Conference Schedule
Plan your weekend with us!
Thursday 11:30-6 PT // Friday 8-6:45 PT // Saturday 8-7:15 PT // Sunday 8-5:30 PT
Thursday, October 14
All times are shown in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Find your time zone here.
Live Sessions will be recorded and available to watch on-demand within 48 hours. Community Networking Sessions will not be recorded.
Panel
Pre-Conference Intensive with the Race & Equity in Yoga Consortium: Rebuilding and Reimagining a Whole Self and Community
Amina Naru, Colin Lieu, Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Lakshmi Nair and Dr. Terry Harris
11:30am - 3:30pm
11:30am - 3:30pm
Pre-Conference Intensive with the Race & Equity in Yoga Consortium: Rebuilding and Reimagining a Whole Self and Community
Amina Naru, Colin Lieu, Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Lakshmi Nair and Dr. Terry Harris
This four-hour session is just one step toward rebuilding and maintaining a sense of wholeness in a world of loss, grief, and damaged hope.
As a whole group and within affinity spaces, we will interrogate the impact of whiteness in yoga, which has increasingly become part of a tradition, practice, and language that Black, Indigengous and People of Color use to reinforce and define self-identity and community. At a time when the fear, exhaustion and grief of BIPOC folks are on public display more than ever, we explore different ways self-care and self-resourcing can encourage a sense of release, empowerment, and interconnectedness.
Keynote Address
Opening Night Keynote: Accessing Yoga Through the Subtle Practices
Indu Arora
4:00pm - 5:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Opening Night Keynote: Accessing Yoga Through the Subtle Practices
Indu Arora
Yoga is a work-in not a work-out. The Yoga that the vedic and tantrik texts mention is subtle, deep and transformative. Use of mantra, mudra, shavasana, pranayama and yoga nidra not only makes us experience the depth of Yoga but also makes the practice accessible. These tools are often sidelined or considered boring or even time consuming. This cannot be much further from the truth. The true adventure is the world within and it is these subtle practices that transform the external yoga to internal yoga. Yoga is not to be done and mimicked, it is to be explored and realized through tools and practices that are accessible, practical and impactful. Reach the heart of Yoga through simple, effective and approachable means - Subtle Practices!
Entertainment
Opening Night Party
Hosted by Amber Karnes
5:00pm - 6:00pm
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Opening Night Party
Hosted by Amber Karnes
Our opening night party will be hosted by Amber Karnes. Featuring kīrtan with Sheela Bringi.
Friday, October 15
All times are shown in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Find your time zone here.
Live Sessions will be recorded and available to watch on-demand within 48 hours. Community Networking Sessions will not be recorded.
Keynote Address
Keynote: The Power of Transition
Tracee Stanley
8:00am - 9:00am
8:00am - 9:00am
Keynote: The Power of Transition
Tracee Stanley
Transition is the liminal space of creativity, innovation, and inspiration. This keynote address will be a weaving of meditation, self-inquiry, and lecture as Tracee guides us to explore our relationship with the dark space of the void and the power of our infinite potential.
Panel
Panel: Increasing Access to Yoga Through Healthcare
David Elton, Jana Long, Matthew Taylor and Alyssa Wostrel
9:15am - 10:45am
9:15am - 10:45am
Panel: Increasing Access to Yoga Through Healthcare
David Elton, Jana Long, Matthew Taylor and Alyssa Wostrel
Both the health benefits of yoga and the access challenges to yoga and healthcare are well known to attendees. Join these leaders in a robust discussion about how through collaboration and planning healthcare can be a high leverage point for increasing access to yoga [Leverage points are places in a system where, as systems theorist Donella Meadows has said, “a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything.”]
The panel will begin with a brief orienting presentation by David Elton, DC of United Health Venture Capital Group about access to care and how data demonstrates the potential for bringing yoga at scale into healthcare. The panel will then dive into the opportunities and challenges of implementation, and how through future collaborations we can bring this forward. The discussion will also highlight how attendees can work in their local communities and larger organizations to join this process effectively.
Workshop
Embodied Inclusion: Increasing LGBTQ+ Representation in Yoga
Pooja Virani
10:30am - 11:45am
10:30am - 11:45am
Embodied Inclusion: Increasing LGBTQ+ Representation in Yoga
Pooja Virani
In this workshop, we discuss how you can make your classes more LGBTQ+ inclusive by integrating modern social movements and ancient history.
We will start by examining the (mis)representation of LGBTQ+ persons in yoga and society, how this contributes to harm, and the need for greater representation in yoga and community spaces. We will briefly journey into yoga’s past with stories of LGBTQ+ historical and mythological figures and learn the lessons they provide for the future.
We will then explore tools we can use to make yoga safes safer for LGBTQ+ folx while honoring yoga’s cultures and traditions. This workshop is open to allies and LGBTQ+ identified persons.
We recommend having a notebook or journal for this session.
Meet & Greet
Getting Started As A Yoga Teacher
10:45am - 11:45am
10:45am - 11:45am
Getting Started As A Yoga Teacher
Meet & Greets are your opportunity to connect with other conference attendees. These are moderated conversations with conference participants focused on different aspects of Accessible Yoga. This session will be focused on getting started as a yoga teacher. This includes overcoming the fear around teaching, as well as the real obstacles that new yoga teachers face. Come share with your peers about your journey, and share with them about yours.
Led Practice
Restorative Yoga for Larger Bodies
Shannon Kaneshige
12:00pm - 1:15pm
12:00pm - 1:15pm
Restorative Yoga for Larger Bodies
Shannon Kaneshige
Everyone deserves access to self acceptance, relaxation, and rest. In this workshop we will explore prop supported restorative postures and variations that may be more accessible for folks in larger bodies with varying levels of mobility. We will explore variations on the mat or bed as well as seated options. We will also discuss language and using invitational cuing to allow folks the agency to find support and rest in their own way. Recommended props for this session: 2 Blocks, Bolster, 2 Blankets, 1-2 Chairs or Bed
Panel
Panel: Building Community Online
Avita Bansee, Shannon Crow, Lekisha Middleton and Tejal Patel
1:30pm - 3:00pm
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Panel: Building Community Online
Avita Bansee, Shannon Crow, Lekisha Middleton and Tejal Patel
As the yoga world shifted online through the pandemic there has been an increased need for effective and useful online community building. Join panelists Avita Bansee, Tejal Patel, and Lekisha Middleton in a conversation about online community building moderated by Shannon Crow. They'll share some of their successes and failures, as well as consider some best practices for online communities. In particular, they'll reflect on how yoga practitioners from marginalized groups can organize and connect through online communities.
Workshop
Movement Science is Racist
Jesal Parikh
2:45pm - 4:00pm
2:45pm - 4:00pm
Movement Science is Racist
Jesal Parikh
Jesal Parikh is a yoga teacher and movement educator. And even though she loves movement science...it's still racist.
Based on the blockbuster panel discussion that Jesal led in September 2020, this 75-min presentation will unpack how racism and cultural appropriation are deeply entrenched in the science of movement, wellness and medicine - which are all increasingly grabbing hold of the yoga industry. She’ll break down how communities are impacted by these embedded biases and how it compromises our students’ ability to show up as their full selves.
Meet & Greet
Making Your Teaching Accessible
3:00pm - 4:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Making Your Teaching Accessible
Meet & Greets are your opportunity to connect with other conference attendees. These are moderated conversations with conference participants focused on different aspects of Accessible Yoga. This session will be focused on skills, knowledge and training needed to make your teaching accessible. Come share with your peers about your journey, and share with them about yours.
Keynote Address
Keynote: Yoga Revolution
Jivana Heyman
4:15pm - 5:15pm
4:15pm - 5:15pm
Keynote: Yoga Revolution
Jivana Heyman
The ancient practices of yoga offer a pathway to personal liberation, but how do we live the teachings of yoga today? In this workshop we’ll consider how we can apply the lessons of yoga to our contemporary lives in the context of social justice and the movement toward equity. The yoga teachings focus on spiritual enlightenment and the journey inward. Jivana will explore the impact this inner journey can have on our community experience and communal awakening as he expands on the lessons he shares in his new book, “Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion.”
Workshop
Creating a Welcoming Practice For All Bodies and Minds
Natalia Tabilo
5:30pm - 6:45pm
5:30pm - 6:45pm
Creating a Welcoming Practice For All Bodies and Minds
Natalia Tabilo
Join Natalia Tabilo, the founder of Yoga for All Bodies™ in this workshop that will explore tips and techniques to create welcoming spaces and offerings that will allow the students to enjoy their bodies and minds just the way they are today! We will dive into the importance of offering yoga variations, honoring the sensations and needs of diverse populations, and the importance of moving from within in our yoga practice.
We recommend having a notebook or journal for this session.
Saturday, October 16
All times are shown in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Find your time zone here.
Live Sessions will be recorded and available to watch on-demand within 48 hours. Community Networking Sessions will not be recorded.
Workshop
Coming Home to Yourself
Danny Fluker
8:00am - 9:15am
8:00am - 9:15am
Coming Home to Yourself
Danny Fluker
Danny will share a brief talk on the importance of Black Male representation in wellness spaces, followed by light somatic movement, breath work, mindfulness, a guided mediation and a time of journaling / contemplation. We recommend having a journal for this session, along with anything soft and commutable if available to support your practice.
Workshop
Difficult Conversations about Covid-19 ā€“ A Yogic Lens
Priya Verma
9:30am - 10:45am
9:30am - 10:45am
Difficult Conversations about Covid-19 ā€“ A Yogic Lens
Priya Verma
Coming from her experience as a Yoga Therapist and Physician Assistant for over 20 years, Priya Verma has been on the frontline of Covid since the inception of the pandemic. She will explore the discomfort of having “difficult conversations” and how to shift perspectives about the Covid Pandemic, “Infodemic”, and sovereignty in health decisions. Priya will discuss Svadyaya (self-reflection), Yamas and Niyamas in approaching conflicting issues around Covid-19, using a Trauma Informed approach. Join Priya in exploring different choices, modes of communication, assumptions and strategies in seeking safety, community and accessibility in shared spaces with compassion and clarity. Learn how yoga’s framework gives us connection in walking together through these uncomfortable conversations by naming our deepest needs and calling out our fears that lead to separation and harm.
Priya Verma has pioneered the integration of trauma-informed Yoga Therapy practices into the traditional medical model of care, specializing in non-pharmacologic pain management, and trauma informed strategies with Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Asthma, Immunology, Allergy Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Interventional Radiology. She is the creator of the Clinical Resiliency Program developing self-care practices and self-regulation for clinicians, and behavioral and healthcare workers across the spectrum. She lectures globally on integrating Yoga, Cultural Appropriation, History of Yoga and more. She serves on the DEI Task Force for IAYT.
Meet & Greet
Teaching Online, Tips and Tricks
9:45am - 10:45am
9:45am - 10:45am
Teaching Online, Tips and Tricks
Meet & Greets are your opportunity to connect with other conference attendees. These are moderated conversations with conference participants focused on different aspects of Accessible Yoga. This session will be focused on tips and tricks for teaching online, which takes special skills that not all of us are trained in. Come share with your peers about your journey, and share with them about yours.
Workshop
Body-Mind-Spirit Integration and Self Management
Mary-Jo Fetterly
11:00am - 12:15pm
11:00am - 12:15pm
Body-Mind-Spirit Integration and Self Management
Mary-Jo Fetterly
We live in a fairly dualistic world: good vs bad, right vs wrong, day vs night. This can make for a very judgemental and fragmented reality - ours. This is evident in the love-hate relationship many have with their body and mind. Feelings of betrayal and disassociation can dominate the special and unique relationship that we can have with our intelligent bodies and Life-force synergy or Spirit, especially in bodies or circumstances that are unique. The Vedanta Tantra approach views the one supreme reality as inherently blissful with the energy of love. This Supreme reality is fluid, expansive and peaceful, it is our natural state no matter what our physical embodiment. Will explore how to move into that together. Beginning with mindfulness and meditation, we will then unpack the nature of the mind and then move into exploring our own energetic anatomy and how we can use it to our highest good.
For this session we recommend having a notebook, yoga foam block, strap, blanket.
Panel
Yoga & Diet Culture
Emily Anderson, Kimberly Dark, Amber Karnes, and Jennifer B. Webb
12:30pm - 2:00pm
12:30pm - 2:00pm
Yoga & Diet Culture
Emily Anderson, Kimberly Dark, Amber Karnes, and Jennifer B. Webb
"Listen to your body." What does that phrase really mean when we are taught that our bodies are problems to be solved? Diet culture and fatphobia are part of our collective conditioning, which trickles down to the way we teach and practice yoga. Join panelists Kimberly Dark, Dr. Jennifer Webb, and Emily Anderson in a conversation about yoga and diet culture, moderated by Amber Karnes. 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. They’ll discuss what works when it comes to helping students learn to come home to their bodies and rebuild trust. In particular, they’ll reflect on challenges we face as a yoga community and industry, as well as ways to promote transformation and change, one class at a time.
Led Practice
Bilingual Chair Yoga
Linda Natera
1:45pm - 3:00pm
1:45pm - 3:00pm
Bilingual Chair Yoga
Linda Natera
Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that can be done sitting on a chair or standing on the ground while using the chair for support.
Chair Yoga is a general term for practices that have variations of yoga poses so that they can be done while seated in a chair. These variations make yoga accessible to people who have various physical limitations It is also a great form of yoga for beginners or anyone who wants to focus on a gentle practice.
While seated comfortably in a chair, students can enjoy versions of twists, hip stretches, forward bends, and mild back-bends. In addition to a good stretch, chair yoga participants can enjoy other health benefits from yoga, including improved muscle tone, better breathing habits, reduction of stress, better sleep, and a sense of well being.
Recommended props for this session: Yoga blocks / yoga straps / bolster or pillow / chair
Workshop
Empowering Prana: How to engage the breath therapeutically
Melissa Shah
3:15pm - 4:30pm
3:15pm - 4:30pm
Empowering Prana: How to engage the breath therapeutically
Melissa Shah
Join Melissa for a thought-provoking workshop on pranayama practices, the function of prana in the body, and how to apply these tools therapeutically. We will take time to discuss why pranayama is more than breathwork and how think of it as a process when guiding others through breathing practices. Melissa will close out the workshop by guiding participants through a restful and accessible pranayama practice.
Meet & Greet
Meet and Greet with Jivana Heyman, Founder and Executive Director of AYA
3:30pm - 4:30pm
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Meet and Greet with Jivana Heyman, Founder and Executive Director of AYA
Meet & Greets are your opportunity to connect with other conference attendees. These are moderated conversations with conference participants focused on different aspects of Accessible Yoga. This session will be your chance to share time with Jivana Heyman, AYA's Founder and Executive Director. There will be a chance for you to ask questions and learn more about Jivana's leadership and vision.
Keynote Address
Keynote: How to Let Go of the Kids Yoga Teacher Savior Complex
Colin Lieu
4:45pm - 5:45pm
4:45pm - 5:45pm
Keynote: How to Let Go of the Kids Yoga Teacher Savior Complex
Colin Lieu
When connected to their best selves, our young people navigate the world with the knowledge that they’re on the path to becoming a neurosurgeon; purchasing mom a new home and winning Student of the Week (again!). The hormonal roller coaster makes it hard enough for young people to stay connected to their best selves. For poor kids, the likelihood and intensity of adverse childhood experiences are increased leading to potential long-term effects such as mental health issues, substance abuse, partner violence and more. COVID-19 has made it worse. Using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data and local mortality figures, scientists found the Bronx, NY ranked as the worst county in the country for COVID-19 death rates and respiratory hazards. The Bronx also has a 25% unemployment rate. This is a crisis. No magic wand can help ensure the wellness of our kids. It’s meaningful work multiple times a day -- everyday.
The recommended set-up for this session is to have a desk and chair for a short practice.
Workshop
Evolving our Yoga: Moving beyond the pose to create a sustainable, nourishing practice & life
Chara Caruthers
6:00pm - 7:15pm
6:00pm - 7:15pm
Evolving our Yoga: Moving beyond the pose to create a sustainable, nourishing practice & life
Chara Caruthers
Our world is changing…
and so are we.
The yoga world is changing
But our yoga… not so much.
As our individual and collective needs shift, how can we evolve our approach to yoga to have it better serve us. What can we teach and practice to give us a firmer foundation for individual resilience and wellbeing.
In this session we’ll explore:
- Current challenges to teaching and practicing yoga for wellbeing
- A few key things that are missing in our approach to training yoga teachers
- Two things yogis can do to make their practice more effective
- What yoga teachers can use to elevate their classes
Sunday, October 17
All times are shown in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Find your time zone here.
Live Sessions will be recorded and available to watch on-demand within 48 hours. Community Networking Sessions will not be recorded.
Led Practice
Chair Ashtanga Yoga
Shanna Small
8:00am - 9:15am
8:00am - 9:15am
Chair Ashtanga Yoga
Shanna Small
Ashtanga Yoga is largely inaccessible, vigorous style of vinyasa yoga that is strengthening to the body and mind. This class is about making the standing series of Ashtanga Yoga more accessible through use of a chair.
For this session we recommend having a chair for your practice. 2 Blocks, a bolster and a blanket would also be helpful, but optional.
Panel
Panel: Beyond the Buzzwords: Power, Privilege and Yoga
Rebby Kern, Kelley Nicole Palmer, Anjali Rao and Kallie Schut
9:15am - 10:45am
9:15am - 10:45am
Panel: Beyond the Buzzwords: Power, Privilege and Yoga
Rebby Kern, Kelley Nicole Palmer, Anjali Rao and Kallie Schut
This panel will bring diverse approaches to discuss how power and privilege manifests in Yoga spaces, from ancient to modern times. We will look at how we can call in each other and co-create a space for collective liberation.
Meet & Greet
Reflections on the Conference
9:30am - 10:30am
9:30am - 10:30am
Reflections on the Conference
Meet & Greets are your opportunity to connect with other conference attendees. These are moderated conversations with conference participants focused on different aspects of Accessible Yoga. This session will be focused on reflecting on your conference experience - what you’ve learned or discovered here. Come share with your peers about your journey, and share with them about yours.
Keynote Address
Keynote: A Queer Dharma
Jacoby Ballard
10:45am - 11:45am
10:45am - 11:45am
Keynote: A Queer Dharma
Jacoby Ballard
This keynote will present a queer dharma: Jacoby will orient around key obstacles in mainstream yoga in the U.S. to authentic and deep love and justice, and reiterate the heart practices that enhance social justice. Jacoby will then invite attendees to collectively envision a queer, anti-racist, anti-capitalist manifestation of yoga that honors its roots and sheds what is not oriented toward both individual and collective freedom and wellbeing.
For this session all you'll need is a comfortable place to be, and possibly a notebook.
Led Practice
Making Meditation Accessible and Culturally Appropriate
Rajni Tripathi
12:00pm - 1:15pm
12:00pm - 1:15pm
Making Meditation Accessible and Culturally Appropriate
Rajni Tripathi
‘My mind won’t stop’
‘I can’t meditate because I can’t stop thinking’
…are some of many statements individuals have made about meditation.
Meditation can feel daunting and out of reach at times due to preconceived ideas of what meditation is or what it should look like. Sometimes it seems we’ve been trying forever with no luck. That luck is deeply tied to expectations, some experience, and conditioned thoughts.
Allowing meditation to be accessible, is similar to how yoga is made to be accessible.
As a teacher, it means to clarify its ‘purpose’ or ‘goal’, re-align expectations, focus on physical modifications and comfort, encourage imagination, and more.
As practiononers, accessible meditation means routine not rigidity, exploration of different teachers, forgiveness and intention.
We’ll explore all of this, when to include what verbiage which honors the roots of meditation that we know thus far, and discuss that while meditation does not have a goal, modern society does have to start with them. We’ll talk through the impacts of meditation and their residual benefits, and participants can experience a 15 – 20 minute guided meditation w/music.
Workshop
Disrupt with Love
Oneika Mays
1:30pm - 2:45pm
1:30pm - 2:45pm
Disrupt with Love
Oneika Mays
Audre Lorde wrote “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” This workshop is an invitation to explore the idea of what it means to take care ourselves through a QTPOC lens. We’ll explore movement, writing, meditation and other mindfulness practices that can assist QTPOC folks strengthen resilience, celebrate and rest.
(Influences for this workshop: Adrienne Maree Brown, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and Gloria Naylor)
Who is this for? Folks who identify as QTPOC.
What can participants expect? Participants can expect 90 minutes of compassionate gentle trauma informed conversation, compassion, care.
This space will also be safe for collaboration and sharing. By the end of the workshop participants will have the ideas, practices and tools that they can take with them.
For this session we recommend having a yoga mat, blankets, pillows, tea and a journal.
Workshop
Sweeten Your Life with Self-Compassion
Hien Hong
3:00pm - 4:15pm
3:00pm - 4:15pm
Sweeten Your Life with Self-Compassion
Hien Hong
In Sweeten Your Life with Self-Compassion, you will learn how to cultivate self-compassion in your daily life. Although it’s tempting to give into the inner critic, you can start choosing differently and find more steadiness and ease in your body and mind. In this workshop, you will be introduced to the the basics of self-compassion, the practice and philosophy of lovingkindness, simple tools to nourish yourself during stressful times, the relationship between self-compassion and space holding, and how to sustain self-compassion. Half of the workshop will be a presentation, and the other half will be a gentle yoga and meditation practice.
For this session we recommend having a notebook, as well as props for comfortably sitting and lying down.
Meet & Greet
Meet and Greet with the AYA Board
3:00pm - 4:15pm
3:00pm - 4:15pm
Meet and Greet with the AYA Board
This special Meet & Greet is an opportunity to meet the members of the Accessible Yoga Association Board of Directors, led by Board President, Amber Karnes. Amber will share a little bit about our nonprofit’s structure and mission. She’ll also introduce all the board members, and explain their roles. There will be a chance for you to ask questions and learn more about how the board operates, as well as future plans.
Keynote Address
Closing Keynote: Yoga is Political: Let's Discuss.....
Reggie Hubbard
4:30pm - 5:30pm
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Closing Keynote: Yoga is Political: Let's Discuss.....
Reggie Hubbard
There are some within the yoga community that think politics and yoga should not mix. That the purpose of yoga is to escape from the pressures of the outside world and find inner peace.
But yoga at its essence is the refinement of conscious awareness to meet life circumstances with more clarity, courage and compassion. To find inner peace and then engage with the world more fully - serving from that sense of peace.
This talk will explore how to merge yogic practice and civic engagement, as well as why it is important to do so. Reggie will share from his personal experience and teaching practice how yogic practice and civic engagement have become inextricably bound, and how we might better serve our communities, students and society through forming such a union.
Watch Anytime
This on-demand content will be available on-demand to watch 24/7 in your Conference Participant Portal.
Led Practice
Accessible Yoga with Arpita
Arpita Roy
On Demand
On Demand
Accessible Yoga with Arpita
Arpita Roy
Yoga is for everyone, so don't hesitate with your restrictions or body, just do it. If I can do it then u can do it as well. – Arpita Roy
For this session having a chair for your practice will be helpful.
Workshop
Accessible Marketing
Tristan Katz
On Demand
On Demand
Accessible Marketing
Tristan Katz
Marketing is something every yoga teacher learns how to do...likely the hard way. And it’s all too easy for marketing to feel like an icky concept, and like something we have to force. It doesn’t have to be this way.
In this session, we’ll explore ways to make our marketing as yoga teachers accessible and equitable. We’ll focus on the essence of marketing, which is rooted in teaching (something you’re already doing!) along with sharing your story—the WHY behind what you offer, and connecting with the essence of who you are. We'll emphasize websites, social media, and newsletters, while weaving in the deeper awareness that our identities inherently play a role in the process of taking up space on the digital plane.
Social location, proximity to power, and intersectionality will also be themes we explore while considering the topics of boundaries, community-building, social media accessibility, and systems to make all of this easier.
If you’ve ever felt like it’s hard to promote the work that you do, or like you’re not sure what to share apart from news about your weekly classes, considering joining for this rich exploration of how to move beyond those creative and energetic blocks and truly connect with yourself, your students and clients, and lean into authentically growing your work while staying aligned with the practices of yoga and social justice.
For this session we recommend having a notebook and writing tool of some kind, and whatever else might be needed to be comfortable and listen deeply!
Led Practice
Yoga for the Blind / Low Vision Community
Aly Slaughter
On Demand
On Demand
Yoga for the Blind / Low Vision Community
Aly Slaughter
Aly Slaughter, RYT-500, will be offering a gentle yoga asana class specifically designed to focus on the blind and low vision community in that there will be a lot of verbal description used.
If you are comfortable and so choose, you can try doing this practice with your eyes closed or by turning off your camera.
This class is for ALL people of ALL abilities and in ALL bodies. As a gentle class, we will be staying low to the earth, mostly seated and on our backs, as well as some time spent on hands and knees. If you need to or would prefer to stay seated in a chair, there will be variations available.
No props are required for this practice. However, feel free to have any available that may help to support your body and your practice. Props may include pillows, folded or rolled up blankets or towels, books, blocks, a strap or necktie, a chair or a wall! If you do not have a yoga mat, you can use a towel or blanket on the floor if that is comfortable for you.
Remember, this is YOUR practice. Make it your own and do what feels best for YOU!
Led Practice
Powwow Yoga
Acosia Red Elk
On Demand
On Demand
Powwow Yoga
Acosia Red Elk
Powwow Yoga is a fusion practice that combines Indigenous Powwow Dancing with Vinyasa Yoga for a five-dimensional workout incorporating cardio, strengthening and stretching, neural stimulation, breath-work, and meditation. Powwow Yoga bridges the gap between the group fitness and yoga worlds while adding grounding cultural elements.
Based on the original language of the Native Drumbeat that supports a unique, grounding connection in each one of us, Powwow Yoga is a fiery yang practice, complete with primal energy movements fused seamlessly into a yoga flow. Focusing on both Masculine and Feminine energies, this movement utilizes both Men’s and Women’s Styles of Powwow Dance to target major and minor muscle groups and chakras for a well-balanced, energetic shift. Powwow Dancing is a high-energy form that opens the lungs and gets the heart rate up. This movement improves brain function and boosts memory while reducing stress, increasing levels of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin, and helping develop new neural connections in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.
Powwow Yoga incorporates these functions and benefits into a yoga flow with conscious breath-work and static yoga poses, giving the body a well-rounded workout and creating deep muscle toning, extension, and flexibility. Powwow Yoga is a perfect practice to bring balance to the physical, mental, and spiritual bodies.
For this session we recommend having a yoga mat, and any props you'd like to have to support your practice, such as yoga blocks, a bolster and/or a chair.
Led Practice
Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
Patrice Priya Wagner
On Demand
On Demand
Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
Patrice Priya Wagner
Learn the tools of teaching yoga to people with Multiple Sclerosis from a teacher with MS. After a brief talk on how symptoms may affect your students' practice, we'll engage in an asana session including variations to try out. I'll explain how some poses and practices can benefit people with MS and then lead you through a guided relaxation/meditation to close.
For this practice you'll need a folding chair, mat, small pillow, blanket, and strap.
Workshop
Diabetes: disrupting societal stigmas and transforming behavior through empowered resilience
Evan Soroka
On Demand
On Demand
Diabetes: disrupting societal stigmas and transforming behavior through empowered resilience
Evan Soroka
Learn how yoga is a vital missing link in diabetes care and what you can do right now to serve this diverse population in your teaching.
This experiential lecture dispels diabetes myths and illuminates empowered action through the lens of yoga therapy and Ayurveda.
Ten percent of the US population has diabetes, and 34% is pre-diabetic. Despite its prevalence, diabetes is plagued by stigma and misinformation, forcing blame and disempowering action.
Diabetes is unlike any other chronic illness because of its relentless self-care demands. Studies reveal that medicine, diet, and exercise are not sufficient to ensure positive outcomes - only 50% of type 2's and 21% of type 1's achieve medical guidelines that ensure longevity and quality of life.
Yoga serves as a powerful and cost-effect strategy to support people where traditional allopathic care cannot through awareness, increased confidence, and adaptation.
For this session we recommend having a chair and a notebook.
Led Practice
Gentle Pranayama for Mental Wellbeing
Anjali Sunita
On Demand
On Demand
Gentle Pranayama for Mental Wellbeing
Anjali Sunita
This class operates on the definition of Pranayama as "expansion of vital energy" rather than the commonly stated definition "control of breath" as the practice of expansion; This practice fosters awareness and compassion.
Gentleness is encouraged in each inhale and exhalation; any retentions are optionally offered.
Anjali shares from years of practice, having trained in the Sivananda ashrams, with Life Force Yoga, and at the Ayurvedic Institute. She shares ultimately from her own practice of intimate relationship with the breath and her love of classical techniques made gentle.
We will pause between rounds, observing inner sensations, qualities, and impacts of each technique individually in order to experience possible benefits and energetic impact.
Variations are encouraged so that you can explore and personalize the practice to your particular physical and mental constitution.
This workshop is a just beginning exploration, and leads easily into any pranayama course with Anjali.
For this session we recommend having a comfortable seat, like chair or cushion. We are encouraging comfort in the practice.
You may also want to have a notebook for this session (*optional).
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Dr. Shaila Vaidya
On Demand
On Demand
Healing the Healers - Why it is hard to provide trauma informed care, and what you can do to prevent burnout
Dr. Shaila Vaidya
Yoga has proven to be powerful practice for those suffering with trauma. As response, many yoga teachers have trained and provide trauma-informed classes to those in need.
While it feels good to help, it can also leave us feeling drained.
In this presentation we will:
- Review the neurobiology of empathy and compassion
- Define secondary and vicarious trauma, as well as moral distress and injury
- Review how practices based in Yoga and Buddhism, can help us sustain empathy and maintain wellbeing for ourselves and others.
For this session we recommend having a place to sit comfortably, for listening and for meditation.
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The Power of Social Connection and Yoga in Brain Health
Indu Subramanian, MD
On Demand
On Demand
The Power of Social Connection and Yoga in Brain Health
Indu Subramanian, MD
We will explore the importance of social connection and yoga on brain health. Using Parkinson's Disease as a model of degenerative disease we will talk about the concepts of wellness- lifestyle choices patients can chose every day to help them to have more holistic health. We learn about the concept of social prescribing in which health care providers can help prescribe social connection to their patients. We explore the role of yoga teacher in this novel concept of social prescribing. We also explore the role of yoga in helping with brain health and why yoga makes sense for patients with neurological issues.
Registration Is OPEN
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