity and trans* awareness with an intersectional lens, along with justice-focused digital marketing strategies for yoga and wellness professionals. Through their podcast, articles, digital resources, and workshops, Tristan supports those who seek to grow their work while staying aligned with the practices of yoga, equity, diversity, and inclusivity. They are also a member of the Accessible Yoga Association's Board of Directors. </span></span></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-54540511310509948032021-11-11T05:00:00.082-08:002021-11-11T06:40:37.249-08:00From the Archive: Bringing Yoga into Prisons with Amma María Fandino<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbVNMMJlp7E/XUMpfoLB1rI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/TZYjznnwvoUV2YUCK6RNeNGbvTN67QXqwCLcBGAs/s1600/Amma%2BFandino.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbVNMMJlp7E/XUMpfoLB1rI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/TZYjznnwvoUV2YUCK6RNeNGbvTN67QXqwCLcBGAs/s320/Amma%2BFandino.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p> </p><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>This interview with Amma María Fandino is by Elliot Kesse, Accessible Yoga Ambassador. It was <a href="https://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com/2019/05/bringing-yoga-into-prisons-with-amma.html" target="_blank">originally published</a> on the Accessible Yoga Blog in May 2019. While the substance of the content has not been changed, some of the language has been edited slightly from the original version to reflect an updated understanding of the way language has historically been used to dehumanize incarcerated people. All such edits are demarcated in brackets. <br /><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Elliot: </b>How did you get into teaching yoga in prisons?</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amma</b><i>: </i>I became a yoga teacher when I moved to Santa Barbara, California, with my family in 2014 and soon connected with the Accessible Yoga vision of sharing the benefits of yoga with anyone regardless of ability or background, especially with communities that have been excluded or underserved. In 2017, the last year of my stay in the US before returning to my home country, Colombia, I had my first experience teaching yoga in a prison. I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt an empathy for incarcerated people and wondered how it would be to experience this difficult situation. Ginny Kuhn, Director and Founder of <a href="http://prisonyogasb.org/">Prison Yoga Santa Barbara</a>, gave me the occasion to achieve my dream. I taught a group of young women participating in the drug and alcohol recovery program at the Santa Barbara County Jail.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">At the end of 2017, I went back to Colombia and started to look for an institution that could help me bring yoga to a prison. I found Fundación Acción Interna, a non-profit founded in 2013 to dignify and improve the quality of life of [currently incarcerated people] and those [who] have already been released in Colombia. The founder and director, Johana Bahamon, gave me the opportunity to participate as a volunteer teacher at the Buen Pastor women’s prison in Bogotá. I’m so grateful of being able to continue with my passion of teaching in prisons, sharing the practice with one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in my country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;"><b>Elliot: </b>What is the attitude like in the prisons towards you and yoga?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amma</b>: At the Santa Barbara County Jail they had a specific space for the practice, like a classroom, that was comfortable and the staff was very supportive of the yoga program. The [participants] were very interested in the classes, especially because [they] had very minimal sunlight hours each week, and only about 10% of them had outdoor activities to do throughout the day. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">On the other hand, the experience with the Colombian prison has been very different. Although the staff and [participants] have been very welcoming, the conditions to teach there are extremely precarious. At the beginning, we had to move from one place to another within the prison until we finally got a spot that fulfills the basic conditions to teach a yoga class. So far, both the staff and the students seem very happy with the program. There’s even talk of teaching yoga to the guards.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Elliot:</b> What were your thoughts before [teaching in the prison], and what would you tell somebody who may be interested in it but is a little nervous?</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amma:</b> Well, for me, I always had a connection and desire to go there, so I think that makes a difference. But I will say that as a yoga teacher, the most important thing to remember is what the essence of the practice teaches us—recognizing that the light that you have inside is the same pure light present in any other person, regardless of their external conditions or the situation they are facing. Teaching in a prison is [a striking opportunity] for a yoga teacher to cultivate the yoga values. It’s the perfect environment if you want to grow as a yoga teacher.</span><br /><i style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></i><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Elliot:</b> You’ve talked about this a little bit already, but can</span> <span style="font-size: large;">you say more about how teaching a class at a prison is different from teaching a studio class?</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amma:</b> I think the most general and useful advice about teaching in a prison is one of Swami Satchidananda’s teachings: “adapt, adjust, and accommodate.” For me, those three actions are the main attitudes you have to take with you when teaching in a prison. I know they apply also to many situations in life, but they are especially valuable with the unpredictable environment of a prison. So, if you have a plan, it is very likely that you will have to change it.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The second thing I would say is very important to keep in mind is that the purpose of teaching yoga in a prison is to find ways to help with the rehabilitation process of the [participants]. This means teaching a class that will assist [them] in dealing with the aspects of their daily life. Some of the [students] are [dealing with addiction], some have been abused, some are [experiencing homelessness], or have experienced a certain level of violence. These conditions have [potentially] made them very reactive. Also, many have lots of shame regarding their past actions. From my experience, it has been very useful when I approached the class in a very practical manner.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Along with teaching asanas, I usually try to give the participants insights about how to invite a personal connection with the different attitudes of the postures, explaining how it would help them to deal with different life situations. For example, child’s pose will invite a sense of surrender, a sense of acceptance about what you are currently experiencing in your life. For women, warrior poses have been very important to empower them and allow them to feel that they have the possibility to transform their lives and to not give up.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I have found it very useful to teach practices that help with impulse control. Following Viktor Frankl's teachings, I encourage students to be attentive to their reactions, "to be aware of the space that always exists between what is happening on the outside and the response; that space is where they can find the freedom to choose how to respond." I have received testimonials from students of how this teaching has begun to make their lives in prison a little different.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Mindfulness practices are important too; that is, observing the self and connecting with the emotions with a non-judgmental attitude. [Students experiencing incarceration] need the space to be present and the willingness to take responsibility for their past actions in order to heal. A mindfulness practice may prompt them to deal with their emotions and with their current situation, facing it, and taking responsibility for [their own actions] as a primary condition to make change. It may help a lot in the rehabilitation process.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Another aspect that I love to apply in my teaching practice at the prison is to encourage students to connect with their bodies. Most [participants] have experienced trauma, and a resulting disassociation from the body is a very common effect. It is very likely that they keep living in their head without any connection to the body, so during the practice, I usually keep encouraging them to feel the sensations of the body and any other subtle sensations or emotions.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The words you use are important. As James Fox says, instead of saying “Be aware of your breath,” you could say “Feel your body breathing.” Promoting that connection with the body is very important to allow incarcerated students to come back to their bodies with confidence and love. This is one of the biggest challenges because [participants may] have done things that perhaps make them [shame] themselves. A good way to start everything is to begin with the body.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Maintaining simplicity has been important for my classes in prison. For example, I do a very basic asana practice that the students learn and practice by themselves during the week. I love to give options to practice the poses in their bunks, telling them to start their day with a yoga practice and stretching, even though they don’t have much physical space. For example, they do many asanas in bed including knees to the chest, bridge pose, and reclined twists.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Because [people in prison] are often inactive, I have found many have issues with their neck, back, and even digestion. I offer adaptations and gentle options for the postures and avoid Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) and Sirshasana (Headstand) that put pressure on the neck. You have to be very attentive to prison students’ specific conditions because of their inactivity.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Because of the inactivity, students in prison [often] want to move. I love to put in practice the dynamic sequences I </span><span style="font-size: large;">learned from my training with James Fox, founder of Prison Yoga Project. For example, beginning the class with</span><span style="font-size: large;"> jogging in place</span><span style="font-size: large;"> is a beautiful way to help raise the energy of the class. So I do a very active warm-up, and then I go to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). I tell them to place their palms on their heart and their belly and then to just feel the sensation of their body and of their heart beating. I have found that they just love it and it’s a beautiful way to regain self-love and self-appreciation. Usually, I focus on the heart as a theme for the class, promoting connection, self-acceptance, and love. It is very, very important.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I also keep the language simple. I don’t use any Sanskrit for the poses. Students love Cat/Cow and other poses with animal names. Sometimes they like to chat and comment on different things about the class, at the beginning especially. I have found that they’re in need of community and a different space from their cells that allows them to connect in a different way. So I try to give them the space to chat a little bit, to comment on things. After that, they shortly come back to the practice.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Another thing I’ve learned is that it's very helpful to have students arranged in a circle for the class. The circle means unity and it gives everyone the opportunity to make eye contact with each other. Since prisons can be threatening spaces, the students appreciate the feeling of safety and, when in a circle, no one is behind you.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I give the option to practice with closed eyes or not by saying: if you feel comfortable, close your eyes, but if you don’t, keep your eyes open with a soft gaze downward. In the same sense, when doing Savasana (Corpse Pose), you have to be very attentive because this is a very vulnerable pose. It can remind them of traumatic experiences. I always give them the option to lay down on their side if that would help them feel more protected.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I’d say that you need to show students that they can trust you. I’ve found that this space becomes really important to them, so it is important to honor that. Usually, students approach me to tell me that they have been waiting the entire week for this class. This is huge; I feel I have the responsibility to show up every week on time and try not to miss any class, so they know I will come.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Elliot: </b>Any final words of wisdom?</i></span><br /><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Amma:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">Every time I go to the prison, I feel that I get way more than what I give. You can’t imagine the love and appreciation that you get from the [the people you're serving]. They are just in need of attention, in need of kindness, and in need of connection and interaction with someone in an equitable way. They’re always receiving orders and sometimes mistreated, so the possibility to relate to someone in another way is so valuable for them. And in this sense, they just give in return the best of themselves — love, appreciation, kindness, always with a smile. It’s so beautiful.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">So I would tell other yoga teachers to not be afraid. What you’re giving is what you’ll receive back. If you give love, you’ll receive love. It’s as simple as that. And the yoga philosophy states this universal principle. It’s in the difficult environments that make you feel [nervous] or intimidated where you can really prove to yourself what you've been cultivating as a yogi. At least, that has been my experience.</span></div><div></div><div><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: inherit;">-</b></div><div><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Amma María Fandino</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">is a biologist with a Master's degree in environmental management from Yale University, and a devoted yogini with 27 years of dedication. As an Integral Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher, Amma's passion is to contribute to the construction of a community that advocates a broad, diverse, and inclusive yoga culture. Under the support of his main mentor and teacher, Jivana Heyman, she has been an active member of the Accessible Yoga organization (AY) since 2015 and currently acts as a representative of the regional group of AY for Spanish-speaking countries.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span><!--more--></span><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Interested in learning more about bringing yoga into prisons? Our <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs">community programs for November 2021</a> feature teachers and AY community members who are creating more access to yoga for those who are incarcerated, including Amma as well as previous <a href="https://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com/2018/10/inclusive-yoga-in-penitentiary-and.html" target="_blank">blog contributor Juan Martinez</a>. Upcoming events include:</span></i></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-november-2021#section-1624418798639">In The Service of Life: Teaching Yoga to Incarcerated Populations Workshop with Chanda Williams</a> - Nov. 22nd, 12-1:30 pm Pacific</span></i></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-november-2021#section-1624419074749" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Community Forum: </i><i>Yoga for Incarcerated Populations </i></span></a><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/monthly-programs-november-2021#section-1624419074749" target="_blank">with Nick Utley, Leslie Booker & Juan Martinez, hosted by Amina Naru</a> - Nov. 30th, 2-3:30 pm Pacific</span><br /><br /></i></li></ul><p></p></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">° <b>FOLLOW</b> Accessible Yoga on </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, </span><span style="font-size: large;">and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ"><span style="font-size: large;">YouTube</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">° <b>DONATE</b> <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-85865661403946483352021-10-22T12:26:00.000-07:002021-10-22T12:26:05.275-07:00Yoga Revolution: Keynote Address by Jivana Heyman (AYC 2021)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5gcrUAUN_QbJpZ03NOQeg4RKhOoALYqA_8WC_Xk7ywgX1s1xZDIyJH-UVETiiS2GxGBEUz0XHb5DIYwi3_J9W5cEZ6zKfELGSUntl3GFwyrMnfqrcehoe-3BrCyuf9nT1O8KyvH49UmXh0YggiYeWu4sttmhv2d2K57QNhJuzNT8GfDqkxMf7xeA=s1290" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1290" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5gcrUAUN_QbJpZ03NOQeg4RKhOoALYqA_8WC_Xk7ywgX1s1xZDIyJH-UVETiiS2GxGBEUz0XHb5DIYwi3_J9W5cEZ6zKfELGSUntl3GFwyrMnfqrcehoe-3BrCyuf9nT1O8KyvH49UmXh0YggiYeWu4sttmhv2d2K57QNhJuzNT8GfDqkxMf7xeA=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Keynote by Jivana Heyman. Transcript edited by M Camellia.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Editor's Note: Below you will find a written transcript of the keynote address delivered verbally by Jivana Heyman on October 15, 2021 at the Accessible Yoga Conference Online. It has been edited to improve readability, though these edits do not change the substance of the keynote. Effort was made to retain fidelity to the address as delivered, including the retention of some (but not all instances of) 'filler words' (i.e. 'like,' 'um'), which attempts to approximate the natural spoken cadence and delivery of the orator. Ellipses have been used throughout to indicate a pause in speech and in no instance indicate the removal of words. Additionally, the live event included a brief introduction by Amber Karnes and informal comments (beyond the scope of the keynote) by Jivana Heyman at the conclusion--these have been removed from this edited transcript, though that content is retained in the video recording, including the captions thereof. Time stamps are provided to indicate where this edited transcript begins and ends in relation to the linked video recording.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://vimeo.com/633435065" target="_blank">Watch the Recording of this Keynote</a></b><br /><br />[Transcript begins at minute 6:16 of the video recording.]</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div>But anyway, I want to introduce myself again and just say, you know, I'm Jivana. My pronouns are he and him. I'm on Chumash land here, which is called Santa Barbara, California. We have a fire nearby. That's actually...the smoke has shifted away, thank goodness. So it's much better now. I thought I might have to evacuate yesterday, which was bad timing. And I just want to say before I do a centering, that it's really important to me that we share our pronouns and the land that we're on, because it makes...it creates a safer space for everybody. So if you don't mind putting at least the pronouns in your Zoom name, that would be awesome. It's actually also a policy we have in Accessible Yoga to help create safer spaces where people feel welcome, and I feel like this has already come up during this conference. I just want to say that it's important to me that we make the spaces that we're here...that we're hosting as safe as possible. We can't create ‘safe space.’ That's not possible, I realize, but we can do the best we can to make them safe, safer. Yeah. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's do a centering about that. Maybe sit back, if that's comfortable for you. You can have the eyes open or closed. Notice your body and how it's feeling right now. Maybe see if you can move around a little bit and adjust to make yourself more comfortable. I thought we could spend some time exploring gravity and the effect it's having on our bodies right now. So I like to think about the places my body is touching the earth. And it's not really touching the earth, but it's touching the floor, right? My feet are on the floor. My seat is in the chair. Maybe on an exhalation together, we can inhale and exhale. So if you can let the body rest down a little more into that support, feeling gravity pulling us down into the earth, you can let the body be heavy. Gravity is an incredible force, right? It's this constant force of the earth, pulling us towards that. I like to think of it as, like, a hug. Right? We're being hugged from the earth--Mother Earth, embracing us, constantly pulling us down into her. Then you can feel that space of air lifting up on the inhale, pulling away from the earth. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe we can explore that for a moment--the inhale, the inhalation, lengthening and lifting away from the earth, and the exhalation grounding you back down. See how those two forces work in unison like a dance, right? Inhale, lengthening upwards. Exhale, relaxing down. And when you have energy and relaxation at the same time, inhale lengthening, exhale relaxing, letting go. See if you can release a little more tension on the next exhale. Maybe relax the jaw, the eyes, shoulders, the hands, belly--anywhere that there's tension in the body. Let's just take a few more breaths here, maybe three more breaths on your own.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you're ready, you can slowly open the eyes, if they are closed, coming back to your actual reality, and then this virtual reality, maybe looking back on the screen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hi again. Thanks so much for being here at the conference and for coming to this talk. And for those of you watching on the recording: thank you, I appreciate you. It means a lot to me, you know? Accessible Yoga is a community. It's, you know, as Amber said...I founded this organization, but I really don't feel any longer that I'm controlling it. I mean, I'm doing my best to support it, and [I’m] nurturing its growth. But I've..I've let it go. Like, basically, it reminds me of my kids. I have a 20-year-old and a 16-year-old, and they're teaching me about letting go. And I feel the same way with Accessible Yoga. It's not that I'm still here, I'm still doing this--I’m also trying to let go and let Accessible Yoga grow into whatever it can become. This weekend is just beautiful for me, because I see that it has a life of its own. So your being here means a lot to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I'm here to talk about my new book, which is called <i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion</i>. I actually have a copy here, which is exciting. It's a preview copy--the book won't be out for a while. There's actually delays with the supply chain, so they were supposed to come out in November, but now it's gonna be out December 7th. But you can pre-order if you want on...there, Robyn put it in the chat. And this book is more, really, a journey...about my journey in yoga, sharing about myself and my understanding of the yoga teachings in light of what's happening in the world. In particular, I started writing during Black Lives Matter, and I think that was a huge influence for me. The biggest civil rights movement in history, really. And that affected...it affected me profoundly because I felt like, “Finally, a change is coming.” You know? And I wanted to share about how I saw that reflected in the yoga teachings and in my life. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the things I want to try and do tonight...I haven't given this talk before, by the way, this is the first time I'm talking about the book at all. So thank you for being patient with me. Because it's a whole, long book. It's really long. In fact, I think it's too long. It's, like, 250 pages and everyone who reads it says...I mean, most of them say nice things because they have to, but I also think their eyes roll back in their head slightly, and they just feel like, “Oh, wow, there's a lot.” You know? Like, it's a lot. It's a dense book, a lot of philosophy, but, you know, that's what I like! Anyway, what I want to try and do is to share the most vulnerable parts, because I think [those are], really, the important pieces of the book. I actually have a PowerPoint, because I'm a visual person. That helps me, so I'm going to share my screen. Let's see how this goes. Hopefully you can see that. It's a little wild--the background is the rainbow image that actually is...it's the image that the book designer used on the book cover, and I think it's pretty cool, because ‘rainbow’ is a theme that I want to come back to.</div><div><br /></div><div>This slide says, “<i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion</i> with Jivana Heyman,” and there's a rainbow background. And I want to go on and talk about...how do I do this? I want to start with failure. Because I honestly can say that this book came out of my personal struggles, starting with what happened to me about four years ago. So, my mom...my mom died four years ago now. And it was...it was August, and then a few months later, I had just turned 50 years old, which was kind of, you know, mind-blowing in itself--if any of you are 50 or older, you know what I mean--and then her death really got just knocked me down. We were very close. And she just...you know, it was hugely important in my life. I mean, the loss of anyone's parent is just, I think, overwhelming in general, although I think, you know...I was lucky that I had a close relationship with her, but it really affected me, and also my daughter, Violet, who's 16 now and is going through a lot of major challenges. I try not to share too much about her because I want to protect her privacy--it's her life--but she has mental health issues. And [my mom’s death] was just overwhelming for me, so I had an anxiety attack, which I talked about with Amber, actually, on our podcast. I landed in the ER, was in the emergency room, and I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what was going on. I tell the story in the book, which is that they did all these tests on me to see what was happening. I was convinced that I was...I don't know...I mean, [having] a heart attack or allergic to something. I don't know. And then they--the doctor--came back and said, “You know, I think it's an anxiety attack.” And I started laughing, and I said, “It can't be, I'm a Yoga teacher. I can't be having an anxiety attack.” Which is pretty funny now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, what I realized was that I had this kind of idea about myself, and about my life as a yoga teacher, and my practice, and it wasn't really doing what I thought it was doing. You know? Here, I was going through a lot of really challenging stuff, and I completely fell apart, and it was good. I mean, I don't wish that on anybody. But I feel like I've kind of pulled myself back from that time, learned a lot. I've had to really restart my practice in many ways, not only physically, but also in the way I approach philosophy. And I...that's why I wanted to mention this idea of failure, because it felt like a failure.I felt like I had failed as a yoga practitioner, and I was really embarrassed. Yeah, like I, you know...I think I’d just been trained that if you're a yoga teacher, you're kind of ‘perfect’ in some way, you know? Like, that your life is perfect, and your body's healthy. And because I also [am] getting older, I have a lot of physical issues, which I don't want to bother you with. But anyway, the point is that it was a failure. But I feel like it offered me a chance to sit back and look at everything in a fresh way. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a poem that I'm sharing with you--it's on the screen, it says, “‘The Failure’ by Kabir.” Kabir actually is an amazing poet, and he was part of the group of Bhakti poets that was writing in Persia, which was Iraq and Iran in the 14th century, which is literally, like, hundreds and hundreds of years ago. So that would be, like, around the 1300s. He says:</div><div><br /></div></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>I talk to my inner lover, and I say, why such rush?</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>We sense that there is some sort of spirit that loves birds and animals and the ants--</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>perhaps the same one who gave a radiance to you in your mother's womb.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>Is it logical you would be walking around entirely orphaned now?</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>The truth is you turned away yourself,</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>and decided to go into the dark alone.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>Now you are tangled up in others, and have forgotten what you once knew,</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div>and that's why everything you do has some weird failure in it.</div></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That last part is a little bit damning. It feels like I've totally failed. Everything I do “has some weird failure in it.” You know, it just feels...yeah, it feels so horrible. But actually, to me, it's such a relief. Right? Like Amber said [in the chat], “Fellow weird failures unite!” Exactly. Like, that's how I feel. I feel like I've always been slightly off, you know? Slightly. On the outside. I think just being a Queer person, I grew up feeling like I didn't belong anywhere. Society didn't have a role for me. You know, it just felt...I don't know...I just felt separate, and like everything was wrong. But then also, through my practice and through yoga philosophy, I started to see not only...that the way I was perceiving the world was actually not even correct. I think...that's what I think Kabir is getting at here, that the ego, the ego-mind, and the way that we approach the world, you know, as our individual self, will never be correct. It'll never be perfect because that's not the truth of who we are. </div><div><br /></div><div>You know, the yoga teachings say clearly that we are spiritual beings. That's our essence. That essence is unchanging, and immortal, and perfect, and it's shared by all of us, that essence that unites all beings. The spirit, Ātman, Purusha--whatever you want to call it...those are the Sanskrit words: Ātman, Purusha...or Brahman. Brahman is the shared universal spirit. That's the truth of who we are, and what the yoga teachings are really all about: trying to connect back to that. So this poem, to me, is actually talking about that, about this journey of being human and that being human means to fail. And I often feel like, as a yoga teacher, I'm misleading people, because I'm teaching them to be ‘better,’ or to be other than they are, right? To change. And I actually think, you know, real healing comes when we accept who we are, completely, right now, including all of our limitations. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think that's what Kabir’s saying so clearly--that there's a weird failure in everything we do, and that it’s totally fine. In fact, I think we can celebrate the failure like Amber did. Yeah. Because you know, what? The body and the mind, this human being, will eventually die. Right? And that's the part, I think...Tracee Stanley just was so powerful this morning--I hope you get a chance to listen to her talk. You know, she said that clearly, again, to remind people of death...or was it somebody else? I don't know. But she really moved me, and I just want to say, like, that it...to me, that's the healing of yoga. What it offers is the healing of acceptance. Yeah. Like Linda said [in the chat], being true to ourselves. It's not about changing into something else, other than to realize part of ourselves is fine, right? There's that spirit within us. That [spirit] is fine. The human part of ourselves is okay. It's okay to love your broken self. Like, that's okay. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I have a question for you, actually. I was wondering if you can think about this in your own life--is there a time or place where you felt that you failed? And I'm going to say that you can maybe just write a note down, or you can put it [in the chat] if you really want to be brave and share it with everybody. That's awesome, like, share away. But you don't have to, you're welcome to just write a note for yourself. What I'm interested in in particular is: is there some “failure” that you've experienced that ended up actually being helpful in some way? Like, is there something you considered a failure that actually ended up contributing to your growth and to your evolution as a being? I'm going to give you maybe just a minute to reflect on that. I'll try to stop talking.</div><div> </div><div>[Addressing participants who shared their responses in the chat]: All right. Okay. Thanks for sharing in the chat. It's really beautiful. Thanks, Kimberly, all of you. Kareena, Alyssa, Jess, Sarah--thanks for sharing, and thank you Jean. I know being a parent has made me feel like a failure, I have to say. Wow, thanks for sharing all that. I have to read all those. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am...I can honestly say that it is our failures and the places that we are different and not like other people where we're the strongest, you know? You know, I don't mean [it] in a cliche kind of way. I mean, it sounds like a cliche. But I really think that's the point of being human. Because here we are. I mean, I don't want to get too esoteric, but like, if you think about it, why are we here? Why are we here? Why are we on Earth? And, according to the yoga teachings, the idea is to see clearly, right? The Sanskrit word ‘viveka’ means ‘clear vision.’ According to the Yoga Sūtras, we need to have clear vision, which means we have to [clearly see] where we are ignorant, where we are not wise, and where we've failed, I would say. That's really the goal of the yoga teachings: to show us that. And not in a negative way, I don't think, at all, but in a way that is revealing and honest so that then we can say, “Oh, wait, there's also this other part of me that is whole at the same time. So, part of me is whole, and part of me is struggling and failing. I guess I like to think of it as my heart and my mind. The way I try to talk about it in the book a little bit is...I feel like the heart is where the spirit lives. And according to the yoga teachings, that spirit, like I said, is perfect as it is. It doesn't need to be healed. It doesn't need anything. And I feel that way about my heart, that my heart is fine--it gets hurt, I need to protect it, yes, but my heart is where I'm trying to connect to yoga. At the same time, my mind is struggling, and challenged, and imperfect. It's not that we want to destroy the mind and just live in the heart, but we want to heal that relationship...that inner relationship between the heart and the mind. I think that, really, the goal of yoga is healing that inner relationship. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I want to talk about the name of the book. <i>Yoga Revolution</i> is about that. It's not...I'm not trying to revolutionize yoga, which I'm afraid some people might think is what I'm talking about. I think yoga is fine. What I think we need is to allow yoga to revolutionize us, to create a revolution within us, internally, and then externally-- internally in the way that we perceive ourselves, and externally in the way that we act in the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to share...let's see. I would say yoga creates an inner revolution. Actually, I did talk about this idea of inner revolution at the Accessible Yoga Conference in New York, the first one we had there--I can't remember what year that was. The idea of ‘yoga revolution’ actually started at an Accessible Yoga Conference, and it's been, like, lingering in my mind ever since. And that's just to say that I think these are incredibly revolutionary practices, like it says on the slide. That's what ‘courage’ is. ‘Courage’ is an inner revolution. And yoga transforms the relationship between our heart and our mind--it changes the way we think and how we perceive the world. What I mean by that is that, most of the time, we're existing either...well, I would say...I’ll speak for myself...most of the time, I'm existing just in my mind. Generally, it's just my mind. Thinking, and analyzing, and kind of worrying, having anxiety--which is obviously an actual diagnosed illness that I have, anxiety. </div><div><br /></div><div>I would say, you know, my mind tends to get really obsessive about things and go into some bad places. And I think that's okay. Because the mind is...that's the nature of the mind. I'm saying [that] what yoga can do is allow me, from my own heart, to be there, nurturing my mind, so I can have...create a healthier inner relationship where I'm my own mother, honestly. I mean, what came up for me after my mother died was that I needed to mother myself. And I...I use that word consciously, because I think fathers are also important--because I'm a gay dad. But I think there's something about ‘mothering’ that we need, you know...that we need to care for ourselves, be kind and supportive. So one of the things...maybe you've heard me say this before, but maybe I'll ask you this again...is to reflect on your inner dialogue, and think about: how do you talk to yourself? And then what do you allow to occur inside your body, in that relationship between your heart and your mind? The thing I always ask people is, “Do you hear yourself talking in your mind?” Have you heard me say this? You're like, yeah, I've heard you say this a million times. Yeah. I said, “Do you hear yourself talking in your mind? Who's listening to that? Who's hearing that?” Maybe? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, maybe you have an idea. Do you wanna…[reading from the chat] “Me.” Okay. Who's that? Sarah, who's ‘me?’ That's... what? It's the jñāna yoga practice of self analysis. [Reading from the chat] “Rama Krishna…” Was that when he was…?</div><div> </div><div>Yeah, Sarah, who's me? Who's listening? </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sure she’s gonna answer in the chat. Can you? Okay. [Reading from the chat] “Self inquiry.” “Self.” Okay, thank you. “Capital ‘S’ self,” “my conscious mind,” “myself.” “My ego talks and thinks it's listening.” “My conscious psyche?”</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I don't want to give you an answer. I'll tell you what I think myself, and that is just my guess. Another critical observer, Ramana Maharshi...that's that...that ‘thank you’ for getting ...Ramana Maharshi would say to everyone who came to him, “Who's asking?” You’d ask him a question, and he would just say, “Who's asking?” But I think that's the same idea. Who's listening to your mind? And I would say, honestly, to me, it's my heart. My heart is listening to my mind. And my heart is, I would say, yeah, consciousness, or spirit, or God within me, in my heart. The observer. The listener. I've decided that you can listen very critically, or you can listen with love. And again, Tracee Stanley this morning, you know, she had us...we broke into pairs. And then she asked us to do...I don't know what she called it, but basically active listening. You know, where you listen to somebody without just thinking about yourself? And I think that I...I'm trying to do that with myself too, so that as my mind speaks, constantly doing its worrying or whatever it's doing, I’m trying to listen to it with kindness. And what I find happens is that it often calms down.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think listening is an act of service, when you actively listen to someone, and listen to their pain, and their heart that they're sharing with you. It's an act of service. It's an act of love. It's probably the most powerful thing we can do for another person, to listen to them. You know what I mean? Do you like being listened to? Okay, I'm not gonna make us break into groups and do that, I'm just telling you now, so you don't have to worry. Although, I really want to, but I'm trying to be nice. But I would just say, practice it yourself. See if, like, sometime in the next few hours, if you have a person in your life, or maybe the next day, you can practice some active listening, where you work on, kind of, creating peace in your own mind and just letting your heart be present with them while they're expressing themselves. You could reflect back what they're saying or not. You just hear what they're saying. Or, if you really want to do advanced yoga, you can do that with yourself. Well, like, [it sounds like] I'm saying I'm advanced...that's what I'm working on, which is, to listen to my mind. Kindly. I would say that's my current meditation practice: I try to notice my mind, and I try not to get...I try not to be hard on myself, because I think I made that way more complicated than it needed to be. But there you go. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I think we know this already: yoga is an inner practice. I'm going to maybe just jump through this. Let's say--this is from the Yoga Sūtras--that the Yoga Sūtras are very much about the inner experience of yoga. So, part of what I'm trying to get at in the book is that. In fact, the first section of the book, “Inner Revolution,” is talking about the idea of yoga as a path to self-understanding and feeling that inner relationship. I think that's what the Yoga Sūtras are really about. Patañjali is teaching us how to work with our own mind. So in sūtra two, the famous sūtra, he's saying [that] calming the mind is yoga, or something to that effect. This is my interpretation. Sūtra three: “Then we experience peace within.” And four: “Otherwise we believe we are our thoughts.” Right? So Patañjali is giving us some tools here to begin to, hopefully not disassociate, but differentiate between the heart and the mind, to begin to see more clearly, like, the parts of us that are just...I hate to use the word ‘inner child,’ but I'm going to say that. Like...I don't know. That term is so cliche and corny, but, like, [I mean] the part of you that's hurt, and, you know, struggling, and [he’s giving us the tools to] begin to see that part so we can have a healthy relationship with ourselves. </div><div><br /></div><div>All right. I didn't know this was my next slide. Well, here we go. So what I want to talk about is death. I mentioned my mom. This is a picture of my mom, on the left. She's doing yoga, which makes me laugh so much, but she is amazing. She actually started yoga later in life. Her mother, my grandmother, taught me yoga when I was very young, and then my mom. I think it skips generations, you know, these things. My mom was kind of against it at first, and then, eventually, she loved yoga and practiced all the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then the picture on the right is a picture of me with my best friend, Kurt, who died of AIDS in 1995. And he actually died...it was about three months after I graduated from yoga teacher training. I had...he kind of convinced me to do it, actually. I'd been studying yoga for many years, and he just thought, you know...he kind of pushed me to take the teacher training and to really, actively serve. That picture’s kind of damaged--you see those white marks there? But anyway, to me, there's a connection there between finishing teacher training right around the time that he died. And so, I really dedicated myself to sharing yoga with people with HIV and AIDS, which is what I did for a long time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The point of this slide was to talk about death, and I just want to say, I think the other thing that yoga does--this inner dialogue that I'm talking about--I think, [is prepare] us for death. Because, I think, what's scary about death is the death of the mind, the death of the body. So, in every single yoga class...almost almost every single Yoga class, what do we end with? I mean, tell me in the chat--what do we end with in every single yoga class? Almost everyone around the world? Savasana. Thank you. And what is Savasana? Corpse pose. So literally, we end every yoga class with an exploration of death. And, you know, it may not be something we're ready to talk about or deal with, and that's fine. I don't want you to...I don't want to upset anybody, because death can be a really sensitive topic. But I just want to say that it's there for us. Yoga is teaching that, teaching us how to prepare, how to be in conscious relationship with our limited body and mind, so that, eventually, we can let it go.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I failed at it. Oh, that's quite good, that I failed. You know, when my friend Kurt died, I was devastated, and I lost, you know, many, many friends to AIDS. And it just...yeah, it was just overwhelming. And then my mother's death, you know...I'm still not totally healed. And I don't mean to make this all about me, but I'm just trying to share that, like, it doesn't make it easier. It's just that, you know, yoga gives us tools. That doesn't mean we know how to use them, or that we do them very well. So it's a journey. But that's the point of that inner revolution, right? To change our relationships with ourselves?</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, the amazing thing about yoga is it also can create an outer revolution, and the outer revolution I'm talking about is not a healthy body and flexible hamstrings. Like, I don't care about that, really. I mean, I do, I'm totally...that's totally wrong. I totally want to look good and, like, be flexible, and do all those amazing poses. Like, that is true. But I know that it's not really what yoga is for. I wish I could do it more...I wish I could do more of those fancy poses. But the outer revolution is one of compassion. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I mentioned the word courage earlier--to me, that inner revolution is actually about the courage to be honest with ourselves. The courage to look at the relationship we're having with our mind, the heart and the mind, right? That takes courage, to be honest with yourself. And then compassion is the outer revolution of yoga, and the compassion comes from yoga because what yoga does...well, this slide says yoga creates an outer revolution. We see ourselves in others, service becomes a natural outgrowth of our practice, we want to reduce suffering in the world...ahimsa. Ahimsa, we talk about as non-harm. But, really, non-harm...this also means not hurting, not wanting there to be suffering around us. It's just a natural instinct we have. Like, we don't want to see suffering in the world. When you see someone suffering, or even an animal suffering, it's very painful, and we need to be...we need to notice that reaction we have, and respect that [that] reaction, that compassion, is the heart speaking. Right? That's that part of us speaking that feels connected to others, because it is the connection to others. </div><div><br /></div><div>And we talked...I said, for me, the heart, my heart, is my spirit. And that's a universal--my heart is the same as yours. You know what I'm saying...,that that is what we share. Our lived experience, our body and mind, [are] completely different. This is the tension that I see in yoga and with spiritual bypassing, for example. So often in yoga--or, modern contemporary practices--we talk about [how] we're all one, right? And you know, just...it's all good vibes only and all that stuff. I mean, I think what that is...that's an effort to connect to spirit, right? That's an effort to understand our heart, our own hearts, but the fact is, like, that…[Reading from the chat.] Yes, Kareena, we are all the universe manifesting itself, but we're all diverse manifestations. And the diversity of our mind and our body and our life, our lived experience, is also essential. So we need to acknowledge that, and that's where compassion comes in. </div><div><br /></div><div>Compassion, to me, is the bridge between the universal connection and the individual expression. I like to think of the image of a prism. I've used this in both of my books. In fact, that's what came out. You know, in my first book, Accessible Yoga, I mentioned this one image, and that's really what got me started on the second book. The image is of a prism, with light going through it, creating a rainbow, and the fact is that that’s what our lives are like, what we are like. In our heart, we are that pure white light, but our lived experience is like a rainbow. And so I talk in the book about ‘rainbow minds.’ </div><div><br /></div><div>The idea of ‘rainbow mind’ is that it's just this recognition of the diversity of our experiences, and, especially as a Queer person, I really love the rainbow. That's, like, the flag of Queer people, right? The gay pride flag, or whatever you want to call it? And to me, that rainbow is important. It's representing all different beings, all different people. Everyone has a different way of being in their body and in their life. And yet, at the same time, we have this underlying shared truth. Right? Now, when I...I think our practice of yoga can create an outer revolution, because I believe that if we're practicing effectively...I should speak for myself again...if I'm practicing effectively, I'm becoming more compassionate for others. And I would say, to me, that's the number one sign of a successful yoga practice, that you have increased compassion. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I have to say, it's not fun, and I don't...I think maybe that's why we don't do it, like, because it's painful. It's painful to experience the pain of others as our own, and I...actually, I think I have another slide. This slide says, “Enlightenment in the Bhagavad Gita.” I refer to the Gita a lot in this book, because I think the Gita really speaks clearly to these points about how to live as a yogi. That's the teaching that Krishna was giving Arjuna in the Gita. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is from chapter six, shlokas 29 to 32, as tanslated by Swami Satchidananda. It says, “As your mind becomes harmonized through yoga practices, you begin to see the Atman.” Again, the atman is spirit, right? “You begin to see the atman in all beings and all beings in yourself.” Capital ‘S’ self, right? “You see the same self everywhere and in everything. Those who see me wherever they look and recognize everything as my manifestation never again feel separate from me, nor I from them. Whoever becomes established in the all-pervading oneness of Brahman and worships me abiding and all beings, however he may be living, that yogi lives in me. The yogi who perceives the essential oneness everywhere naturally feels the pleasure or pain of others as his or her own.” </div><div><br /></div><div>And I just...I find that last phrase haunting me. Because I don't want it to be true. But I'm saying that if you really...if you're practicing yoga and you're sincere about it, you'll naturally feel “the pleasure or pain of others as his or her own.” And I would say that Krishna...what Krishna’s saying here is very important, because first he says...if you really look at this section, first is this saying...first you have this idea of oneness, right? First, you realize we're all connected. And I often think that we equate enlightenment with that idea of the experience of oneness, right? We think that's the goal. At least, I believe that's what most of us do. Most of us think, “Oh, the goal of yoga is enlightenment. And that means I see everyone as one, we're all connected.” But he goes on, and I think that's why this last line is so important. He says, not only that, but then what happens when you experience that oneness. The next part, which I would say is, like, a higher level of enlightenment, to be honest, is [saying that] the yogi who perceives essential oneness everywhere naturally feels the pleasure or pain of others as his or her own. That kind of sucks. I think that was what led me to be an activist. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I wanted to go back to my life. I'm just trying to make this grounded in my experience. So, you know, I...when I came out of the closet when I was 17, it was 1984. So, you can do the math. I'm old now. Not that...I'm 54 I think. And that was a different time, you know, for Queer people. It wasn't...I mean, it's still hard now, especially in other certain countries around the world. In the US it has gotten quite a bit better--we have gay marriage now, which is nice. But it was a rough time, and it was happening, and all of my...everyone I was meeting, like...I had just come out. I was, like, ready to party. Like, I was dancing at the clubs...like [at the opening night party] last night, and it took me a while to start dancing again...But they were getting sick and dying. And I was like, “What? What's happening? This is horrible. Like, how can this be? I've been, like, dying to come out of the closet, and I do, and I come out to this, like, suffering, pain, death, illness?”</div><div><br /></div><div>And so let's say...I have an image of “Silence=Death” in the middle here. It's a poster that was used by Act Up. The pink triangle represents that...it was the logo that...the emblem that the Nazis used for gay men during the Holocaust was the pink triangle. And so during this time of the 80s, we tried to reclaim that pain triangle, and “Silence=Death” has to do with the idea that if we allow there to be suffering in the world, and we don't speak up about it, that will cause death. I mean, it's actually...that's how people die, if we don't say something. The picture is in the upper left. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the lower right...I don't know if I took them...my husband says he took these, but I think I did. We were both at this event in Washington, DC. It was an Act Up protest at the Capitol, which is interesting considering what happened there in January. We're very far away from the capital. And on the far upper left, you see a man walking--that's Larry Kramer, who was the founder of Act Up, which is the group that I was part of. And the lower left was at a Queer Nation march that I was involved with. Queer Nation was a group that was trying to create, like, a positive association with the idea of Queer identity, and, I think, really was successful in doing so. I'm actually in there, if you can find me and that's your game. It's like Where's Waldo?! Find Jivana in the Queer Nation march! Can you find me? </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh my gosh, I'm almost out of time. Anyway, there I am. I don't even see...I'm kind of in the middle, wearing white. I was very skinny. I kind of already had a bald spot. I was wearing white, like, a white tank top, and a black belt. Yeah. Sarah helped find me--of course, Sarah! </div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, so I just want to end with a few thoughts about how this is...how these concepts can be practiced in our lives, and it has to do with self care and service. So, to me, there's a tension there. Self care is basically focusing our energy inward to care for ourselves, and service is focusing the energy outward to care for others. I want to say...what I'm trying to get at here is that we all need to find the balance. For each of us, there's a different balance between the amount of self care and service we can provide. You could even think of self care as service to yourself. But within the yoga tradition, there's a long tradition of karma yoga, seva, or service, and I think we need to really get back to that, but with a clear understanding of the fact that some of us have more challenges and are struggling more than others. Those of us that have marginalized identities, that are further from power, that have less resources...you know. People with disabilities, Queer people, Trans people, People of Color, may feel like they're further from power, so then the yoga practice can come in, and spiritual practice comes in as a form of self care to actually give us back our power, [to] give us back the power that we feel we've lost. Spiritual practice can, like M Camellia always talks about, give us agency over our lives and our bodies. That's really what Yoga can do for us. At the same time, I think we need to be thoughtful about where we have power and privilege and how we can use that in service of others. When we see suffering in the world, how can we use our privilege to serve others and help them...just help there to be less suffering, without being attached to the result? Right? Because service is not about white...what do you call that again? God, you know what I'm talking about. [Reading the chat.] Oh, thank you for that! ‘White saviorism.’ Thank you, yeah, white saviorism. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think white saviorism is a dangerous, dangerous part of this, that comes when we think we're going to fix everything. And I don't want to give the impression that I'm saying that service begins with ourselves and then it expands outward to [the] closest people in our lives. It starts at home with your family, your friends, your relationships...you know. We need to heal ourselves and the relationships with those around us first. We don't need to go and change the world. That will change the world, right? </div><div><br /></div><div>I have a link to--oh, and Robyn put it in the chat--that implicit bias test you can take for free through Harvard, which really helped us. I think it's an interesting process to see where you have unconscious beliefs and implicit bias. It can help us see our own minds more clearly, and it's a form of yoga practice. Yoga, again, is about seeing your mind clearly. Right? The viveka, a clear vision, seeing where you have privilege and where you have challenges, where you have marginalization...I think is really important. So, this is just a question I'll leave you with, to really look at that, and then to consider, also, what form does your service take in the world? </div><div><br /></div><div>I have some questions to leave you with. Let's see how much time we have...about five minutes. Maybe write down one of these questions, if it's useful for you. There's three questions here. One is, ask yourself, “What is the goal of your yoga?” Is your goal of your yoga practice, your personal liberation or the liberation of others? Maybe both.</div><div><br /></div><div>If your practice is about your own healing, is there a way to expand your thinking to include healing for your community, your society, and the entire planet--which needs healing, honestly--and what would that look like in practice? So, maybe the question here really, if I could summarize this, is, “How can our...how can my personal yoga practice contribute not only to my healing, but the healing of the world?” Really think about that in very concrete ways. If I can heal myself a little bit, am I contributing to the healing of the world? If I'm a little more clear in my relationship between the heart...my heart and mind, can I cause less harm in the world? Which is ahimsa, not causing harm? Perhaps by working on myself, I can be of service to others by not being horrible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'll stop there. We have a couple of minutes. There were some amazing comments in the chat. Thank you for that. Thanks for being here. </div><div><br /></div><div>[Transcript ends at minute 55:31 of the video recording.]</div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjASt75uO6YwJu0ARKC6cZplOHAiLSXCWmq7--mv4WVjDzrSHrrYOR3bhGO5a3vMUvsGtYgPNAMMFFjkFBdlGmbb681ZOCaxnOW8hH3yHSod1eo7A0lWUpIcQqoVQZUm38f8a9h1HfMPIdg33s5b_6X6fCwHad9uzPxoj9rKOISBr13OL8luxTpNpM=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjASt75uO6YwJu0ARKC6cZplOHAiLSXCWmq7--mv4WVjDzrSHrrYOR3bhGO5a3vMUvsGtYgPNAMMFFjkFBdlGmbb681ZOCaxnOW8hH3yHSod1eo7A0lWUpIcQqoVQZUm38f8a9h1HfMPIdg33s5b_6X6fCwHad9uzPxoj9rKOISBr13OL8luxTpNpM=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><b>Jivana Heyman</b>, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Community Forums, a Podcast, and a popular Ambassador program. He’s the co-founder of the Accessible Yoga Training School, and the author of Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body (Shambhala Publications), as well as the forthcoming book, Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion (Shambhala, Dec. 2021). More info at <a href="http://jivanaheyman.com">jivanaheyman.com</a>.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div style="clear: both; font-size: 13.2px;"></div></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); color: #666666; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"></div></span></div></div>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-2774815683766903712021-10-14T08:00:00.003-07:002021-10-14T08:00:00.212-07:00Your Body is a Means for Joy <div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyXE1kZ6SM5ZUq1cD0pXRKOF0480FtErl2mmgxtiEozjwiSh8I7U2DNPXMkkoT0kAcPOJRkzvm-Igz9DUDv2UhZTVEfmCxtab-RWuvW8I-1SwJQIrRDTG9F-TK0CIh77ibM36mjfXXc1mcBllSy2E2JNflTuC8eUKSzz_djzamgwuNx1wlNxExTmzU=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyXE1kZ6SM5ZUq1cD0pXRKOF0480FtErl2mmgxtiEozjwiSh8I7U2DNPXMkkoT0kAcPOJRkzvm-Igz9DUDv2UhZTVEfmCxtab-RWuvW8I-1SwJQIrRDTG9F-TK0CIh77ibM36mjfXXc1mcBllSy2E2JNflTuC8eUKSzz_djzamgwuNx1wlNxExTmzU=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily Anderson in foreground in lilac sleeveless dress doing a side bend<br /> at a shoreline, <span style="text-align: left;">small waves in mid-ground, city skyscrapers in background</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Emily Anderson</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /><br />We think about our bodies in terms of what they can do---for us, for work, for production. We measure our bodies in accomplishments---steps walked, push-ups completed. We track and compare against standards we ourselves did not create and terms to which we did not agree. All of us, every person with a body, suffers under these standards of body productivity and body image. And people with fat bodies carry the millstone of these rules and regulations with more weight, dare I say, than most.<br /><br />These body standards, impossible to measure up to, divorce us from a relationship with our bodies. Some of us begin to hate our bodies---maybe even violently---and others slip into cold indifference. Our bodies become the enemy, and not the capitalist, patriarchal, white supremacist systems that have warped our relationships. Under these standards, we turn inward and we isolate. These systems show us an ideal body, and more than that, an ideal experience. Unless we obtain this ideal, we will always be measuring, counting, and weighing our value (and truly, even if the ideal is obtained, the measuring, counting, and weighing never ends). <br /><br />But our bodies are meant for so much more than measuring. Our bodies can bring laughter, pleasure, peace, and yes, joy. Joy, the antithesis of what diet culture teaches about fat bodies. The path to joy is not necessarily easier than adhering to body standards---it is a different kind of hard work. The path to body joy is one of intentionality. It requires radically changing how you consume media, what you value, and why you’re motivated to get up in the morning. Intentionally choosing body joy means releasing the lifetime of training from media, family, and community about all the ways your body fails to meet “standards,” and realizing the way those standards have failed you. It means realizing the way those standards stopped you from basic simple pleasures, and from pursuing big dreams, and from holding an equitable place in society. <br /><br />To reject those standards is to laugh in the face of our society’s oppressive standards. A big, loud, belly laugh that others will hear. And if misery loves company, joy engenders comrades, collaborators, co-conspirators. Joy is a candle that is meant to light others, joy is the overflowing cup. Joy is meant to be shared. Our bodies bring joy, disrupt the systems of oppression, and work together for each other. <br /><br />How would your day change if joy was the reason you chose to move today, and that joy was the reason you showed up for your community? Could the decision to live outside of body standards and rules influence the way you think about other societal “rules,” and give you a more expansive view of the world? Could your joy in body liberation inspire you to work for the liberation of others? <br /><br /><br />Join Emily Anderson, Kimberly Dark, and Dr. Jennifer B. Webb in the Yoga & Diet Culture panel discussion moderated by Amber Karnes at <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021" style="color: #954f72;">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>. They’ll share from their lived experiences as folks in marginalized bodies who incorporate body acceptance and disrupt diet culture in their work and yoga practice. <br /><br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=s640" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtQ7yqIYsQFr6oeseZqHfssyUH4gOTqMp-Cz5tiaYWnZPajPltCFE6K5bUNU7FWb25DYw7hcyOgwJMQtXbTXwM7PAnlprcMffzuHmMaY7NBDzGcEaOZp0vLzrCd73K7SZ3EZ0KxKfmvCxqdEHSlcFMMYM2E-g2pVr1NPAhLYWHm8kxLTLdUoSWLsTM=w320-h214" width="320" /></a></div>Emily Anderson</b> of All Bodies Welcome Yoga is an Accessible Yoga certified teacher based in Pittsburgh, PA, the unceded ancestral lands of Osage Nation and Shawandasse Tula. She left a corporate management job in 2021 to become a full-time yoga teacher. Emily supports folks as they connect with their minds and bodies in defiance of a fatphobic, diet culture fixated society. She is also the founder of Pittsburgh Fatties Social Club, a community led group creating fat positive experiences and resources. She enjoys making her own clothes as a hobby sewist, and a chaotic tabletop RPG night. She lives with three fluffy cats, one mostly hairless dog, and her sweet hearted husband.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.</span></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div style="clear: both; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;"></div></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #666666; font-size: 10.800000190734863px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><br /></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-53472422586440351992021-10-13T08:00:00.013-07:002021-10-13T08:00:00.254-07:00Elevating Voices, Embracing Change: Join Us for the Accessible Yoga Conference!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdMsIaCuCe2QvSar2A5i3P0FWoASS7CpiyEjzrB0ZyG4sRr_IVEP4p5FWrQiHTi-e8s4lLHpyStIALJ_6xOMhez-hMYWUbBdHLrtooA4JtU0GM60rgVBF03TW_UbgjOU8nUa_nGQKbWd_P7wt-iXHCLDfZhjsa5Pls-AiIB5a7u6kjSbybUU6E2Eo=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdMsIaCuCe2QvSar2A5i3P0FWoASS7CpiyEjzrB0ZyG4sRr_IVEP4p5FWrQiHTi-e8s4lLHpyStIALJ_6xOMhez-hMYWUbBdHLrtooA4JtU0GM60rgVBF03TW_UbgjOU8nUa_nGQKbWd_P7wt-iXHCLDfZhjsa5Pls-AiIB5a7u6kjSbybUU6E2Eo=w400-h209" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">by Jivana Heyman</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><br /><div>This year at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #45818e;">Accessible Yoga Conference Online</span></b></a>, we’re thrilled to platform an incredibly diverse group of presenters who will be sharing their wisdom and experience in making yoga accessible and equitable. We’re elevating the voices of teachers and practitioners who are often under-estimated and marginalized in yoga spaces. This is part of the change we’re embracing--a new vision of a yoga community based on ethics and equity, founded on care and compassion, with space for everyone to join in. </div><div> </div><div>Presenters at this year’s conference include Reggie Hubbard, Indu Arora, Colin Lieu, Tracee Stanley, Jacoby Ballard, Amber Karnes, and more than 40 additional teachers who are all at the forefront of revolutionizing yoga in the west. New this year, we’re also hosting a free pre-conference intensive on October 14th--<b><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/2021-intensive" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">Race and Equity in Yoga: Rebuilding and Reimagining a Whole Self and Community</span></a></b>--led by Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Amina Naru, Colin Lieu, Dr. Terry Harris, and Lakshmi Nair. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Accessible Yoga Association is committed to the continual process of learning in community and moving towards greater equity within our own organization, reviewing our own internal structures to ensure they align with our vision. We are intentional about bringing this ethic into the way we choose presenters for our conferences. Presenters are chosen by a diverse committee of our Board of Directors, each of whom take great care in seeking out and nominating extraordinary members of the yoga community. We make it a priority to platform budding leaders and to amplify under-estimated, revolutionary voices, particularly those who have not had the opportunity to present with us before.</div><div> </div><div>Our 2021 conference lineup offers an array of incredible educational opportunities including asana classes, workshops, lectures, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and more. These programs will focus on increasing equity and accessibility in yoga, and on addressing racism, ableism, and other forms of oppression. </div><div> </div><div>Beyond education, we’re also excited to connect our global community through a series of Meet & Greets, where you'll be able to network with other attendees and connect around specific topics of interest and areas of work. <b>Through our connection, we can share the message that the transformational practices of yoga are available to everyone.</b> By working together, we can address the ways that yoga has not been shared equally, leaving many excluded or left out. </div><div> </div><div>Creating more financial accessibility is a key component of our work, so we’ve implemented tiered pricing on conference registrations. We’ve also made self-determined scholarships available to anyone who requests one--<b>no one will be turned away for lack of fund</b>s. Please consider <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/scholarship-application" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">applying for a scholarship</span></a> today if finances are an obstacle for you. </div><div> </div><div>We’re looking forward to connecting with you virtually, and supporting your work in sharing yoga with all. Everyone who registers will have access to the conference materials and for a full year, including recordings of every session offered. Everyone who registers, whether attending live or catching up with the recordings later, will also have the opportunity to discuss what they're learning via our dedicated Accessible Yoga Conference Community, a digital forum you’ll receive access to when you register. Now is a great time to <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/register" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">get signed up</span></a>, to check out some early content releases in your conference portal, and to introduce yourself and network with fellow attendees in the Community!</div><div> </div><div>For more information please check out our <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">conference website</span></a>. See you soon!</div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPucr4SlnPdrKt2vcqxEfk542EVsm9RafwLLzcZ8L-DUdXzwuh2QOeHgY2Qa8rUetVErTUxAxeFIGeIlUifbQ3kri5XKoZ39qAfa3TgtwGppgeEUDvUMp5tJPpHsQk0Vyl7DlSPf_8ncEc7E0Op7DSkwxGbiGMEcLWGfD8CSpXPnL043Bk9j2u5ho=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPucr4SlnPdrKt2vcqxEfk542EVsm9RafwLLzcZ8L-DUdXzwuh2QOeHgY2Qa8rUetVErTUxAxeFIGeIlUifbQ3kri5XKoZ39qAfa3TgtwGppgeEUDvUMp5tJPpHsQk0Vyl7DlSPf_8ncEc7E0Op7DSkwxGbiGMEcLWGfD8CSpXPnL043Bk9j2u5ho=w235-h320" width="235" /></a></div></div><b><a href="https://jivanaheyman.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">Jivana Heyman</span></a></b>, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Community Forums, a Podcast, and a popular Ambassador program. He’s the co-founder of the Accessible Yoga Training School, and the author of <i>Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body</i> (Shambhala Publications), as well as the forthcoming book, <i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion</i> (Shambhala, Dec. 2021).<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3111923957559796453" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/"><span style="color: #45818e;">Facebook</span></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en"><span style="color: #45818e;">Twitter</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en"><span style="color: #45818e;">Instagram</span></a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ"><span style="color: #45818e;">YouTube</span></a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021"><span style="color: #45818e;">here</span></a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/"><span style="color: #45818e;">here</span></a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div style="clear: both; font-size: 13.2px;"></div></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); color: #666666; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"></div></span></div>MLWilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15181207837742344075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-31119239575597964532021-10-06T08:00:00.003-07:002021-10-06T08:50:36.784-07:00Five Things Ayurveda Wants You To Know About Yourself<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aJ_9jbqsxwc/YUYNie8CqaI/AAAAAAAACQU/HzoGMiAPNmcozo3tMQvNcltPc4KqCxFcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/photo-1506368249639-73a05d6f6488.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aJ_9jbqsxwc/YUYNie8CqaI/AAAAAAAACQU/HzoGMiAPNmcozo3tMQvNcltPc4KqCxFcACLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/photo-1506368249639-73a05d6f6488.webp" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five soup spoons each holding a different colored powder <br />on a white table-cloth with green herb leaves, seen from above </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /> by</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Chara Caruthers</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />Have you noticed that we are up to our ears in health and wellness solutions these days? The airwaves and inter webs are overflowing with pills, programs, supplements, and exercise plans all designed to keep us healthy and yet the data shows that even before the pandemic, the world was facing more health challenges than ever before! <br /><br />We've also got more technological advancements and a greater understanding of the body and what causes illness and disease than ever before. But somehow a disconnect exists between what we think and know, and how we act and feel. Ayurveda is stepping into that gap.<br /><br /><i>Why “Old School“ rules</i><br /><br />Ayurveda has been around for centuries. It comes from the same traditions as yoga, and like yoga, its ability to transform minds and bodies makes it a compelling choice for wellness seekers. It's not a diet or an exercise program and, contrary to popular myths, it doesn't require a voracious appetite for curry! It's a powerful way of looking at yourself and your world that connects the dots between who you are, how you think, what you do, and how you feel. <br /><br />The beauty (and power) of Ayurveda is in its simple message... First know yourself, and then above all else love yourself. It's a time-tested body of wisdom that helps you understand why this is vital to your health and then provides some of the tools you need to do it. But first, there's just a few things Ayurveda wants you to know...<br /><br /><i>You're not like the rest</i> <br /><br />I bet you already know this, but according to Ayurveda, embracing it is one of the keys to your health and happiness. As an individual with a unique combination of physical, mental, and emotional qualities, the way you relate to the world is specific in every way to you. And your “formula” for health and happiness will be a unique combination of food, activities, environments, and relationships. Understanding what works for you (and you alone) is a matter of asking the right questions and knowing where to look. <br /><br /><i>You are forever in flux</i><br /><br />According to Ayurveda, everything that goes on outside of us, goes on inside of us as well. Your mind and body experience daily and seasonal changes just like everything in the environment around you. In practical terms this means that who you were when you hopped out of bed this morning is slightly different to who you are now (and who you'll be later). Tuning in to YOUR daily, and seasonal, cycles provides powerful clues for understanding how and why you act and feel the way you do. It also reveals simple things you can do to be at your very best throughout the day and the year. <br /><br /><i>You're made of the same things as the stars... and your sandwich</i><br /><br />Our current understanding of the universe is that it's made up of approximately 118 elements … (and counting). Ayurveda recognizes just five... Space, Air, Fire, Earth, Water, which combine to organize and define everything we experience including ourselves. Our elemental signature (or <i>dosha</i>) informs the qualities most predominant in our minds and bodies (e.g., hot and sharp like fire or stable and nurturing like earth). Simplifying our world in this way helps us easily understand how the things around us impact our health and well-being. Hot things such as fire, chilies, or anger heat us up and can lead to “hot” issues like inflammation, infection, or rage. Dry, light, moving things like air, travel, and processed snacks (crackers, chips, etc.) can dry us out, create agitation in the mind and body, and lead to things like constipation and anxiety. Our elemental signature also gives us clues to our mental and physical tendencies (i.e., depression, hostility, forgetfulness), allowing us to recognize and balance them!<br /><br /><i>Everything around you is either medicine or poison<br /></i><br />Those clothes you're wearing today... how do they make you feel? How about the music you listened to most recently, or the burger you ate last night? According to Ayurveda, everything we come into contact with (yes, everything!) has the potential to either support or sabotage our health and wellness. Identifying your “poison” (be it gluten or the guy in the next cubicle) and your “medicine” (maybe it's sunshine or corny jokes) is a matter of paying attention to the way your mind and body respond to the things around you. Knowing our “poison” and our “medicine” empowers us to make better informed choices for prevention and treatment of issues.<br /><br /><i>Your digestion runs your show</i><br /><br />In the Ayurvedic model everything we experience is a form of “food” for the mind, body, or soul, including all the sights, sounds, emotions, ideas, and sensations that we encounter every day. Digesting this volume of “food” is no small task (it makes Thanksgiving dinner look like a walk in the park!). The mind and body must work together to distinguish and assimilate the good stuff and let go of what doesn't really serve us. And when that process is undermined or overloaded it compromises everything! Moderation is the Ayurvedic mantra. And gratitude along with giving yourself (and your digestion) a break, are perhaps the most powerful health and wellness tools around.<br /><br /><i>The best place to start...</i><br /><br />The bottom line, and the underlying message of Ayurveda is start with YOU. <br /><br />Seeking outside of ourselves for answers to our biggest challenges (mental health, disease management and prevention, confidence, energy) leads us to feeling powerless and stuck. We can only change this by embracing that our ability to look radiant, feel energized, choose powerfully, and connect authentically and passionately with the world starts with a willingness to know AND love ourselves.<br /><br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wd1yjNE1m74/YUYvjHVD2tI/AAAAAAAACQc/r6KINeS0BxUF0xdyBpDxtene3lH7nsqgACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/chara_caruthers-updatedv2%2B-%2BChara%2BCaruthers.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wd1yjNE1m74/YUYvjHVD2tI/AAAAAAAACQc/r6KINeS0BxUF0xdyBpDxtene3lH7nsqgACLcBGAsYHQ/w206-h320/chara_caruthers-updatedv2%2B-%2BChara%2BCaruthers.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div>Chara Caruthers</b> ERYT-500, YACEP; Level 2 Yoga Teacher (Yoga Australia), C-IAYT, Ayurvedic practitioner/educator (CAP-NAMA), Registered Ayurvedic Practitioner(AAPNA). Chara Caruthers is a passionate and outspoken voice for the power of living your truth. An international teacher, speaker, advocate, and mentor for women’s wellness, she has inspired and motivated a global community of women of all ages to live juicier and more connected lives by embracing the principles of yoga and Ayurveda. She is a certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), a professional Ayurvedic practitioner and a writer. Her most recent book is called “Eat Like You Love Yourself: A modern guide to Ayurvedic cooking and living”, and she’s the creator and presenter of an online TV series of the same name now available on Gaia. wwwblissbodyandsoul.com</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chara Caruthers will be presenting at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-37873803902470347292021-09-29T07:30:00.011-07:002021-10-07T08:32:08.067-07:00Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis: Breath Awareness and Multiple Options<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgCOd_OQ0Xc/YVJfDaRuRLI/AAAAAAAACQs/G3KRpXZaBLcY0PzmxyJd0x6tiK4zqRA5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5486.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgCOd_OQ0Xc/YVJfDaRuRLI/AAAAAAAACQs/G3KRpXZaBLcY0PzmxyJd0x6tiK4zqRA5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/IMG_5486.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students with MS in yoga class, Oakland, California<br />Four women doing Warrior 2 pose, two seated in foreground, <br />two standing by wall in background, facing away, mats, props, and a cane<br />on floor near students</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Patrice Priya Wagner<br /><br /><br />When I teach yoga to people with multiple sclerosis (MS), I bring a first-hand knowledge of the disease because I was diagnosed with it in 1988. My illness has progressed slowly over the years with some invisible symptoms like fatigue and heat intolerance worsening much more than any visible manifestation like difficulty walking. The way MS presents in each individual can be so different that I often call it a "designer disease;" it's hard to find two people with the exact same set of symptoms showing up to the same degree. <br /><br />In my teaching, the breath leads each part of our practice because it's the main connection between body and mind for all of us. At the start of a session, we pay attention to our natural breathing pattern and scan through our body to get a baseline reading on how we feel at that moment in time. After observing the breath, we'll gently begin to take deeper and slower inhalations and exhalations perhaps using the <i>ujjayi</i> breathing practice. Slowing and deepening our breath before starting warm-up stretches is never wasted time since it can show us the way to a steady mind and can set the mood for our entire practice and, perhaps, for the rest of our day.<br /><br />Observing the breath continues into the <i>asana</i> practice---as we feel how our body moves into, holds, and comes out of poses. I encourage staying aware of the breath while doing poses for two main reasons. Not only does a slow, steady breath keep us comfortable as we move from pose to pose but, in addition, if we notice that our breath has become shallow or labored it serves as a warning that we've gone too far in a pose or stretch and need to ease up.<br /><br />When I cue stretches and poses, I always offer more than one variation so students can choose what works best for them. Not only does this let everyone feel included in the class regardless of their physical ability but it also encourages self-agency to individuals who may have lost touch with their bodies or stopped trusting themselves to choose what's best for themselves.<br /><br />As the end of class nears, teaching the subtle practices of <i>pranayama</i> and meditation doesn't involve a one-size-fits-all mentality either but, rather, requires suggesting different approaches for students to find their way to an internal space of quiet, calm, and safety regardless of what they may be going through in their life.<br /><br />Just as the breath helps keep us comfortable and safe while doing <i>asana</i>, it can offer deeper states of relaxation during the concluding parts of class: <i>pranayama, yoga nidra</i>/guided relaxation, and meditation. My experience living with MS since 1988 and teaching yoga to people with MS since 2008 has been that using the breath to steady the mind may be the most helpful and direct way to find comfort for those of us living with this disease. <br /><br />Resources for teaching variations on poses:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-family: inherit;">Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Jivana Heyman</span></li><li><i style="font-family: inherit;">Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Mindy Eisenberg</span></li></ul><div><br /></div>Patrice Priya Wagner will be presenting at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3W7CYXH_TU/YVJgPA8rlvI/AAAAAAAACQ0/aJVpnc6gH5g_fPQ9pyNO8aT-1Pa-WBw9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s316/PatricePriyaWagner.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="316" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3W7CYXH_TU/YVJgPA8rlvI/AAAAAAAACQ0/aJVpnc6gH5g_fPQ9pyNO8aT-1Pa-WBw9gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h191/PatricePriyaWagner.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Patrice Priya Wagner</b> RYT 500, C-IAYT, has taught yoga to people with disabilities in Oakland, California since 2008. She trained with Integral Yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman, and Restorative Yoga with Judith Lasater. Priya has been published in New Mobility Magazine, Works and Conversations, Artweek, and Accessible Yoga's Blog. She's on Accessible Yoga's Board of Directors and currently serves as Managing Editor of the Accessible Yoga Blog.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-54823736817989443562021-09-22T08:00:00.005-07:002021-09-22T08:00:00.151-07:00Culture, Power, and Modern Yoga: Insights from the East and West (Part 1)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qgwqvCVEFGo/YFTzgWKPjUI/AAAAAAAACAc/a3ywwqXp1Iw3WlHLqhwaK7wzjz7U2KUhACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jay-castor-7AcMUSYRZpU-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qgwqvCVEFGo/YFTzgWKPjUI/AAAAAAAACAc/a3ywwqXp1Iw3WlHLqhwaK7wzjz7U2KUhACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/jay-castor-7AcMUSYRZpU-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Jay Castor (lotus flower floating in pond)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Anjali Rao and Lorien Neargarder<br /><br /><br />Yoga is a practice that liberates, transforms, is a path toward unity, and is inclusive of all humanity. As practitioners of yoga, we have all heard variations of this statement, but this is not accurate for many Americans, a reality we need to change. We are two yoga teachers from different backgrounds––Anjali Rao, an Indian American immigrant, and Lorien Neargarder, a natural-born American citizen––and we are united in our passion for sharing the practice that moves us and has transformed our own lives so deeply. </span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This article is the result of us asking, "Can we talk honestly, without fear, shame, or guilt, about the challenging problems with American yoga? And what if we tell the culture and community that we love that it can do better... and then it rejects us?" We trust that our yoga community’s acceptance is unconditional and hope this article will inspire you to speak up and help us shape a better, more inclusive yoga culture. <br /><br />American yoga has two major problems: it has become transactional and it is available only to those who qualify. This is at odds with yogic teachings, which describe the complex and rich practice of yoga as one that is rooted in deep spiritual meaning, the ultimate union of the human with the Divine. Interpreted without bias, this means that the ticket you need to practice yoga is to be human. But here in America you need more than your humanity to practice yoga; when you enter the yoga space with a class pass and a contractual mindset, you have already accepted a harmful concept of who should have access to yoga, set not by the yogic teaching but by the dominant culture (White, middle-class, Protestant people of northern European descent, heterosexual, and cisgender). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The dominant culture imposes its value system and is the gatekeeper of what gets accepted as “normal” or “valuable” or “successful” and therefore is the power wielder. The term counterculture refers to a group of society who oppose the values and lifestyles of the dominant culture and can provide positive growth for a stagnant or concretized culture. <br /><br /><i>Power Culture</i><br /><br />If you are unclear what the dominant American culture is, try the following exercise. Imagine you are in a yoga class, the one that you go to every time you practice or teach. (Well, now it's online because of the pandemic; nevertheless, it's your go-to class.) Take a look around at those rectangular mats. Who is showing up in your class? What is the age group? What is the gender and sexual orientation? What is the race that shows up? What is the range of physical and cognitive ability? Most likely it is someone who looks like you, if you are a teacher. If you are White, most likely the people who show up in your class are White. If you are White, chances are you are a teacher, or a faculty member, or a writer, or an “expert” in your chosen niche in yoga studies.<br /><br />Yoga originated in India, a country colonized by many European empires and where British colonists actually banned the practice during their rule in order to prevent the many anti-oppression movements of radical Yogis. And yet we don’t see many yoga teachers from India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh in mainstream classes and teacher trainings. There has been a modern neo-colonization of this practice and re-erasure of practitioners/teachers by the West. For someone whose ancestors were dehumanized for centuries, murdered, and impoverished by colonizers, to witness this ancient spiritual practice appropriated, commodified, and reduced to a solely physical practice for economic gain is re-traumatizing on many levels: psychological, physical, social, and financial. <br /><br /><i>Cultural Appropriation </i><br /><br />Cultural appropriation happens when a dominant group in a position of privilege and power (political, economic, or social) adopts, benefits from, shares, and even exploits the customs, practices, ideas, or social and spiritual knowledge of another, usually target or subordinate, society of people (<a href="https://www.yogagirl.com/read/yoga/from-harm-to-respect-exploring-cultural-appropriation">Barkataki, 2019</a>). Think about all the ways that strands of the yoga teachings have been pulled out of their context and culture in order to elevate someone in the American dominant culture, disregarding the roots of the practice. <br /><br />The <i>Bhagavad Gita</i> (composed around 400 BCE–200 CE) is one of the most sacred Indian texts; it uses the word "Yoga" 78 times in 15 of its 18 chapters, and is revered in India as the <i>Yoga Shastra</i> (<i>Shastra</i> means book/treatise). In the<i> Gita,</i> yoga is referred to in many different contexts, from the way we move and act in the world to our relationship with the Divine. In the West, yoga is White-washed and made “secular” by reducing the breadth and the depth of the practice to suit the commercial Western palate. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When we taught yoga in corporate settings, we were told to refrain from using Sanskrit, the language of yoga, lest it scare away the student, or “consumer.” The feelings of the White student/consumer are valued more than the Brown culture that it came from. Thus, the racial dynamic of White social-economic-cultural power that is outside of a yoga class translates completely into the yoga class at all levels: from expert to teacher to student. <br /><br /><i>Yoga has a power culture problem. We need more diversity.</i><br /><br />We disrupt the power culture when we de-colonize yoga and understand cultural appropriation by learning more about all cultures (including “White"), the context and the history of the yoga teachings, and diversify who we view as experts. We also disrupt the power culture by collaborating with diverse people, listening and trusting each other. Building trust takes time and consistent effort; it takes open and active listening and asking challenging questions of the other, especially when we come from diverse backgrounds. What has worked for us is an honest acknowledgement of our differences; we understand that our positions in this American culture, defined by the power and privilege accorded to us as White-bodied and BIPOC, are different, and hence our responsibilities and roles are different. Once these differences were named, we were able to find commonality in the way we view the world, through either Anjali's lens of subculture or Lorien's lens of counterculture. <br /><br /><i>Reflection Point.</i><br /><br />Look around your yoga class, and make a note of the group that shows up: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How diverse is the make-up of your class? </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">If the group is rather homogenous, how can you change this to build connections across different groups to invite more inclusion? </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">White folks, what do you need to be able to really hear the voice of someone who is BIPOC, or is different from you in other ways, without the hum of guilt? </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">BIPOC folks, what do you need to be able to share how you feel without fear of backlash?</span></li></ul><div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKSzBjwRnms/YFT0YUT5c4I/AAAAAAAACAk/-s_JvAQT4bEVqjzMOTxE9FBXWgqvgdxQACLcBGAsYHQ/s150/dsc_0142-edit-150x150.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKSzBjwRnms/YFT0YUT5c4I/AAAAAAAACAk/-s_JvAQT4bEVqjzMOTxE9FBXWgqvgdxQACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/dsc_0142-edit-150x150.jpeg" /></a></div>Anjali Rao</b> came to the Yoga mat at nearly 40 recovering from surgery from Breast Cancer. She studies, teaches, and writes about Yoga philosophy/ history from a socio-political perspective and is deeply interested in the intersectionality of race, culture, gender and accessibility of Yoga practices. She aims to make the practice Yoga on and off the mat accessible, helpful and joyful to people across ages, genders and abilities. She is a part of the teacher training faculty in 200 and 300 hour programs in the Bay Area and teaches Yoga for Cancer Survivorship for the Stanford Cancer Program. She serves on the Board for HERS Breast Cancer Foundation, a non-profit that helps survivors and those going through treatment regardless of financial status. She is a lifelong student of Indian Classical Dance, a sucker for puppies, loves dark chocolate, the ocean and old trees. <a href="https://www.yoganjali.me/">https://www.yoganjali.me/</a><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAVU8VoGdC4/YFT0gq9iPXI/AAAAAAAACAo/oTxxTgn4L2wFN6gCa0HGehlzTEIpu4uYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LorienNeargarder%2B2021.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAVU8VoGdC4/YFT0gq9iPXI/AAAAAAAACAo/oTxxTgn4L2wFN6gCa0HGehlzTEIpu4uYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/LorienNeargarder%2B2021.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Lorien Neargarder</b> (E-RYT500, C-IAYT) has been offering yoga practices in a variety of spaces since 2004 and has learned from the diverse spectrum of students who show up to these spaces: adult education program, elementary / middle / high school, businesses, family psychology center, psychiatric ward, pain rehabilitation clinic, oncology ward, library and yoga studios. She specializes in working with people diagnosed with cancer and started her own nonprofit in 2018 in order to offer yoga (and other support care) to them free of charge.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This article was originally posted in the Accessible Yoga Blog on March 24, 2021.<br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-865537374499109802021-09-08T08:00:00.001-07:002021-09-08T08:00:00.181-07:00When Poverty, Yoga, and Kids Intersect<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ITkhMZWeTMc/YTJHZvnW55I/AAAAAAAACPY/kMOO7FvfCaMuEC_2DsSHwIJa_dqH21hUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Colin-Lieu2%2B-%2BColin%2BLieu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ITkhMZWeTMc/YTJHZvnW55I/AAAAAAAACPY/kMOO7FvfCaMuEC_2DsSHwIJa_dqH21hUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Colin-Lieu2%2B-%2BColin%2BLieu.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colin Lieu stands with arms spread to either side at shoulder height,<br />In red sleeveless shirt and black slacks</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />by Colin Lieu<br /><br /> <br />It’s 3:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon and Elijah has students blowing into bubble solution in a lesson about elongated exhales, as part of his job interview and demo. Our students are loving it, Lionel even counts how many seconds Taraji is blowing out as others gaze in awe at how big the bubble is becoming. <br /><br />The way education circles talk about schools (and by extension, communities) in the Bronx, it doesn’t exactly paint an Amy Sherald picture of kids completely captivated in a class on breathing techniques.<br /><br />The median household income of a family in the Upper East Side of Manhattan’s District 2 is $108,725. Their English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rate amongst 6th graders is 74%. The median household income of a family in the Bronx’s District 7 is $66,89. ELA proficiency is 27%. <br /><br />“This is stupid,” says Benny. “I’m bored.” Looks like not everyone is sold. <br /><br />Lebron James now appears on the board. It’s a <a href="https://makeagif.com/gif/lebrons-meditation-during-the-timeout-eJ4p4t">gif</a> of him seated and meditating on the sidelines. Benny grips the front edge of his desk and leans in. <br /><br />Great move, Mr. Elijah. We’ve got to meet our kids where they are and work to uncover the points of entry available to us to get kids hooked into the content. <br /><br />Teaching yoga and mindfulness to kids, especially in underserved communities, ain’t easy. You can’t Michelle Pfeiffer (in Dangerous Minds) your way through it---with white savior tropes that center the teacher, not the student. It left a bad taste in 1995, and it’s not going to work in 2021.<br /><br />On these streets out here in the south Bronx, we don’t have what Manhattan offers: the 18 yoga studios in Chelsea, the weekly outdoor yoga classes in Union Square, or the flagship Lululemon store in SoHo.<br /><br />Teaching yoga in public schools can mean different things: teaching in hallways; teaching without yoga mats; teaching through nursery rhymes; teaching school administrators to actually believe the work and not just the jargon; and teaching kids to retie shoelaces. <br /><br />But none of the above are Taraji, Lionel, or Benny’s fault. Teaching yoga to poor kids demands an unwavering commitment to deliver Peleton-Standard lessons inspite of their circumstances. Kids who grow up in resource-poor communities should not be subjected to poor teaching quality, poor learning materials, or a poor teacher mindset. <br /><br />Our kids, a 10-minute subway ride north of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, deserve everything---and the kitchen sink. <br /><br />If you took on the task to educate kids in under-served communities, you better do the work---and self-work! Finding time and space to self-regulate is a privilege. Some of us carry the trauma of constantly being in “fight or flight” that it takes extra patience and consistency to create a brave enough space to let the walls come down and activate the vagus nerve’s calming response.<br /><br />At <a href="https://www.creoprep.org/">Creo College Prep</a>, our students take Health & Wellness class every day. We are committed to supporting our students to build self-care habits all while understanding we have to exercise non-attachment because how they use these tools after their time with us, is out of our hands. <br /><br />We are devoted to our higher purpose and trust things will fall into place. While the Upper East Side’s District 2 ELA proficiency is 41% for 6th grade students who have additional needs and Individual Education Plans (IEPs), Creo’s is 45%. We are in our third year and just getting started.<br /><br />Taraji claps to a steady four-beat as the class breaths in and out at the same pace---just as they did with Elijah 15 minutes ago. She sits back down and we listen to a guided meditation by Lebron James on the Calm app. <br /><br />This is how it’s done. See the best in your students. Tailor content and teaching style to be student-centered. Give students opportunities to lead. <br /><br />Elijah got the job. <br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YR6vg-NPcTc/YTJIAOGug1I/AAAAAAAACPg/SH8c__uy_JUkBgWD_PPuKuK1gSpmOfpPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Colin-Lieu%2B-%2BColin%2BLieu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YR6vg-NPcTc/YTJIAOGug1I/AAAAAAAACPg/SH8c__uy_JUkBgWD_PPuKuK1gSpmOfpPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w214-h320/Colin-Lieu%2B-%2BColin%2BLieu.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div>Colin Lieu</b> is a nurturer who works with young people to block out the noise and stay connected to their best selves. Colin is the Founding Dean of Wellness at Creo College Pre. He founded Multitasking Yogi in 2017 as a platform to bring the tools of mindfulness and self-care to vastly diverse spaces and populations: teaching in public schools; leading educator professional development workshops; and servicing community events. Multitasking Yogi teacher training offers an innovative way to nurture the next generation of wellness leaders. High school juniors and seniors already taking Multitasking Yogi classes have the opportunity to be placed on a specialized track to complete a Yoga Alliance 95-hr Registered Children's Yoga Teacher certification and become their community's next generation yoga teacher. He serves on the Board of Directors of Accessible Yoga Association. <br /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Colin Lieu will be presenting at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>.<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><br /></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-54358251009269040102021-09-01T08:00:00.001-07:002021-09-01T08:00:00.196-07:00Making Our Marketing Accessible and Aligned<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iz1nn_Wc4Dc/YSaMrO6fLgI/AAAAAAAACPE/GDCnJ07Bqbk20BJ2YR_bnUIFmQy6ZjPdACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/unnamed-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iz1nn_Wc4Dc/YSaMrO6fLgI/AAAAAAAACPE/GDCnJ07Bqbk20BJ2YR_bnUIFmQy6ZjPdACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/unnamed-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tristan Katz seen from waist up in black long-sleeve shirt<br />seated at a desk working on a laptop</td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Tristan Katz<br /><br /><br />Many yoga teachers feel a thing when they hear the word ‘marketing’—it might be dread, it might be a sense of being overwhelmed, or perhaps it’s just simply… ick. Yoga teacher trainings hardly cover the basics of marketing, and so we go out into the world with our 200-hour certification knowing we have to do it, but often feeling unsure about where to begin. Enter Accessible Marketing. <br /><br />Accessible Marketing is an invitation to bring your yoga into your business---if you're someone who chooses to create a business bringing your teaching into the world. Accessible Marketing is an acknowledgement that only you know how to speak about your work in a way that aligns with who you are and why you do what you do; it’s an acknowledgment that each of us has different capacities, lived experiences, perspectives, and growth edges. <br /><br />Systems such as capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy can lead us to feel disconnected from ourselves and others; yoga invites us back into connection. And marketing can be explored from this place—from a place of connection both with ourselves, and with others. Because ultimately, marketing relies on something we’re already doing, which is teaching. We can and must explore ways to bring what we’re already sharing in our classes and offerings into our marketing. When we embrace this exploration, we are more likely to truly reach people with our unique voices and gifts, and we’re more likely to cultivate relationships. This is the core essence of marketing. It doesn’t have to be transactional. It doesn’t have to feel forced. And it doesn’t have to make you want to pull your hair out. <br /><br />Accessible Marketing is an exploration of strategies and best practices so that you can find your way through this practice, and so that you can integrate what you’re already doing in your own work as a teacher and student of yoga into your marketing.<br /><br />Accessible Marketing centers on the nuanced discussion of how each of us have different roles to play based on our identities and the realities of systemic oppression. In order to grow our work and stay aligned with yoga and social justice—which is really an extension of the yogic teachings (think <i>ahimsa</i> or non-harming, for example), we must engage in a conversation about how we show up and take up space, and how we might be contributing to social change, equity, and genuine belonging, or potentially perpetuating harm.<br /><br />It can be hard to share about our offerings beyond sharing our weekly class schedule. In order to truly connect with our audience, and with new students, we must learn how to create content that actually serves our community—content that makes an impact. Though many of us might not see a connection between yoga, social justice, and marketing, the truth is—especially at this moment in our culture and world, yoga, social justice, and marketing go hand in hand. </span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTE7aOlagGo/YSaNcKdk45I/AAAAAAAACPM/e5_aJVCUyq87jOnfY2xl7z16wCQ9cHZEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/unnamed-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTE7aOlagGo/YSaNcKdk45I/AAAAAAAACPM/e5_aJVCUyq87jOnfY2xl7z16wCQ9cHZEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h214/unnamed-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tristan Katz</b> (they/them) is a writer, educator, and digital strategist specializing in business and marketing coaching-consulting, web and graphic design. Based on the ancestral land of the Cowlitz and Clackamas peoples, now known as Portland, OR, Tristan teaches workshops and trainings centered around queer identity and trans* awareness with an intersectional lens, along with justice-focused digital marketing strategies for yoga and wellness professionals. Through their podcast, articles, digital resources, and workshops, Tristan supports those who seek to grow their work while staying aligned with the practices of yoga, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Tristan Katz is a member of Accessible Yoga's Board of Directors and will be presenting at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>.</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-56585569199702847112021-08-25T08:00:00.001-07:002021-08-25T08:00:00.184-07:00Variations and Not Modifications<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_QZGiMoQm5NZMgHQpTuNoaMmlnARulrLLxLnkzsLocYPNlan5TTO2v_YTeKlNb3aQjbjTDER2PORS1k3XsuOn2o_uCfFcQa5dswM__okE2LjltLH_d8mjQJESXq8XIlbKdI2nO5wOhN1gfUCkZRj0t9bys6i6qdvrAvi_UNoYur-IFaXKgNOlKQzY=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_QZGiMoQm5NZMgHQpTuNoaMmlnARulrLLxLnkzsLocYPNlan5TTO2v_YTeKlNb3aQjbjTDER2PORS1k3XsuOn2o_uCfFcQa5dswM__okE2LjltLH_d8mjQJESXq8XIlbKdI2nO5wOhN1gfUCkZRj0t9bys6i6qdvrAvi_UNoYur-IFaXKgNOlKQzY=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalia Tabilo in black sleeveless shirt and leggings <br />laying on side, supported by blocks, bolsters </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />by Natalia Tabilo<br /><br /><br /><i>Saying "modifications" perpetuates the idea that you're not doing a 100% yoga, that a full expression of the pose exists, that there is a goal when the invitation of yoga is to be with yourself, with your mind and body in this very moment. That's why I invite you to say "variations" and not modifications because everything is 100% yoga!</i> <br /><br />Since I started practicing yoga something happens in my body and mind when a teacher says, “if you need to modify” or “if you can't do this,” something similar to a knife through the heart. For so long I felt I was doing less, that I wasn't being able to do and enjoy the “complete expression of the pose,” that I needed to push, work harder in order to achieve that goal of having the gift of doing the complete, full, or traditional posture.<br /><br />With time, and after becoming a yoga teacher, I've come to realize that apart from how "modify" is said (even though it might come from a place of love it can still be a loaded word) it is when it is offered. It is not that per se the word "modify" is wrong, it is because traditionally the “modification” in yoga comes after the teacher realizes someone is struggling or “can’t do” the traditional version of the pose offered.<br /><br />This is when things start to get weird, students are singled out, maybe offered some props to go to the rescue (even though those props should have been available and the teachers should have taught how to use them from the beginning), or even worse, students are left out, unseen because the instructor doesn't have the tools to offer adequate variations beforehand. Or a teacher is just not interested in giving options because that person “doesn't belong to the target audience” or their class is not made for that type of student (shockingly, yes, this has been used as an excuse when I’ve asked yoga teachers why they don’t offer choices to students in class.)<br /><br />That's why I embrace, promote, and encourage that we use the word variation instead of modification, not necessarily as a synonym, because, at least in the way I teach and share yoga, variations are way deeper than offering a modification when someone can't do something. They are synonymous with freedom in your practice, they are a way of honoring and meeting the needs of your body and mind.<br /><br />Every day is going to be different in our bodies and minds, that's why we need to offer variations, options, exploration, and freedom every single time, without making assumptions, without choosing for our students, it is their practice! <br /><br />Variations are for all bodies! They are not modifications when someone "can't do" something, they are choices and freedom for your body and mind. And the beautiful thing about variations is that they are for everybody! Anyone can benefit from choosing for themselves! And this freedom on the mat translates to life, in the way we relate with others, in the way we set boundaries and truly know what we want and what we don't. <br /><br />And remember, just because you live in an able body doesn't mean that you will want to do or you will enjoy the most challenging variation every single practice! Just because you live with a disability doesn't mean that postures like <i>chaturangas</i>, planks, or inversions will not be available, there's always a variation for you! You can choose do a chair practice at any life stage, teenager or senior! You're the owner of your practice.<br /><br />As I always say: Your body, your practice, that's why as yoga teachers we need to offer the opportunity to explore what feels good, and what your body and mind need at this very moment. <br /><br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9IwfHrkLH6d9wWmAa6jY5fLJH_dW82sS15wdhLl743A6haC8UX8vqtHy-UqvZsd_kJHIzP343KHC2FIZnnKLuk1-JsA77N2jZjjZWxGIdzpDf-DbEKiBuGk-o8lxj-7DJMfCgmyCyX4u3dZuSHWqepUpHNmENMxY7R32JVOR18jMWwugLwFrCcpCk=s640" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9IwfHrkLH6d9wWmAa6jY5fLJH_dW82sS15wdhLl743A6haC8UX8vqtHy-UqvZsd_kJHIzP343KHC2FIZnnKLuk1-JsA77N2jZjjZWxGIdzpDf-DbEKiBuGk-o8lxj-7DJMfCgmyCyX4u3dZuSHWqepUpHNmENMxY7R32JVOR18jMWwugLwFrCcpCk=w320-h214" width="320" /></a></div>Natalia Tabilo</b> (She/Her) is a Body Positive 500 RYT yoga teacher, journalist, and the founder of Yoga for All Bodies.™ She was born in Chile and now lives in San Francisco, CA. After feeling left out and unseen in yoga classes, she decided to create Yoga for All Bodies,™ an inclusive and accessible practice based on variations, sensations, and freedom to meet and enjoy your body and mind where you are today. She loves Yoga props and in all her classes variations (not modifications, because everything is 100% Yoga), are offered using them! She truly believes that you don’t have to be thin, young, flexible, or strong to live and own your yoga practice! That’s why she always says “Your body, Your practice.” To fulfill the promise of sharing Yoga for All Bodies,™ she is certified in Vinyasa, Yoga for All, Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga, Accessible Yoga, The Roll Model Method, Restorative, Yin, Yoga Nidra, Somatics and Trauma-Informed Yoga. You can know more about her on the website <a href="https://yogaforallbodies.com/">https://yogaforallbodies.com/</a> and her Instagram @YogaforAllBodies <br /><br />Natalia Tabilo will be presenting at the <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a>.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-51208870089131671972021-08-18T08:00:00.001-07:002021-08-18T08:00:00.186-07:00Nina Zolotow on Yoga for Anxiety<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7OCVeN9IzM/YQqzKOSikvI/AAAAAAAACN4/tmRWPZh7rpwC_mOYulWe2YikZJPHKlUJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7OCVeN9IzM/YQqzKOSikvI/AAAAAAAACN4/tmRWPZh7rpwC_mOYulWe2YikZJPHKlUJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light in the forest, photo by Brad Gibson<br />(Trees on hill in shadow with rays of light <br />streaming through and illuminating from behind)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Recently I had a chance to interview Nina Zolotow on her ideas about Yoga for Anxiety, her upcoming workshop with Barrie Risman on the topic, and here's what she said.<br /><br /><i><b>Priya</b>: Tell me a little bit about yourself and what brought you to yoga?<br /></i><br /><b>Nina</b>: I’m a long-time yoga practitioner and a certified yoga teacher who focuses on yoga for emotional well-being, which includes stress, anxiety, anger, depression, and insomnia, as well as on yoga for healthy aging. In my yoga career, I’ve actually done most of my “teaching” through my writing. I’m author/co-author of four books on yoga—my latest “Yoga for Times of Change: Practices and Meditations for Moving Through Stress, Anxiety, Grief & Life’s Transitions” will be published in Spring 2022—and I’ve been blogging for 10 years now on the Yoga for Healthy Aging blog, which I’m also the Editor in Chief of. I do also teach specialized workshops, however.<br /><br />I originally came to yoga in my twenties as a form of exercise because I felt it just worked really well for my body and I enjoyed the practice. It wasn’t until many years later after I had already had some problems with anxiety and depression that I learned from Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden how helpful yoga can be for emotional well-being. <br /><br />The thing is, not all yoga practices are helpful for people with those types of problems. So you can’t just “do yoga.” There’s actually a lot to learn about how to use yoga effectively to target stress, anxiety, or depression. Once I realized this, I started studying these topics as much as I could. And as I learned more and more, I changed my own practice to help myself become more balanced and that worked! I haven’t had serious problems with anxiety since then. <br /><br />Ultimately, one day I had an epiphany that I should become a yoga teacher so I could share with others what I had learned over the years about how to use yoga for emotional well-being. So after many years of being a practitioner and writing about yoga, I decided to take a 500-hour training at the Berkeley Yoga Room, with my main teacher Donald Moyer. I also took various workshops with people like Patricia Walden and Roger Cole as well as various yoga therapy workshops to supplement what I learned in my teacher training.<br /><br /><i><b>Priya</b>: I hear you're offering a workshop on yoga for anxiety with Barrie Risman---what got you interested in this topic?</i><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Nina</b>: As I said earlier, I’ve been interested in yoga for anxiety for a long time and I’ve actually written about it in my new book. But the reason this workshop came about is that both Barrie and I were noticing that a lot of people were having problems with anxiety during the pandemic. And recently, even though there are now vaccines and more ability to see our family members and friends, some people were saying their anxiety was even worse and they didn’t know why! Barrie even said she was having anxiety, which is highly unusual for her.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />To me, this wasn’t surprising because the chronic stress of the last year and half could very well be triggering anxiety in many people. And being stressed out for that long isn’t easy to recover from—you don’t just instantly snap out of it. But yoga can really help with these problems because with regular practice you can use yoga to reduce your baseline stress levels while at the same time you reduce your feelings of anxiety. So I said to Barrie, “I think we need to do an online workshop as soon as possible so we can help as many people as we can with their anxiety.” (And for people who can’t attend the online workshop, we’ll be offering a recording of it.)<br /><br /><i><b>Priya</b>: Is there one limb of yoga that helps the most with anxiety, such as meditation perhaps, or does each limb have a way of helping?</i><br /><br /><b>Nina</b>: I’m assuming you’re asking about the eight limbs of yoga in the Yoga Sutras For now, I’ll start by discussing those eight limbs, but everyone should keep in mind there are other yogic techniques, both ancient and modern, not to mention other limbs that can help with anxiety besides the eight limbs of classical yoga. <br /><br />As far as Patanjali’s eight limbs, goes, your question is important because there is an assumption that all eight limbs can help in some way with anxiety. For example, people think oh, meditation is quieting so obviously it’s good for anxiety or they think <i>pranayama</i> would be good for anxiety because it’s always calming to work with your breath.<br /><br />In fact, meditation is not typically recommended for anxiety because being alone with your thoughts can increase your anxiety! So starting a meditation practice when you’re experiencing anxiety is considered a bad idea by the experts I’ve consulted. Of course, if you’ve been meditating for years already and it doesn’t increase your anxiety, you could still meditate. But then obviously meditation is not actually helping your anxiety and you should do something else in addition to meditating. <br /><br />Many people also have the mistaken impression that <i>pranayama</i> is always quieting. Yes, breath awareness and <i>pranayama</i> practices that lengthen the exhalation or that pause at the end of the exhalation are calming and those can be very helpful for those with anxiety. But there are many practices that should be avoided, especially those that are stimulating (practices that lengthen the inhalation or that pause at the end of the inhalation). In addition, for some people just focusing on the breath can cause anxiety, so they shouldn’t do any breath work at all.<br /><br />So I’m going to say the two most important “branches” for anxiety are <i>asana</i> and the <i>niyama svadhyaya</i> (study of the scriptures) in the <i>niyama</i> branch.<br /><br /><i>Asana</i> is so powerful for helping with anxiety because when you learn about which poses are calming (and which are not), you can really reduce your anxiety and stress with the right yoga poses. And because yoga poses bring your mind into your body, you’re not focused on anxious thoughts, which can give you some respite.<br /><br />And I include study of the scriptures because I think that yoga philosophy can help you accept impermanence and uncertainty, and to face challenges in your life with more equanimity. Changing the way you think about your life—taking a more yogic approach—is so helpful for reducing anxiety. The <i>Bhagavad Gita</i> is a good place to start. <br /><br />For example, I overheard my husband, who is not a serious yoga practitioner, talking to a work colleague about how he was going to follow the wisdom of the <i>Bhagavad Gita</i> as he engaged in a political battle at his work. He said like Arjuna he was going to fight for what he believes is right while trying not to be attached to the outcome. That’s a great way to reduce stress and anxiety!<br /><br />The Yoga Sutras also contains some very interesting ways of working with your thoughts and <i>Tantra </i>Yoga philosophy includes many powerful ideas that can help you cultivate equanimity as well.<br /><br /><i><b>Priya:</b> Can you give us examples of what helps?</i><br /><br /><b>Nina:</b> The first principle of practicing yoga for emotional well-being is that everyone is different and what helps one person might not help another. We all have different bodies, different personalities, different temperaments, different preferences. So I always give people a whole menu of things to try to see what works for them and what doesn’t. Some of the things on that menu are:<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Active poses can burn off the excess energy that’s often associated with anxiety.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moving with your breath in gentle </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">vinyasas</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> can bring you into the present moment.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stretching your hip joints can release physical tension and stored energy to relax you.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Supported inverted poses can calm you down.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Restorative poses can soothe you.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prone poses (that face the floor) to comfort you. These including supported prone poses, such as Child’s pose and Prone </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Savasana</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, as well as supported forward bends. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">For those who like them, calming breath practices can reduce anxiety.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guided meditations can help you relax without being left alone with your thoughts.</span></li></ol>(Jivana’s book <a href="https://www.shambhala.com/accessible-yoga.html">Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body</a> shows how to make many of the poses listed above accessible.)<br /><br />But I also always say, “If it’s not working for you, it’s not working for you.” So always keep in mind that if something that is supposedly calming isn’t having that effect you on, there is nothing wrong with you. You should just move on and try something else instead. Something may even work for you that’s not on my menu, say, like <i>mudras </i>or chanting. <br /><br /><i><b>Priya</b>: Is there anything else you'd like to add?</i><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Nina</b>: I just want everyone to know that anxiety isn’t something that you need to be at the mercy of. You can take charge of it! I think of this as a simple two-step process. First you need to learn about what anxiety is, what causes it, and how it is related to chronic stress. From there, you can then learn about which yoga practices help reduce your anxiety and stress and which do not, and then start to practice the helpful ones regularly. It can make a huge difference in your life!<br /><br />So I hope that some of your readers with anxiety—and those who teach yoga to students suffering from anxiety—will join Barrie and me for our Yoga for Anxiety workshop on Saturday, August 28, because our focus will be providing you with all the information you need to get started with practicing yoga for anxiety. See <a href="https://www.barrierisman.com/yogaforanxiety" style="font-family: inherit;">barrierisman.com/yogaforanxiety</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for more information and to register.</span><br /><br />I also have a lot of information on my blog about anxiety that’s useful for both practitioners and teachers. See <a href="https://www.yogafortimesofchange.com/yoga-for-anxiety-big-picture_10/">Yoga for Anxiety: The Big Picture</a> to get started. If you want to send me questions about anxiety to address on the blog, go to <a href="http://yogafortimesofchange.com/">yogafortimesofchange.com</a> and use the Contact Us form there to send me a message. <br /> <br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOsSFPFw0Nc/YQq6D2pd5pI/AAAAAAAACOA/PaA8JJiFmk0EMYwUOy25o9B_nzfBbALdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Headshot-for-Book%2Bcopy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="500" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOsSFPFw0Nc/YQq6D2pd5pI/AAAAAAAACOA/PaA8JJiFmk0EMYwUOy25o9B_nzfBbALdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h317/Headshot-for-Book%2Bcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nina Zolotow</b>, RYT 500 is the co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being and the editor-in-chief of the Yoga for Healthy Aging blog. A certified yoga teacher as well as a long-time yoga writer, she teaches workshops and series classes on yoga for emotional well-being, yoga for stress, yoga for better sleep, home practice, cultivating equanimity, and Yoga for Healthy Aging. Nina is also the coauthor, with Rodney Yee, of Yoga: The Poetry of the Body and Moving toward Balance.</span><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-20113556131378062872021-08-11T08:30:00.011-07:002021-08-11T08:30:00.226-07:00Caregiving is my Yoga Practice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z04YXfqt6bs/YQwpTG7YjwI/AAAAAAAACOI/ohfpuMT1fSItbnco0FHSkPHht656KmXAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/madison-lavern-4gcqRf3-f2I-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z04YXfqt6bs/YQwpTG7YjwI/AAAAAAAACOI/ohfpuMT1fSItbnco0FHSkPHht656KmXAQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/madison-lavern-4gcqRf3-f2I-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black woman in blue tank top seen from waist up, <br />turned slightly to her right, hands in prayer pose, eyes closed<br />Photo by Madison Lavern on Unsplash</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />by Tanisha Hubbard-Hood<br /><br /><br />My mother suffered an aneurysm rupture in August of 2020 and was left unable to walk and talk, let alone take care of herself. Although I had been a parent for many years, I was now forced into this role as a caregiver for a disabled parent--a role I reluctantly took on. I was definitely not prepared at all for what was being asked of me, and I want to share how caregiving informs my personal practice and teaching.<br /><br />Examine and build relationships. The relationship between caregiver and the bodies they care for is not only crucial but it’s an intimate one. The work calls for you to see this other person in their most vulnerable and human state. Who is this human in front of me and how does my connection to them affect the type of care I am providing? Is it a close family member or a complete stranger? I strongly believe that any emotional ties or stories we have to the person we are caring for can show up in different ways and it's important that we lean into the practice of examining our own hurt, biases, and conditioning. Our unique lived experiences shape how we relate to one another and the work we do as caregivers is no exception. Honoring humanity in others as well as ourselves is essential.<br /><br />As a student and someone who shares the practice of yoga, examining and building relationships is also important when it comes to holding and facilitating movement space. I always have to keep in mind that my students are whole human beings who bring their own experiences, biases, and unique understandings to the practice. This practice also requires that I examine my own thought patterns about my body and my relationship to it and its limitations as I show up on the mat. As I care for my mother, I have to be aware of how I care for myself in the process.<br /><br />Welcome shifts and new perspectives. Becoming a caregiver requires a lot of shifts. Sometimes this means changes to living situations, routine, and often lifestyle. Sometimes I find myself wanting to spontaneously do ‘things’ and then realizing that it’s not always possible. Tasks that seem as simple as a trip to the grocery store with my mother require planning ahead for those assisting someone with limited mobility as I am. Are there handicap accessible parking spots? How many bathrooms are located where you are going? Is there room to navigate the space with a wheelchair? I also want to acknowledge that my personal grief from these shifts comes with a layer of privilege and ableism as I have never before had to think about these scenarios. <br /><br />As a yoga teacher and space holder, I never know who is going to show up to the space. While I may have a set plan or "flow" for a particular class, I must remain open-minded and ready to throw it all out so everyone is seen and included. I can recall many times where I was strictly teaching from a place of what I could physically manage, and it’s guaranteed that I caused harm. These days I welcome opportunities to be creative and curious in real time as different abilities and bodies show up in the spaces I hold.<br /><br />Be willing to be vulnerable. Caregiving is LABOR and it is hard. Those providing care are worthy of also being cared for and resourced. We wouldn't expect a person working a 9:00 to 5:00 to not sleep, shower or eat, let alone do it for no pay or breaks. Resource yourself and get help from others, if and when necessary. Be mindful of your capacity to give care. You do not have to do it all and you don't have to do it all the time. It takes bravery to say I can’t or will not do this right now.<br /><br />I solely<a href="https://www.coretocoeur.com/app/teacher/2309/profile"> teach <i>asana</i> and movement classes online </a>because of Covid-19. Being able to hold space virtually has relieved the financial burden and stress of commuting to studio settings and finding alternate care for my children and disabled mother. However, teaching from home isn’t without its challenges. Being in-person allows me to leave my messy family life behind, even if temporarily. Teaching over Zoom invites people to witness all my mess: kids fighting in the background, my oblivious mother screaming at me from another room, the unswept cheese puff crumbs littering the living room floor. Vulnerability is a new and messy practice for me and I have been getting in the habit of naming the mess at the beginning of each class and sometimes deliberately inviting it in. There have been numerous times where I have had to console a crying child while teaching <i>asana</i>. Neither my teaching or practice as a caregiver exist in a vacuum and both inform the other.<br /><br />While we still have our not-so-good days, I am grateful for this work and practice as a caregiver. It's a practice in boundary setting and service, and a daily reminder that we are all temporarily able-bodied. For those who are new to this role, I invite you to lean into your own humanity and consciously align your core values with how you show up and care for others.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw4RWLzA0jc/YQwrpHQADLI/AAAAAAAACOY/XnnBcHo6uJU0RwdxS5h_TMkM9ZT5I9sywCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210517_161405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1987" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw4RWLzA0jc/YQwrpHQADLI/AAAAAAAACOY/XnnBcHo6uJU0RwdxS5h_TMkM9ZT5I9sywCLcBGAsYHQ/w194-h200/20210517_161405.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>Tanisha Hubbard-Hood</b>, or Tan (they/them/she), is a caregiver, movement instructor, Yoga student and aspiring activist. While the physical practice of yoga is what drew them to the mat, it was the calling of something deeper that led to the decision to complete a YTT. The introduction of the 8-limbed path during training was the starting point of their curiosity of the intersection of yoga and social justice. Forever a student of the practice, Tan is always eagerly seeking out spaces where crucial conversations around accessible wellness and movement are being held. This includes completing workshops/programs for Yoga For 12-Step Recovery, Accessible Yoga, and Skill in Action. They believe in empowering others to disrupt the narratives and stories that uplift perfectionism and hyper-productivity. In movement classes, expect practices that encourage individual healing, as self love and care is a part of collective liberation. You can find Tan teaching weekly virtual <a href="https://www.coretocoeur.com/app/teacher/2309/profile">live classes</a> and engaging in her role as Teacher Community Manager at <a href="https://www.coretocoeur.com/">Core to Coeur</a> <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-76890783749461831782021-08-04T08:30:00.011-07:002021-08-04T09:05:07.246-07:00Removing What We Are Not<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wY6S6L1oPU/YQM0eg1wZhI/AAAAAAAACNc/0YS04m8CF4UGoBTVxdgbGzV6ZdrsmAyRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ShannonKaneshigeChairLunge.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wY6S6L1oPU/YQM0eg1wZhI/AAAAAAAACNc/0YS04m8CF4UGoBTVxdgbGzV6ZdrsmAyRACLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/ShannonKaneshigeChairLunge.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Shannon Kaneshige</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br />Most of our yoga practice is removing what we are not, certainly most of my practice is.<br /><br />Removing all of the things we have been taught to think about ourselves. Our socialization. Our Doxa. All of those things that we mistake for us. Sometimes it is amazing to think I am most myself when I am doing nothing. Just existing. <br /><br />Like a lot of folks, I was taught, implicitly if not explicitly, that I am what I do. I am what I produce. That “being” is active and when you take away the activity…nothing is left. <br /><br />For me this has created two major issues. The first is that I feel I have no value outside of what I can provide others, so much that I often feel my identity is built around others’ needs. The second is that this mindset makes rest seem wasteful. It tells us that rest is a holding pattern while we prepare to “do,” or rest is something done in service of labor.<br /><br />The question I keep coming back to: If I am most myself while resting, or just being, but I find myself overcome with anxiety and guilt while resting because I am no longer serving others or providing labor—then how much time have I actually spent being me?<br /><br />Pardon my existential crisis.<br /><br />I do feel like I know who I am, but I only ever get stolen moments and fleeting glances during meditation. Glances of the me who exists outside of labor, guilt, and all of those things that overwhelm and separate us. The me who doesn’t feel alone and isolated, who reaches out for that universal connection I know is there without fear. <br /><br />And I am afraid. I am afraid that without this anxiety and worry, the me I know, the one I think is writing these words, will disappear and I will find that I was simply a container for fear, pain, guilt, and expectation. Afraid to let go of that container, even when the reward is peace.<br /><br />Meditation allows me to stop identifying with the container. To see who I am without grasping and reaching and hiding. My practice is reconnecting to me, not who others want me to be or who my ego thinks I am, but to allow the me I have met in meditation to permeate my whole life. <br /><br />To be me as much as possible--completely present in my life and the lives of others. To remove the veils of labor and expectation to truly comprehend that I inherently have worth as I am and allow others to see me as I am.<br /><br />If you have come to my classes you have probably heard this meditation. It was one of the first I wrote and the one I return to the most.<br /><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Most of our practice is removing what we are not.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We are not our production.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We are not the expectations others have for us.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We are not the expectations we have for ourselves.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We are not our worries, our anxieties.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We are not our thoughts.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When we let go we find space to breathe</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">and the space to be simply be,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">perfect as we are.</span></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg9PdhQsxE0/YQM1zZwutPI/AAAAAAAACNk/QSO1Si5HAo00OpVto4ee9TYNbzoJKIaPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Shannon_Kaneshige_jpeg1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg9PdhQsxE0/YQM1zZwutPI/AAAAAAAACNk/QSO1Si5HAo00OpVto4ee9TYNbzoJKIaPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/Shannon_Kaneshige_jpeg1.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>Shannon Kaneshige</b> (they/them or she/her) is a fat non-binary yoga educator who offers inclusive and accessible fat-positive, trauma-sensitive, LGBTQIA+ affirming yoga. They help folks use movement to reconnect with their bodies and learn to take up space on and off the mat. In Shannon's classes you can expect a focus on sensation over shape, and the freedom to find asana in your body as it exists in this moment.<br /><br />Shannon teaches online classes and workshops via their online studio Fringe(ish) Fat Positive Yoga. Sliding scale, private, and online classes are available through Shannon's website <a href="http://www.fringeish.com/">www.fringeish.com</a> Shannon is currently based in Toronto on Anishinabewaki, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation land. Certifications: RYT 200, Yoga for All, Accessible Yoga<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Shannon Kaneshige will be presenting at <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-56290969403086077142021-07-28T08:00:00.016-07:002021-07-28T08:41:01.656-07:00Yoga and Advanced Aging: Teaching in Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Care Spaces<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nWItcOsH--A/XFDXxRROhSI/AAAAAAAAAnE/njlEVAjf3z8Y6-12MPWjDn4y7HVyg2qGACLcBGAs/s1600/music-1928-1.jpg%2521PinterestSmall.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nWItcOsH--A/XFDXxRROhSI/AAAAAAAAAnE/njlEVAjf3z8Y6-12MPWjDn4y7HVyg2qGACLcBGAs/w288-h320/music-1928-1.jpg%2521PinterestSmall.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Music," Dorrit Black, 1928<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post first appeared in the Accessible Yoga Blog Feb 2019.<br /><br /><br />By Carey Sims<br /><br /><br /><b>Part One: Shifting Expectations and Embracing Possibilities</b><br /><br />When we use a phrase like “Yoga for Seniors,” what do we mean? Who are we referring to? Most often we think of students in their sixties or seventies who are ambulatory, independent, and adjusting their practice to accommodate their changing bodies and brains. But what about students in later stages of the aging process? Or students with dementia? What techniques and practices would be beneficial for them?<br /><br />I often say that if you can effectively teach yoga in an assisted living or skilled nursing facility, then you can teach to anybody anywhere. Teaching in a senior care facility is a lot like teaching in a gym; the energy of the space is often antithetical to what you are bringing in and looking to share (which is all the more reason to be there). These can be challenging environments to navigate and are not always ideal places for yoga classes. <br /><br />For instance, in my experience, having a dedicated yoga space is usually not feasible. The majority of my classes take place within a larger communal room and the energy outside of our yoga bubble is often frenzied and chaotic. We may hear the TV blasting from a resident’s room down the hall, or nurses and staff holding conversations within earshot, other times a confused resident roams about anxiously, or a family member arrives to take a loved one out of class for a visit or doctor’s appointment. All of these distractions and disruptions can be quite frustrating. Students feed off of my energy and I have learned to let those little annoyances go. When I embrace creativity and adaptability, my students are able to stay engaged, focused, and calm.<br /><br />Conversely, the collective mood in the building is at times depressed and languid. This is only natural. Many residents are heavily medicated and are negotiating a great deal of pain, illness, and loss. On the days the energy is off or a bit low, getting students to participate in class can be a struggle. This is where I need to look for small hints of connection. There are many times I feel like I am practicing by myself, but careful observation reveals focused effort and participation. Students that look like they are napping are actually breathing on cue and others perform small movements in the feet and fingers when I am demonstrating larger movements in the limbs. Unity is revealed in simplicity.<br /><br />The real joy is noticing a shift in the communal energy at the end of class. The grounding is usually palpable. From the outside it may not have looked like a lot was going on, but we touched something deep within our shared humanity through our smiles, our breath, and our community. Isn’t that what we are after in our yoga practice—the experience of connection?<br /><br /><br /><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7Yp5aLm4W4/YO4fSUQlNzI/AAAAAAAACLo/sUY-ECf2gNoFqVbF04aVO1o1ItlaASEUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/CareySimsHeadshot.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7Yp5aLm4W4/YO4fSUQlNzI/AAAAAAAACLo/sUY-ECf2gNoFqVbF04aVO1o1ItlaASEUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/CareySimsHeadshot.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Carey Sims</b>,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> E-RYT500, NASM-CPT lives in Charlotte, NC. His mission is to to help students explore their bodies and breath in an accepting and non-judgmental way. He teaches at NoDa Yoga and offers Chair/Adaptive Yoga classes at various senior living centers in the Charlotte area. He is an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, a Love Your Brain Ambassador, and leads continuing education workshops on Chair Yoga and Adaptive Yoga. </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />This article is part of a series exploring the practical application of yoga in Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Care spaces. Carey will share some of the challenges he has encountered teaching in these environments and offer practical techniques that he has found useful in sharing yoga with this population.<br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">here</a> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-39093483382007540062021-07-21T08:30:00.002-07:002021-07-21T08:30:00.179-07:00Through A Yogic Lens: Is It Really Cultural Appropriation? Or Something Deeper?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-idLj07fAUX4/YPWhrbz2WCI/AAAAAAAACMo/wH6FbAo9-sYVDn6-hBt6B0IZVN5qXufKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/photo-1622207691293-5cd80466dab3.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-idLj07fAUX4/YPWhrbz2WCI/AAAAAAAACMo/wH6FbAo9-sYVDn6-hBt6B0IZVN5qXufKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/photo-1622207691293-5cd80466dab3.webp" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian woman's head wrapped in scarf, with <i>bindi</i> <br />between eyebrows, <i>maang tikka </i>jewelry on forehead</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />by Anjali Sunita<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />We’ve all seen it: the deity tattoos, the turbans, self-appointed spiritual names, goddess circles, Yoga business courses, pornographic Yoga pose selfies, events described as “tribal” galore. If you like Yoga or are of Indian ancestry, you will have been berated with these aesthetics through the algorithms on Instagram or Facebook.<br /><br />In the past decade, discussions about cultural appropriation have moved from academic and legal spheres to mainstream political controversy. On the far right of the cultural appropriation debate, you have defenders of artistic evolution and free market self-expression, fearing censorship by the “culture police;” and on the far left there are those seeking acknowledgment of roots and cultural values, resisting “cultural cleansing” by assimilation. Is it really so black and white?<br /><br />Savitha Enner, a Maryland-based Yoga teacher who was born and raised in India until the age of 27, presents a bigger picture:<br /><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Every country has an aspiration…and virtues, and values, and actions…the way you act usually; there is the culture. In India, one of the main values for your life is making your life sacred. That means, if I am a farmer, I am going to treat my farmland as my god, so I have rituals, <i>pujas</i>, prayers, festivals, a few times a year to worship the farmland, because that’s where I get the fruit of my labor. If I am a student, I have prayers, <i>pujas</i>, and festivals a few times a year to celebrate books, knowledge, writing instruments like pens and even computers.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If I have a job where I service the country…one of the sayings that will be put up on a building would be ‘your work is god’…even your car…because that is the mode of transportation. So pretty much anything that is useful to you is sacred. By that definition, we can extend it to Yoga…how do you treat things that are sacred to you? You are going to treat it with gratitude…humility…love…. Nobody has to tell me Yoga is sacred, or not; it just is. The more useful it is to you, the more sacred it is to you. So you do not have to ask anybody about whether I should say ‘<i>Namaste</i>’ or not, whether I should put up a deity or not. If you think Yoga practice is sacred to you…act accordingly, act in a way that feels that Yoga is sacred to you and it will be fine.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />Between all the pithy memes of digital activism, Indian practitioners are painted with the same brush, a monolith of cultures and perspectives. Some question whether digital activism truly honors diverse values of the diaspora and ancestors. Savitha’s perspective shows there is a wider range of response than what we see in trending click bait. The danger in it is that those who looking for a single Indian person to approve and validate their behaviors as well as those who romanticize Indian people and cultures may take her statement as justification for any action they wish to justify, rather than genuinely inquiring into one’s relationship to the sanctity of life.<br /><br />Frequently online, at best, we sit at the surface. Well-wishers seeking not to offend will ask for a list, a never-ending education of do’s and dont’s. Do I or don’t I say ‘<i>Namaste</i>’? How do I wear and hold prayer beads? Should I wear <i>bindis</i>? Should I or shouldn’t I speak Sanskrit names in classes? Frequently the onus of education lands on an isolated South Asian practitioner who will be either pedestaled or gaslighted for her/his/their opinions. If the opinions are unwanted, a troll will pitch in the obligatory, “If you are so unhappy here, you should just go back home” or “Nobody owns Yoga!”.<br /><br /><i>Identities Not Trends</i><br /><br />It is not a coincidence that a conversation that frequently begins with cultural values, meanings, and practices quickly devolves into debates over citizenship and ownership.<br /><br />In an article entitled <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0001839221993475">From Patañjali to the “Gospel of Sweat”: Yoga’s Remarkable Transformation from a Sacred Movement into a Thriving Global Market</a>, recently published by Administrative Science Quarterly, Kamal Munir, Shahzad Ansuri, and Deborah Brown report, “Yoga went from a movement underpinned by a religious and meditative philosophy that took years to learn to one that advocated weekend courses to become a Yoga instructor. Yoga postures were copyrighted and franchised. The representation of Yoga in popular discourse, and the values associated with it, also underwent transformation. Its image went from pictures of Yoga gurus meditating in loincloths to athletic women in acrobatic poses that represented a blend of ballet, gymnastics, and Yoga. Many of these women emerged as the new gurus serving as role models for urban middle-class women the world over.” <br /><br />Once inspired by Hindu philosophy, led by ascetics who provided an antidote to the individualism, greed, and consumerism fostered by capitalism, the meaning and values of Yoga were changed to meet the market. They outline how the Yoga movement was first “de-essentialized,” untangled from its socio-historical context, then syncretized with markets; and lastly, borrowed codes from related movements, in this case, the New Age and fitness movements. Part and parcel of capitalism, they note that "movements seeking to infuse markets with moral values often end up utilizing the market mechanism and support from mainstream actors to scale up, even if it comes at the cost of diluting their founding ethos."<br /><br />At the center of many debates around cultural appropriation is the publication Yoga Journal, as it provides a perfect example of the capitalization and whitewashing imagery associated with Yoga media, excluding or marginalizing the image of BIPOC. The very <a href="https://www.yogaisdeadpodcast.com/episodes/2019/6/5/ep-1-white-women-killed-yoga">first episode of the viral podcast Yoga is Dead</a>, Tejal Patel and Jesal Parikh call out Yoga Journal’s response to the American Hindu Association, when they complained that Yoga Journal doesn’t reference Hinduism (www.yogaisdeadpodcast.com). Yoga Journal responded to the American Hindu Association saying that Hinduism “carries too much baggage.” Jesal and Tejal provide a second example of the whitewashing imagery, when Yoga Journal agreed to put Jessamyn Stanley, a full-bodied queer black femme on the cover, but then seemingly threatened by this emerging market for larger bodied BIPOC, split the cover with a skinny white woman. What rots beneath the surface of the cultural appropriation debate are untold histories. Beneath these heated protests of magazine covers of skinny white women are generations of grief and trauma resulting from both the racism in America as well as the colonization on ancestral lands.<br /><br />In my life, I have witnessed marginalized groups teased, bullied, discriminated against, and physically harmed for expressions of cultural heritage, while those in the dominant group profit from those same aesthetics. My mother came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship in 1969, four years after The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was passed, which abolished laws prohibiting Asian immigration to the United States. My family stories consist of how during the years of Vietnam some anti-war American white male student protestors, protesting the university my mother attended for holding classes, dehumanized her as she tried to go to class: touching my mother’s braids; pulling on her saris; and in a terrible accent saying “What would Gaaaandy do?” meaning “Mahatma Gandhi,” as they accosted her with “Americans are dying Bitch.”<br /><br />Did they view all South Asian, South East Asians as the enemy? Was my mother’s road to becoming an American inconsequential to their fights for “Americans?” A rhetorical question meant for deeper inquiry: Why did they do this? Unlike them, she pushed her way to class in 1969 with her student visa at stake, until one day a physics professor sexually assaulted her while attending a session for extra help. Unable to go back, she failed physics, and had to shift to a less prestigious university so as not to be deported.<br /><br />In her later years, she has written (in her book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Where-Monsoons-Cry-Lalita-Noronha/dp/1888018321">Where Monsoons Cry</a>) about how during her scientific career, she cried the day she put her saris in a suitcase under the bed, as they had become a spectacle at her office. Every day men would ask her how long it took her to get ready for work. Yet on any given day in a Yoga studio across America or online, a white kirtan artist is chanting poorly pronounced Hindu deity names over blaring sound systems, in a sari, with <i>moortis</i> on the floor near her feet. For those first generation Americans like myself, who stumble into a Yoga center to reconnect to cultural heritage, Yoga spaces can feel like looking at our lost relics. (This is usually when someone makes the argument that pointing this out is divisive, that “We are all One” before explaining some Universalist principles and transcendental philosophy.)<br /><br />In a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/08/21/to-the-new-culture-cops-everything-is-appropriation/">2015 article in The Washington Post</a>, writer Cathy Young wrote, “To the new culture cops, everything is appropriation: Their protests ignore history, chill artistic expression and hurt diversity.” Young defends cultural appropriation at large, balking at protest against it as “an obvious potential to chill creativity and artistic expression… equally bad for diversity, raising the troubling specter of cultural cleansing.” Her defense begs the question, what about the cultural cleansing marginalized people endure every day within every American institution? Are we really all “One”? Many Desis have experienced that the multicultural “melting pot” idea is a grand illusion of “diversity” and oneness. In reality, this image of a diverse country has never been about equally blending the world’s flavor into one big soup; it has been about fitting in, assimilating, into a heavily salted soup in which diverse flavors are overpowered, cooked down, or dissolved within one or two generations.<br /><br />Our truths are diverse. Some people with marginalized identities choose to accept cultural appropriation because fetishization, while irritating, is preferable to bullying. David Min writes in his Duke University Chronicle column in 2019 <a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/11/cultural-appropriation-as-neo-imperialism-asian-american)">milk before cereal</a>, “I’m willing to let authenticity take a backseat — as bad as that sounds — when my entire existence has been predicated on finding a survival strategy to exist in this world…While I’m aware that the West’s underlying assumptions about Asians have hardly changed, this newest fad certainly makes it easier to live.” Certainly, I often think: who am I to complain about seeming trivialities when my biracial body is light skinned and I have it so much easier than my mother. However, while some might argue like Min that oftentimes our criticisms of cultural appropriation begin from both a privileged position and internal insecurity of our own identity, I will continue to argue is that our conversations about cultural appropriation are often brushing against greater social and systemic inequities.<br /><br /><i>Omissions Matter </i><br /><br />Many of us with South Asian ancestors, born and raised outside of India, who choose to respond to the issues of appropriation, are seeing in our mind’s eyes childhood memories of micro-aggressions. In "Microaggressions in Daily Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation," <a href="https://www.uua.org/files/pdf/m/microaggressions_by_derald_wing_sue_ph.d._.pdf">Gerald Wing Sue</a> defines microaggressions as “the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” <br /><br />I have memories of my mother coming to elementary school for our social studies class, showing 2nd graders India on a map, and dressing our white teacher in a sari while placing a <i>bindi </i>on her forehead. This generosity was met with mixed reactions: fascination, indifference, and teasing by my classmate as she pulled on her eyes to make them squint (nonsensical given how large our eyes are). “Because of the word “micro,” many people (read: non-white people) consider instances of microaggressions to be brief and relatively harmless; but there is nothing micro about microaggressions. Many psychologists refer to the impact of microaggressions as ‘death by a thousand papercuts’ for those that experience them on a regular basis.” (Nicole Cardoza, <a href="https://www.antiracismdaily.com/archives/acknowledge-the-harm-of-microaggressions-anti-racism-daily">Anti-racism Daily</a>).<br /><br /> We witness macro-aggressions, too, like the over <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/columnists/sikhs-have-been-living-in-fear-of-hate-crimes-since-911/article4468643/">700 hate crimes</a> that took place against Sikhs post-September 11th attacks. While this community was targeted for brown skin, turbans, and long beards, post the September 11th attacks the Kundalini Yoga industry continued to grow as mostly white Americans with beards, in turbans, profited. As of May 2021, a Dolce and Gabbana-printed cotton-blend turban sells on <a href="http://mytherasa.com/">mytherasa.com</a> for 635 British Pounds. It is the appropriation rooted in the inequities of crony capitalism that frequently sparks protest.<br /><br />In a 2020 article in GQ, <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/the-trouble-with-cultural-appropriation">entitled Cultural appropriation: everything is culture and it’s all appropriated</a>, George Chesterton, another defender of appropriation, seeks to minimize the inequities that are the harmful residue of colonialism when he writes, “Some believe culture is exploited like land or natural resources were exploited by colonialists, but desecrating a landscape is not the same as desecrating an idea. The landscape can be ruined, but the idea remains.” This point of view omits historical facts about the real and damaging impacts of colonialism, the loss of authentic knowledge, cultural riches, and life that have resulted from systemic violence.<br /><br />I have taken numerous courses that sadly attempt to conceptualize Yoga history, for example, and completely skip the colonial periods altogether. We do not hear about how in 1773, the British banned wandering yogis (who they couldn’t land tax), associating them with “black magic” and thievery; or of the development of the “Thugee Department” of Intelligence, where British Intelligence captured such “thugs” to avoid mutiny against British rule. We do not hear about how India, once responsible for 27 percent of the world’s economy in the 1700s, was not only depleted to only three percent after the British completed their rule and looting, but how the country was made vulnerable to famine, which in combination with unceasing inhumane taxation killed an estimated 30–35 million people (asserted by Shashi Tharoor, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inglorious-Empire-What-British-India/dp/1849048088">Inglorious Empire</a>), threatening lineages.<br /><br />How often do we consider the impact on lineages and the culture morale of the people? Instead, we hear narratives about Krishnamacarya, as the godfather of Yoga presenting yoga circus-like feats for royalty, influenced by European gymnasts. Do we ever hear how in combination with institutionalizing British healthcare system and hospitals <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6omt8r5K6wY">Ayurvedic marma masters had their fingers cut off and were imprisoned for practicing their medicine</a>? Or do we simply accept Ayurveda as “alternative” medicine? We are told that innocent gurus came to the West to spread the message of universal peace. How often are we taught that prior to Swami Vivekananda’s riveting speech that introduced Yoga to the United States at the Parliament of World Religions in 1893 that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QwGXfz-h9o">he was chased by white supremacists</a>? Colonization has done far more than ruin landscapes. It greatly shifted the tone of how Yoga would be spread and later transformed.<br /><br />This and so much more is omitted in our learning of Yoga and Yoga history in the West. I could not do justice to the vast and complex colonial history of Yoga in South Asia in this article, but simply want to point out intentional omission of certain truths. The spirit in which Yoga history is told is comparable to the spirit of the American Thanksgiving story, which claims that colonial history of this land was based upon ideals of harmony and mutual respect, when if in fact it was based upon genocide and cultural erasure.<br /><br />Many Desis, those of the South Asian diaspora, don’t know (or perhaps we turn away from) the many painful aspects of our histories. We have never read about our histories in American history books. Perhaps Yoga history is so vast, varied, and ancient that it may be easier to focus on the distant past and the cultural richness that is also our history. Perhaps we are too proud. Perhaps we prefer the myth that we are a “model minority” and would prefer not to lose this privilege by upsetting the status quo. Perhaps our parents were working to survive and may not have known themselves or chosen not to teach us for our own emotional protection. Instead, we wind up in debates like <a href="https://fortune.com/2018/12/05/goops-gwyneth-paltrow-claims-popularized-yoga/">Gwyneth Paltrow stating that she is responsible for Yoga’s spread</a> — debates devoid of all context — when in fact, there are bigger elephants in the room.<br /><br />I once had hoped that showing compassion, learning and teaching Yoga would counteract some of that anxiety and fragility that circulates in these conversations, but I’ve come to realize: unless you understand the functions of imperialism and colonialism either through study or through being marginalized yourself, chances are you will, intentionally or unintentionally, approach cultural, healing, natural, medicinal, and spiritual arts and sciences with a degree of entitlement and inherent racism.<br /><br />To put it simply, with regards to cultural appropriation, I cannot write one more tweet or puff piece. It’s my view that learning history is essential alongside mainstream wellness education if we are ever to have genuine, meaningful, reciprocal cultural exchanges and have the courage to re-envision an equitable and honoring context for practice.<br /><br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E8PTP_cQ7Wk/YPWhMVEgaMI/AAAAAAAACMc/lIc_1m_hZ_85ZM8w0QEZ40i86j2jcRXMACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/AnjaliSunita.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E8PTP_cQ7Wk/YPWhMVEgaMI/AAAAAAAACMc/lIc_1m_hZ_85ZM8w0QEZ40i86j2jcRXMACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/AnjaliSunita.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Anjali Sunita</b> In addition to sharing Yoga sessions and Pranayama through Baltimore Yoga Village, as well as Ayurvedic consultation as part of Village Life Wellness, Anjali Sunita creates courses for dialogue inclusive of Yoga history and philosophy. Anjali writes the blog <a href="https://villagelifewellness.medium.com/">villagelifewellness.medium.com</a> and can be contacted through <a href="http://www.villagelifewellness.com/">www.villagelifewellness.com</a>. IG and FB @villagelifewellness; She is a graduate of the Sivananda Yoga Dhanwantari Ashram Yoga teacher trainings, the Ayurvedic Institute, and Oberlin College where she studied Theater and History with a focus on Gender and Colonialism.</span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Anjali Sunita will be presenting at <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was previously shared in villagelifewellness.medium.com</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/future-conferences/">here</a> for our next conference.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-84301180200324709452021-07-14T08:00:00.094-07:002021-07-16T10:46:09.327-07:00Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qi1mpETYCDU/YPB4n7_gvPI/AAAAAAAACL8/u1Qwh4XDbvsIQXiRCacN02GFo9ejeUpFACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/_Q6B7699.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qi1mpETYCDU/YPB4n7_gvPI/AAAAAAAACL8/u1Qwh4XDbvsIQXiRCacN02GFo9ejeUpFACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/_Q6B7699.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracee Stanley in pink silk gown, eyes closed, one arm around waist, other hand <br />by collarbone, laying on white carpet on floor with head, shoulders supported by white pillows <br />Photo by Chloe Crispi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">From <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity</a> by Tracee Stanley © 2021. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. [[pg. 73-85]]<br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Tracee Stanley</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>4. The Householder’s Flow</b><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Householder’s Prayer</i></div><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The altar is in my heart.</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun and the moon are my gurus.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I trust the earth to support me.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each time I close my eyes, I enter the void.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My heart is the portal to my sacred cave.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I whisper the names of the Divine as I prepare my meals.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I notice the flow of my beloveds’ breath as they fall asleep,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and I synchronize my breath to the flow of love.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I place a blessing in the pause between the breaths.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hold the power to create a new reality with every thought.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I honor silence as a blessing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I explore who I am and who I am not in the mirror of relationship.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I question my beliefs with curiosity and courage.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I honor my ancestors.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I lay down all self-doubt with compassion and forgiveness.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember the light of my soul as I enter the dream state.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recall the beauty of truth as I transition from sleep to waking.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know the vibration of truth.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember that nothing is mundane.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I honor the power of the transition as a portal to transformation</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything is an offering. My life is a sacred ritual.</span></div></span><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">—Tracee Stanley</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">DURING MY MORE THAN twenty years of teaching, the obstacle that people have consistently shared as standing in the way of their practice is time. When I first began practicing yoga over twenty-five years ago, I had plenty of time to practice. Back then, the workday ended the moment you left the office, most people didn’t have cell phones, and no one dared to call you at dinnertime because they knew it was family time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">For most of us today, that scenario seems like a dream. In fact, just trying to get people to put their phones down during a meal can seem like a chore. According to a recent survey, 71 percent of us are sleeping with our phones—in our hands, in our beds, or at least within reach on our nightstands.(<i>1</i>) We have created lives where our attention focuses on the external, gathering data and information, seeking validation through “likes,” and succumbing to intense FOMO (fear of missing out) that makes it hard to turn off the devices that link us to the outside world 24/7. This existence leaves very little room for exploration of our internal landscape, devotion to practice, spiritual study, the things that bring us joy or relaxation just for the sake of our own sanity and well-being.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">MAKING CHOICES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tech companies are banking on the fact that we would rather distract ourselves than be present to life. This was evident during “stay-at-home” orders at the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, when people ran to platforms like Instagram, Zoom, and Netflix to the point that they became overloaded and kept crashing. We are constantly making choices. But what influences the choices we make moment to moment? This reminds me of the simple but profound concept of desire and the idea that the seed of every thought, deed, and action is desire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Indian spiritual teacher, author, and scholar Eknath Easwaran translated this powerful verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”<i>(2</i>) When we consistently make choices that deny the importance of our inner lives in exchange for the things that are continually changing and not a real source of truth, we keep looking outward for validation and meaning. It’s called distraction, and by succumbing to it, we are giving our power away. All the energy that we possess is being dispersed and wasted in chasing things that can never bring us lasting happiness.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">If we can begin to explore the source of our desires, we will realize that they have the power to radically shape our lives. Next time you notice that you are procrastinating or allowing yourself to be distracted with things that waste time, ask yourself, <i>What am I avoiding? What am I denying myself by not being present? How do my actions contribute to my feelings of being overwhelmed by my life? How is this behavior shaping my life? Am I willing to change?</i> In a life that may include any combination of partners, jobs, kids, homework, family, pets, bills, aging parents, or building a business, we have so much to take care of just to get by. But the distractions keep coming—impulse shopping, internet scrolling, social media, online dating, or overindulging in general. The question is, what is it we are being distracted from? The answer is easy: our power.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">No matter how shiny those distractions are, they are not more brilliant than the eternal light that makes its home within you. Perhaps you have intuitively sensed that there is something more to who you are beyond what you see, that there is a part of you that is vibrant and thriving. Maybe you feel like you’ve lost that part of yourself under all of life’s overwhelming demands. But yogic wisdom tells us that the thriving, vibrant radiance is who we are, and it is eternal; it’s a light that never goes out. Remember the light inside the innermost tiny nesting doll? That light is your power source, your own unique ray of brilliance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nischala Joy Devi translated my favorite Patanjali’s sutra 1.36, <i>viśokā va jyotiṣmatī,</i> as saying, “Cultivate devotion to the supreme, ever-blissful light within.”(<i>3</i>) This sutra refers to a light within us that is beyond all sorrow, that is unaffected by our conditioning or life experiences. It is not tainted in any way. It is pure, blissful, and eternal. It was there before you had a name and will be there when you no longer have a body. I believe that part of our purpose in life is to taste this radiance. The remembrance of this radiance is one of the gifts of yoga <i>nidra</i>. In many yoga traditions, a light is said to reside inside the “cave,” or deepest recesses, of the heart. Remember that one of the sacred portals is the heart center.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, we give ourselves no chance of experiencing this inner light (think, the innermost nesting doll) when our focus is constantly directed outward. It might feel like modern life leaves us no choice but to be externally focused—unless we’re living in a cave somewhere. When we are living the life of a householder, which I define as those of us with duties and obligations to our families, jobs, parents, or pets, it can feel like there is little to no time for practice. You might fantasize about going to meditate in a cave and leaving all of your responsibilities behind. But what if instead your life as a householder held keys to your evolution? It can.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was vital for me to present this book in a way that incorporates practice for the householders—especially since most of us are not living in caves. The chapters in this part are meant to inspire you to reframe what your devoted practice looks like and to give you tools to carry on a practice no matter what life events present themselves.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">REDEFINING PRACTICE</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote the poem at the beginning of this chapter to remind myself that I have space and I have time, no matter how fast life is moving and how many things there are to do. I can always find moments during the day that connect me to my practice if I elevate my view of everyday life as not separate from my spiritual practice. If the poem resonates with you, you might consider printing it out and placing it on your altar (you’ll learn how to create one in chapter 5) as a reminder that you already have everything you need to practice. Because you do. Many times we look at spiritual teachers or “gurus” and think they are living “high up on the mountain,” untouched by the world. This is problematic because the world will change while they are up there in the clouds, and we may then be left with teachers who are out of touch or seemingly uncaring about the problems faced by those of us living a spiritual yet very worldly life. Having discernment about the teachers we choose and cultivating a relationship with our inner wisdom has never been more important.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">If we can reframe how we see practice and use the myriad opportunities that daily life gives us to do that practice, we won’t need to long for a cave or an ashram. Life becomes our practice, and we can take refuge at the altars of our hearts. Our practice reminds us that life is sacred, and we can experience the quality of radiance in our daily lives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently saw a man in a workshop in Vancouver scowling at me when I asked the group to join me in committing to a forty-day practice. I felt his frustration and said, “Are you wondering how the heck you’re going to fit this into your life?” He replied, “Yeah. I have five kids, and I’m a stay-at-home dad. There’s no way I’m going to be able to practice every day. It was a stretch for me just to be here for one day.” I felt a deep well of emotion rising within him. He desperately wanted to have time to dedicate to a consistent practice, and he was frustrated and sad that he couldn’t see a way to do that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I suggested to him and the group that we reframe the idea of what yoga practice looks like—more specifically, who a dedicated yoga practitioner is. Usually when we think of dedicated yoga practitioners, we visualize people who have many hours a day to meditate, study, and practice. We see them as very disciplined. They always seem to be reading the scriptures, discovering new teachers, trying new modalities, and going to workshops or on spiritual pilgrimages. This kind of time is a luxury and a privilege and not the case for most of us. We consider ourselves lucky if we can eke out time for a class once or twice a week. Somehow, we have gotten the idea that spiritual fruits are only delivered to those who have a lot of time, resources, and discipline to dedicate to practice. We decide that if we can’t do a full hour of practice, it’s not worth even bothering. But who said that a “practice” needed to be an hour or 90 minutes to be valid? That comes from the commercialization of yoga as a wellness product to be sold and not as a lifelong practice that can lead to spiritual freedom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s true that it can be a little daunting when you read in texts, such as the Yoga Sutras, that say the way to practice yoga is with consistency, for a long period of time, with no interruption.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">With no interruption? For most of us, that is a nonstarter. We feel like we are set up to fail; it’s easy to give up or not even begin. Let’s drop the idea that a practice needs to be an hour just because that is what yoga studios have been selling us for years. What if we stopped compartmentalizing and saw the whole of our lives as a spiritual practice? What if we explored the many opportunities during the day that can connect us to a deeper part of ourselves? What if that became our practice?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Try seeing your practice as a twenty-four-hour cycle. Each breath, <i>mantra</i>, pose, <i>mudra</i>, or contemplation you are able to thread into your day makes up your Householder’s Flow. Your twenty-four-hour practice can flow through all the states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Let it become the fabric that supports you as you take care of family, commute to work, prepare for a meeting, do classes online, bathe your children, and prepare for a night’s sleep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you really want to have a dedicated practice, it’s as simple as making the choice, then figuring out how that choice can fit your life. Let go of any comparison to what you think “practice” should be like and tune in to how you want it to feel. Be honest about what is possible for you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Yoga Sutras tells us that we should practice with steadiness and ease. Most of the time, we think of this as steadiness in our physical posture and letting go of effort as a form of surrender. But what happens when we are not practicing <i>asana</i>? Is it possible to adapt steadiness and ease into our daily lives? Learning how to bring a sense of steadiness into the ever-changing ebb and flow that occurs during each day and finding small ways to keep the sacred thread of our practice running through everything we do is the key to the Householder’s Flow. You can connect to steadiness by remembering the part of you that is eternal. Remember what it is that you have unwavering faith in. If you feel like you don’t have faith right now, consider what you would like to have faith in. Contemplate what it means to be awake to this sacred thread in every moment. Let discipline transform into devotion and your life will be a sacred ritual.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The practice of yoga<i> nidra</i> attunes us to the transitions between the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states. The transitions are where the power and the magic lie; each one is a little space of the void. There are many transitions throughout the day. If we can begin to be aware of these transitions, we can use them to stay more awake and present to our practice and to the little <i>nidra</i> moments every day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">As householders, we can turn every sunrise, every breath, every pause between the breath into a sacred portal into practice. The most potent portals are the moments when you are about to fall asleep and awaken. Just by using the simple 3- to 5-minute practices I’ve included in the practice chapters as a start and end to your day, you will create a twenty-four-hour flow of practice that can begin to give your waking life a new color—one of presence and grace. You may find your relationship to time and practice beginning to shift, and my hope is that you will then be able to incorporate the longer deep relaxation practices too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">PARENTHOOD AND PRACTICE</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I met a woman at a retreat in Austin who had completed a very rigorous yoga therapist training program and was getting back to her practice after five years away. She felt that when her child was born, she began to “lose the cushion between experiencing something and reacting to it.” Her years of practice had given her the ability to slow down and notice how she reacted to things and to be more present overall. She was able to delay reacting and to respond with better choices. But all the hours of practice and study hadn’t prepared her for motherhood and maintaining a consistent practice while caring for her child. Little by little, she “watched that cushion of sanity getting smaller and smaller until one day it was gone.” She felt she had lost her practice and her clarity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a feeling we can probably all relate to, as at one time or another, something we were doing consistently that made us feel great and healthy somehow got derailed and then eventually disappeared from our lives. Months later, we find ourselves thinking that we have to get back to it and we don’t know how. Another habit or responsibility has taken its place. I would say that this woman hadn’t really “lost” her practice. It was waiting for her in abeyance, like a forgotten bank account waiting for her to claim the funds. Her practice needed a radical reframing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">What kind of practice can you do when the baby finally falls asleep, and you have so many other essential things to do like take a shower or prepare a meal for yourself ? The answer is whatever you can. The practice chapters include short mini practices that can be done in 3 to 5 minutes. They are all portals into deeper states of awareness and sacred living while taking care of day-to-day demands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ashley, a new mother of a one-year-old, told me, “Once you don’t have as much time, everything that is unimportant falls away. You become clear that everything is a choice. You become more discerning.” In this way, the perception of lack of time can be one of the gems of parenthood. It allows us to practice detachment, to examine the root of our desires, and to sharpen our discernment. We can use the feeling of “no time” to get clear on what we want our lives to be about. We get to create new paradigms around how, where, and when we practice; to rediscover what a personal devoted practice looks and feels like for us; and to explore what our practice means for those around us. Kate Northrup, the author of <i>Do Less,</i> a mother of two, and a successful entrepreneur, says yoga <i>nidra</i> helped her with mental clarity and physical energy: “I felt like I had gone into a state of deeper stillness and calm than I had experienced in a long time.”(<i>4</i>)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">We get to reclaim that calm as a householder when we reinvent for ourselves what practice looks like. I have a dear friend, Bill, who has been practicing meditation in his car for over fifteen years. Every morning he goes into his garage, sits in his parked car, and does his meditation practice. His car is where he finds peace. It is comfortable, quiet, and free of distraction. He has turned his car into a meditation cave.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s important here to give yourself permission to find creative ways to see what works for you and what doesn’t. The more open you are to experimenting with little increments of time during the day, the more your practice will strengthen and blossom. Here are some tips to get you started. Choose one that resonates and start with that as a way to find your unique flow. Over time you can add others until you find what works best for your situation.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">FIFTEEN STEPS TO GET INTO THE TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR HOUSEHOLDER’S FLOW</span><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let go of the idea that your practice needs to be 15, 30, or 90 minutes long to be meaningful or valid.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of one long practice, try 2- to 3-minute mini practice portals that you can weave throughout your day. You can set the timer on your phone to remind you when to practice. Find time to lay down and practice the Body Awareness Exercise on page 64 or <i>Pratyahara</i> Practice on page 67 for 3 minutes. When you do have a few minutes of space to practice, notice how resistance to resting or practicing may show up. Be aware of what you feel called to do instead. Is it nurturing, supportive, or healing? Is your default mode moving you toward healing or toward distraction and staying stuck?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use your least favorite chore as a portal to practice. Chant, sing, or follow your breath while washing dishes, doing your taxes, doing laundry, or mopping the floor. Use your resistance as a way to turn the mundane into the sacred. You will find suggestions for <i>mantras</i> in the resources, but any song or affirmation that is offered with devotion will work.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leave a small space in your home—a chair, your yoga mat, a corner of a room, a closet, or even your car—set up and ready for your practice. Begin to see every seat as a potential meditation seat or yoga <i>nidra</i> nest. (You’ll learn how to set yourself up for the ultimate surrender in the next chapter.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Acknowledge your obstacles. Let go of being surprised and frustrated when they show up. Observe the barriers to practice that arise and the obstacles that you place in your own way. Be aware of which patterns keep showing up. How can you shift something to create a new outcome?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember that all the practices you do, no matter how small they may seem, are preparing you for deep relaxation, yoga <i>nidra</i>, and <i>truth</i>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Decide what you are willing to commit to.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect to the desire in your heart to deepen your practice and let that be what guides you. Even when you feel like you cannot “do” a single thing, connecting to that longing with a sense of gratitude that the fire is burning within you will support you. Connect to it with gratitude, as opposed to despair and disappointment that the desire has not yet been fulfilled; know that you are moving toward it. Connect with your faith that things can change. Remember the cycles of nature where nothing is permanent. There is a season for everything.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be creative. Look for the pauses, transitions, spaciousness, and silence. The day is full of natural transitions: sunrise, high noon, sunset, moonrise. Use these natural transitions to remind you to pause. When you pause, you create a natural void, so place a <i>mantra</i>, an affirmation, a bible verse, or a blessing for yourself in that space to empower yourself. These are the little <i>nidra</i> moments that will change your relationship to the practice.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use every relationship as a mirror to understand more about yourself. Notice your reactions and what beliefs you hold on to. Be willing to see another point of view as a way toward understanding. Examine conflicts and ask yourself, <i>Could I have created a more healing outcome for all involved? What am I not willing to admit about myself? What systems or conditions are present that prevent me from thriving and what resources are available to me for assistance?</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Find at least one friend who is like-minded with whom you can connect to share insights and experiences. Even if it’s a text to say, “I had a tough day today,” or “I meditated in my closet today,” or “I removed some apps from my phone so I would have more time to practice—I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner.” Use technology as a way to support your practice instead of as a distraction.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reframe your deep relaxations and yoga <i>nidra</i> practices as surrenders. Remind yourself, It’s time to surrender instead of It’s time to practice. Let go of the energy of doing. Yoga <i>nidra </i>is a practice of non-doing, and grace descends when you let go. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set up an altar at home. (Keep reading to learn more about how.) Let it be a reminder to pause at least once a day and remember your commitment to yourself.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you notice negative thoughts, replace them with kindness and compassion. Study and practice Yoga Sutra 2:33, translated by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait as “to arrest conflicting thoughts, cultivate thoughts opposed to them.”(<i>5</i>) This is said to be a way toward a peaceful mind. It also helps us become aware of our thoughts.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon as you wake up, bring awareness to the flow of your breath for 1 minute. Even if you have a child who wakes you up, you have a moment to say to yourself, What is my breathing like? Let me bring awareness to my breathing, feeling my navel rise and fall, while I am also bringing attention to my child. Can I hold the feeling of inner peace while experiencing that a part of my attention is also being directed externally? Parents are the best multitaskers around. You can do this!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be aware of the phases of the moon, taking just one moment each night to see the moon in the night sky. Remembering the phase from the night before, see if you can imagine the current moon phase in your mind’s eye prior to looking up. Offer a prayer, a blessing, or gratitude for her cooling light. Notice how you feel at each moon phase; look for patterns and take notes. Learn the last verse of Ratri Suktum (p. 188).</span></li></ol><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">SELF-INQUIRY</span><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recall a time when you directed all of your will to one thing. What was it? How did it feel? How did it change you? How can you tap into that force of will within you to commit to reframing your practice to a twenty-four-hour Householder’s Flow?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you have faith in? How can this help to shape and support your practice?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there someone in your household you can ask for support so you can take 3 minutes a few times during the day to do mini practices?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How are you careless or forgetful? When do you “check out”? Can you bring more presence and purpose into your daily activities?</span></li></ol></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br /><i>NOTES</i><br /><i>1. Groden, “How Many Americans Sleep with Their Smartphones,” Fortune. <br />2. Easwaran, Upanishads, second ed., p. 6. <br />3. Devi, Secret Power of Yoga, p. 279, Kindle. <br />4. Northrup, Do Less, p. 155. <br />5. Tigunait, The Practice of the Yoga Sutra, p. 174. </i></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JA763AsCyE/YPCO-P0DJcI/AAAAAAAACME/FHiG2o6754A4zSUhFM398XAVBSyVsTzugCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Tracee_bioimage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1438" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JA763AsCyE/YPCO-P0DJcI/AAAAAAAACME/FHiG2o6754A4zSUhFM398XAVBSyVsTzugCLcBGAsYHQ/w225-h320/Tracee_bioimage.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>TRACEE STANLEY</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is a noted and lineaged teacher of yoga nidra, meditation, and self-inquiry. Her practices are inspired by the tradition of Himalayan Masters and Sri Vidya Tantra, into which she was initiated in 2001. She is co-founder of the Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra School and created the Empowered Life Self-Inquiry Oracle Deck. Tracee travels internationally leading retreats, teacher training, and presenting at festivals and conferences including Oprah and Gayle’s Girls Get Away. She has online classes available at Commune, Yoga Journal, Unplug Meditation, Pranamaya, and Wanderlust TV. For more information, please visit </span><a href="http://www.traceeyoga.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">www.traceeyoga.com</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Tracee Stanley will be presenting at <a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/home-conference-2021">Accessible Yoga's Conference Online October 14-17, 2021</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Editor of Accessible Yoga Blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br />° REGISTER <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/future-conferences/">here</a> for our next conference.<br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-88225401676223480522021-06-28T08:00:00.128-07:002021-06-28T09:18:39.121-07:00Update About Accessible Yoga's Blog<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3-78mVwDSg/YM_DgucJUpI/AAAAAAAACKY/s6m0YMIj6g0fMS_tzx7gY6vOBgPh26PzACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/mayur-gala-2PODhmrvLik-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3-78mVwDSg/YM_DgucJUpI/AAAAAAAACKY/s6m0YMIj6g0fMS_tzx7gY6vOBgPh26PzACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/mayur-gala-2PODhmrvLik-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silhouette of person's hands forming heart, <br />Photo by Gala Mayur</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Accessible Yoga's blog will be taking a break in posting articles the first week of July </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">while</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> I take a vacation.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">An important piece of news for subscribers:<br /><br />Starting July 1, you will need to sign up </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://conference.accessibleyoga.org/newsletter-signup">here</a> to continue receiving blog posts in your email box---the free subscription program we've been using is no longer available to us.<br /><br />While I'm on a break you can look at old posts from the blog that you might have missed by clicking </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com">here</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> or going to: https://accessibleyoga.blogspot.com<br /><br />See you soon!<br /><br />----Priya, Editor</span></div><div><br /></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-20160501365347747782021-06-23T08:00:00.017-07:002021-06-23T09:00:03.138-07:00Toward a Queer Yoga<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_jfMqdpKtk/YMzR9B9aseI/AAAAAAAACJ8/KxV8q7AXFLopN8DHodI3vVkC6l7oZdGLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1704/lgbt-pride-flag-redesign-hero.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1704" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_jfMqdpKtk/YMzR9B9aseI/AAAAAAAACJ8/KxV8q7AXFLopN8DHodI3vVkC6l7oZdGLgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/lgbt-pride-flag-redesign-hero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gay Pride flag, updated design by Daniel Quasar<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is an excerpt from the upcoming book:</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion</i><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">2021 Shambhala Publications, Inc.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />by Jivana Heyman<br /><br /><br /><br />We each have a different role to play in creating an equitable and just world. The challenge is getting clear about our role, and standing shoulder to shoulder with others who are doing their own work. In this way, we are working separately, but together, toward liberation. This brings to mind the image of the rainbow, the symbol of the queer community, which I feel so blessed to be a part of. Our community is constantly teaching the world how to embrace differences, how to love, and how to be human on a spectrum of gender. My personal struggles as a cisgender queer white middle-aged Jewish man have been mild compared to what so many queer people endure for living their truth. Some are emotionally and physically tortured and even killed. <br /><br />Gay sex was illegal in the United States when I came out of the closet in 1984 and, shockingly, it’s still illegal in many countries and punishable by death in eleven countries.<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn1">[i]</a> In the United States, there are major inequities within the queer community. In particular, trans women of color have an incredibly high murder rate that goes mostly unnoticed and unchecked by society.<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn2">[ii]</a> Trans women of color started the modern gay rights movement and are often on the cutting edge of social change, yet they don’t often benefit from these movements because of systemic racism and transphobia.<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn3">[iii]</a> The Stonewall riots, which were the spark that led to the modern gay rights movement, were led by Marsha P. Johnson and other trans women of color.<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn4">[iv]</a><br /><br />Stonewall is a good example of rioting, and protest in general, as a force for positive change. The queer community had been oppressed for so long and denied basic human rights. Stonewall was an opportunity to speak up against an oppressive system that kept us as not only second-class citizens, but complete outcasts. Similarly, I’ve seen some confusion within the yoga community about the ethics of protesting during the Black Lives Matter movement, and I think the issue is one of basic human rights. If the system that you’re living in doesn’t respect your basic human rights, then protesting that system is ethical. In other words, supporting oppressive systems is unethical, and it’s our job as yoga practitioners to speak up against suffering wherever we see it. That’s the heart of <i>ahimsa</i>, non-harm. <br /><br />I bow to the queer leaders who are out there on the edge being themselves and challenging norms. I bow to our siblings lost to AIDS and celebrate the fact that as outsiders we can shine a bright beam of light on culture in a way that forces all of us to not look away. Although I feel protective of the queer community, I also know there is so much that we can teach the world. A queer sensibility is so often at the forefront of cultural transformation and renewal. The renewal I’m seeking is an embodied spirituality that catalyzes concrete change. I pray that this book helps lead to a small shift in our shared consciousness toward a place of acceptance, openness, and positive action.<br /><br />I’m hoping to share the gift of the challenges I’ve faced. My experience as a queer person has made me stronger, and more capable of love and compassion—because I know what it’s like to not be loved and to not receive compassion. This is the hidden power of the oppressed: the ability to free ourselves and others. We’ve seen this time and time again through-out history: Black trans women leading the gay rights movement, Black people showing us what justice actually looks like through Black Lives Matter. According to Paulo Freire, in his groundbreaking work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed:<br /><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This, then, is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power, cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn5">[v]</a></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />With this I mind, I hope to highlight the gifts of our shared suffering and consider how we can use that suffering to free ourselves and others. With this possibility in mind, I shine a light on the <i>Yoga Sutras</i> of Patanjali, but this isn’t Mr. Iyengar’s light on the <i>Sutras</i>. This is a queer rainbow of sparkling light shining from the twenty-first century. What I see in the Sutras is a pathway for personal liberation that emphasizes a loving, engaged, and extremely discerning mind. This is different from the traditional story we hear in the <i>Sutras </i>that feels more like the sad tale of a lonely soul searching for its own absolution. <br /><br />I also bow to the wisdom of the <i>Bhagavad Gita</i>, the song of God, and listen to the story of Arjuna, a person torn apart by the challenges of life. The <i>Gita</i> shows us how to transform our contemplative practice into action through service—action born from love. Krishna teaches us how our practice makes the mind clear so that we know how to act for the highest good. This is what the <i>Gita</i> calls “skill in action,” the ultimate goal of yoga. This is also the title of the groundbreaking book by Michelle Cassandra Johnson,<a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_edn6">[vi]</a> who approaches the idea of applying these ancient teachings to address the contemporary issue of racism and white supremacy. She explains:<br /><br />I do not see my practice of yoga as separate from the work I do to create a just world. They are one and the same to me. The way I practice and what I choose to center as the practice of yoga is focused on how we create a just world. Yoga is about selfless service, devotion, and knowledge. These paths are important keys to us realizing a world in which we all can be free. My practice of meditation and movement as well as the study of the <i>Bhagavad Gita</i> provide emotional and spiritual sustenance to me. This nourishment from spiritual practice allows me to fully see with clarity the ways in which injustice persists on our planet. Being spiritually fed pushes me to strive to do everything I do in my practice off of my cushion or mat in service to the collective good and our liberation.<br /><br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref1">[i]</a> Human Dignity Trust website, “Map of Countries That Criminalize LGBT People,” <a href="http://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation/">www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation/</a>).<br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref2">[ii]</a> Madeleine Carlisle, “Two Black Trans Women Were Killed in the U.S. in the Past Week as Trump Revokes Discrimination Protections for Trans People,” Time, June 13, 2020.<br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref3">[iii]</a> Isabella Grullon Paz and Maggie Astor, “Black Trans Women Seek More Space in the Movement They Helped Start,” New York Times, June 27, 2020.<br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref4">[iv]</a> David Oliver and Rasha Ali, “Why We Owe Pride to Black Transgender Women Who Threw Bricks at Cops,” USA Today, June 24, 2019.<br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref5">[v]</a> Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (London: Penguin Classics, 1993), 18.<br /><a href="applewebdata://C8AF955C-271F-45E1-97FE-FB0BA08DA7A5#_ednref6">[vi]</a> Johnson, Michelle Cassandra, Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World (self-published 2017).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nL_9c478lG4/YM0oyGV6g9I/AAAAAAAACKE/JxZjQBvoIIsMaGTYilGFeW87O_8CK0KOACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Yoga%2BRevolution_no%2Bspine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1516" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nL_9c478lG4/YM0oyGV6g9I/AAAAAAAACKE/JxZjQBvoIIsMaGTYilGFeW87O_8CK0KOACLcBGAsYHQ/w237-h320/Yoga%2BRevolution_no%2Bspine.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">You can pre-order</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Yoga Revolution <a href="https://jivanaheyman.com/yoga-revolution-book">here</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAW4gOYdLnI/YMp-LJlZRCI/AAAAAAAACJo/rMtpBr3hNWoDfHie64FjLOMkIQTrRP2sACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3971.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1589" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAW4gOYdLnI/YMp-LJlZRCI/AAAAAAAACJo/rMtpBr3hNWoDfHie64FjLOMkIQTrRP2sACLcBGAsYHQ/w246-h320/IMG_3971.jpeg" width="246" /></a></div>Jivana Heyman</b>, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Community Forums, and a popular Ambassador program. He’s the co-founder of the Accessible Yoga Training School, and the author of <i>Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body </i>(Shambhala Publications), as well as the forthcoming book, <i>Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion</i> (Nov. 2021). More info at <a href="http://www.jivanaheyman.com/">jivanaheyman.com</a><br /><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br />° REGISTER <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/future-conferences/">here</a> for our next conference.<br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-75903352256025113322021-06-16T08:00:00.001-07:002021-06-16T08:00:00.177-07:00What To Do When You Cause Harm<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNX1mSK8gpo/YMZOCntVTJI/AAAAAAAACJI/Q6cNe2x4GJYy2BQJRhPx-OdMQpOrOGXGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s933/photo-1599364746602-2c0a7b7de0e9.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNX1mSK8gpo/YMZOCntVTJI/AAAAAAAACJI/Q6cNe2x4GJYy2BQJRhPx-OdMQpOrOGXGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/photo-1599364746602-2c0a7b7de0e9.webp" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman in pink sweater on grey couch<br />Photo by Renee' Thompson</td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by Jasmine Allen<br /><br /> <br /><br />Yoga classes are meant to be spaces where people are able to deepen the connection between their mind, body, and spirit. Unfortunately, not all yoga classes are safe spaces. Teachers and students impact the experience of others and have the power to cause harm with their words, actions, and inaction. Using offensive language, touching without consent, not being trauma-informed, and not being accessible are some of the ways harm is caused in yoga spaces. We live in a world where we are all impacted by systems of oppression whether we are the ones being oppressed or the ones benefiting from the oppression. We internalize beliefs about “others” and it impacts the way we think and behave. Whether harm is caused intentionally or unintentionally, providing a repair is essential in creating spaces that are truly inclusive and accessible. Fortunately, repair is possible and an important part of relationship building and healing. <br /><br />Here are five suggestions for ways to make a relational repair once you’ve caused harm. <br /><br /><i>1. Take accountability and apologize</i> <br /><br />For people in oppressed groups, their oppression and experiences are often undermined, dismissed, or flat out ignored. If someone lets you know that they were offended, triggered, or hurt by something you said or did, the worst thing you can do is get defensive and try to argue against their experience. When someone has been offended, triggered, or harmed they don’t feel safe with you in that moment. They have fallen out of attunement with you. In order for them to be able to safely reengage, there must be a repair. Ironically, a common reaction when someone is informed that they have caused harm is to get defensive. They say things like, “No one else ever reacts like that when I say that.” “I have gay friends. I can’t be homophobic.” or “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.” As trauma expert, Dr. Bruce Perry says, “Well, the issue isn’t your bones. It’s your brain.” Becoming defensive does not help us unlearn dangerous beliefs or help others feel safe in our presence. Arguing against someone’s feelings when you’ve caused them harm is essentially telling them, “What you are feeling is wrong!” A better alternative is to take accountability and apologize. <br /><br />Understand that your intention is not what is important at that moment. What is absolutely paramount is that, like it or not, you have caused harm. The practice of <i>ahimsa</i> in yoga does not just mean the absence of harm but actively working against causing harm. So when someone brings it to your attention that you have caused harm, take accountability for it and apologize. Lastly, remember that an effective apology never has the word “if” in it. <br /><br /><i>2. Extend gratitude</i> <br /><br />Finding out that you have offended or harmed someone is not easy but it’s also not easy for the person letting you know that what you did was hurtful. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone that they’re being harmful, especially when you are the one being harmed. Thank the person for informing you that what you’ve done or said was wrong. They have shared with you a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. Know that it is not on the oppressed to educate the privileged. If the way you offended them was news to you, it’s probably because you sit in a place of privilege where you don’t have to be informed in order to survive. Even if the information is coming from someone who sits in a place of privilege like you but just has done the work to educate themselves to be an ally, thank them for letting you know what you’ve done so you can grow too.<br /><br /><i>3. Share your plan for changed behavior</i><br /><br />While an apology is a great first step and is often necessary to even keep the conversation going, it’s not enough on its own. An apology means nothing without changed behavior. As stated before, being informed that what you did was offensive or harmful is an opportunity. Use this opportunity to share how you plan on changing your behavior. Perhaps, you’re never going to use that term again. Maybe you know what else you can do or say instead. Maybe you don’t know what to do but plan on getting more information so that it won’t happen again. Whatever it is, let them know your plan to move forward and do better. Remember that the burden to create that change is on the people in positions of privilege, which in this case would be you. <br /><br /><i>4. Find the appropriate space for your feelings <br /></i><br />As humans, our nature isn’t to cause others harm and when we do, it can trigger feelings of shame, fear, sadness, or embarrassment and of course activate our own stress response. You are not expected to negate those feelings but placing the responsibility of processing those feelings on the person/people you offended is unfair and unproductive. Too often when someone has offended someone else, they are overcome with guilt and begin expressing themselves so much that the person they offended feels inclined to comfort them. Know that it’s okay to step away or step back after you have acknowledged your wrongdoing and apologized, and share your plan to change your behavior. Find a space and time to process how you are feeling. Consider speaking to a therapist who is well versed on the topic or someone within your group of privilege who has done the work to become an ally to the group that you offended or harmed. If you don’t have someone in your network like that, start to do some research and expand your circle. There are groups of people actively working to unlearn negative beliefs about “others.”<br /><br />I’ve created an example repair that combines steps one through four. <br /><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"I am so sorry for my choice of words (or actions). It was inappropriate and thoughtless. I apologize for causing you pain and disrupting this space. Thank you for letting me know that what I did was wrong. I recognize that you didn’t have to do that and I appreciate you for enlightening me so that I can be better. Moving forward, I will never use that language again because I understand that it is offensive and harmful. I am going to do some work to educate myself so that I can fully understand the history behind it and its impact today. I’m really embarrassed by this whole situation so I’m going to take some time to be silent but I will continue to listen if anyone has anything they’d like to share.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />Depending on the context, you will need to make tweaks and every repair does not have to look exactly like this. The point is taking accountability, apologizing, extending gratitude, and committing to rectification.<br /><br /><i>5. Do the work to educate yourself</i><br /><br />Finally, be intentional about getting informed and making better choices. Take this experience and give it meaning. Let it be the moment that you started investing in learning about the experiences of others who don’t look like you or have access to resources in the way you do. Become proactive about learning what real change looks like. Be intentional about where you are spending your dollars and attention. Oftentimes, when people set out to do this work of acknowledging their privilege they will only tolerate it coming from certain people. Are you only willing to listen to conversations about race when it’s coming from Jada Pinkett-Smith on the Red Table or do you give that same level of reverence to your neighbors or a stranger at the store? Do you only care about body positivity when you see Jessamyn Stanley on the cover of Yoga Journal or do you think about the ways you internalize fatphobia even in your view of your own body? Remember that people are not a monolith and there are often nuanced perspectives and complicated histories to understand.<br /><br />Fortunately, there are many experts doing work to help educate people in privilege. Be intentional about researching experts and investing in their work. There are books, websites, workshops, articles, and research available at your disposal. Use your privilege to get access to information that will help you become an ally and truly practice <i>ahimsa</i>. By taking accountability, extending gratitude, sharing a plan for better action, finding an appropriate space for your feelings, and taking intentional steps we can create the environment for authentic healing and restoration.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wXnW0XGE-P4/YMZPJM29NNI/AAAAAAAACJQ/OPugyQRo-ewg04h0sopPEHJDQ_luv6q_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wXnW0XGE-P4/YMZPJM29NNI/AAAAAAAACJQ/OPugyQRo-ewg04h0sopPEHJDQ_luv6q_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/IMG_2319.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jasmine Allen</b> is a trauma-informed yoga instructor and trainer, writer, and business owner. She teaches hundreds of students virtually three times a week in her yoga program, <a href="https://app.namastream.com/#/the-abundance-village/product/21883">Abundance with Jasmine Allen</a> and sells cork yoga mats and props through her online boutique,<a href="https://withjasmineallen.com/shop"> With Jasmine Allen</a>. She provides trauma-informed trainings and workshops for businesses, organizations, small groups, and individuals. Her articles on trauma-informed yoga have been featured in <a href="https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-as-healing-for-the-black-community">Yoga International</a> and <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/trauma-informed-yoga-healing/">XONecole</a>. Jasmine holds a 200hr yoga teacher certification and 40hr trauma-informed yoga teacher certification from Yogaworks. Jasmine is also trained in accessible yoga. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Temple University and Master's Degree in Education Policy from Columbia University.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/future-conferences/">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span><div><br /> <style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69203112188505220.post-87495853652246282972021-06-09T08:00:00.001-07:002021-06-09T08:00:00.169-07:00We’re All Addicted to Something<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsJP-K5gf1o/YL1L5xvf5lI/AAAAAAAACIo/39l-Yc7nRzslrmcpdkVzTYkzA0yXZFzgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/photo-1608272667943-cbf5ee73c0fa.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsJP-K5gf1o/YL1L5xvf5lI/AAAAAAAACIo/39l-Yc7nRzslrmcpdkVzTYkzA0yXZFzgQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/photo-1608272667943-cbf5ee73c0fa.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry double image half blue, half red of man looking down</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elaine Jackson</span><br /><br /><br /><i style="font-family: inherit;">Drugs and alcohol are not my problem, reality is my problem, drugs and alcohol are my solution.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> — Russell Brand</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">A sweet friend of mine recently lost his mother to lung cancer. We were talking one day about how his grief was playing out, and he described being angry that she had been a heavy smoker despite knowing all the risks and potential outcomes of the behavior. He said something like this: “I can’t believe her addiction was more powerful than her brain.” In response I asked him to give me his cellphone for the day. You can guess what his reply was.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">In short, we’re all addicted to something, and the part of the brain that controls judgment is simply not as powerful as the lizard brain that wants what it wants.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent years, with advances in brain-imaging technology, and with the internet allowing research to become public knowledge faster than it used to, we’ve learned a lot about addiction. We’ve discovered that temperament plays a role, and that children who have difficulty with delayed gratification at the age of five have a higher likelihood of suffering from addiction later in life. We’ve learned that children can learn to delay gratification with a little help from caring adults. Also, we’ve discovered physiological differences from person to person that directly affect how prone we are to become addicted to substances. Finally, we’ve awakened to the idea that the fundamental cause of addiction is pain—not lack of willpower.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> The pain could be physical, emotional, or even existential; for example, being unemployed or on the receiving end of discrimination or prejudice.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">In yoga psychology, we examine the spaces between having a sensation in the body, developing a feeling about it (I like this, I hate this), and taking action. An addiction works something like this: It’s dreary and damp outside, I feel tired and depressed, I don’t like the feeling, so I go get myself a piece of chocolate from the leftover Halloween stash. The chocolate gives me a way to feel something I like better. Myriad things achieve the same end—caffeine, nicotine, potato chips, Facebook, TV, wine—basically anything I find pleasurable. In moderation, none of these things are a problem. If we turn to them habitually and compulsively, however, and if we lose our ability to moderate, all can be damaging to our well-being.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The way we treat addicts, unfortunately, is usually based in judgment and intellectual ideals as opposed to a sophisticated understanding of the complexity of the problem. Historically we’ve treated addicts as losers who lack self-discipline. We’ve denied them the benefit of sympathy or curiosity. It’s easier not to regard their suffering if we think about them as “less than” or “inferior” to the rest of us. This is not to deny the fact that people with addictions can cause terrible pain and suffering to the people who love them, but rather to say that addiction is complex, and that we’re all affected by it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our whole culture is addicted to consuming at rates higher than at any other time in human history. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, since the 1970's we have been “over-shooting” the natural resources the Earth can sustainably regenerate. The amounts of water, soil, minerals, fish, trees, and fuels we consume have been growing at alarming rates and are leading to deforestation, extinctions, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and climate change. “</span><a href="https://sdg.iisd.org/news/2019-earth-overshoot-day-reaches-earliest-date-ever/" style="font-family: inherit;">Earth Overshoot Day</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">,” the date each year that marks us taking more than Nature can regenerate, fell on July 29, 2019, the earliest date since these metrics have been collected. We are “consuming” ourselves to extinction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s nothing inherently wrong with diversion or enjoying the finer things in life—as long as it feels like a choice. The hope is that as we practice more, we develop better awareness of what is driving us, the cheese balls and cocktails become less tempting, and we can consciously decide between self-restraint or indulging in life’s little pleasures.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-family: inherit;">Practice & Reflect</b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Journal:</span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you addicted to? When are those addictions most likely to show up? When you’re alone? With others?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you addicted to something that you haven’t previously thought of as an addiction? Horoscopes? Newsfeeds? Instagram?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you feel about others who have addictions? Choose three descriptive words.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you feel about your own addictions? Choose three descriptive words.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;">Excerpt from </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Enough Already, </i>Elaine Jackson.<i> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apple Books.</span></span><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo3TX4dmao8/YL1GYBFbxgI/AAAAAAAACIg/8hTx7eomCF4hnPy7TkODYNVXEC-jFSWrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s601/rs%253Dw-400%252Ccg-true%252Cm.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo3TX4dmao8/YL1GYBFbxgI/AAAAAAAACIg/8hTx7eomCF4hnPy7TkODYNVXEC-jFSWrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w213-h320/rs%253Dw-400%252Ccg-true%252Cm.webp" width="213" /></a></div>Elaine Jackson</b> began working in healthcare as a teenager and was a licensed Occupational Therapist for 29 years. She completed her 775-hour yoga teacher training (Scaravelli Method) in 2003-2004 at Esther Myers Yoga in Toronto. She has been teaching and learning about yoga ever since. In November 2020 she published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Already-Yoga-Inspired-Steps-Chaos-ebook/dp/B08MWW4KT7">Enough Already: 7 Yoga-Inspired Steps Toward Calm Amid Chaos</a>. She can be found online at <a href="http://www.jacksonyoga.ca/">www.jacksonyoga.ca</a> or about ten minutes by car outside of the rural village of Mount Albert, Ontario.<br /><br /><br />This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.<br /><br />° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/accessibleyoga?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJGmUDZaO0x13AeqLz7HzQ">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />° REGISTER <a href="https://accessibleyoga.org/future-conferences/">here</a> for our next conference.<br /><br />° DONATE <a href="http://accessibleyoga.org/donate/">here</a> to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.</span></div>patricewags@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17748526389270717672noreply@blogger.com0