Accessible Yoga Podcast

039. The Connection Between Yoga & Activism Jun 15, 2021

In Episode 39 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber Karnes sits down with Anjali Rao to discuss the connection between yoga and activism. Anjali Rao is a yoga teacher, social justice activist, multi-cultural training specialist, and a cancer survivor. She is an Indian American immigrant from Bangalore, India. Her work explores yoga philosophy and history integrating marginalized voices using storytelling, imagery and poetry. In this interview, Amber and Anjali discuss the history of activism in yoga, including how yoga philosophy and social justice are connected. For folks who are hesitant to step into the space of activism or call themselves an activist, this interview is for you. Anjali addresses the role of the activist and discusses how we can build capacity for resilience using our practice. Finally, she discusses her new course with the Accessible Yoga Training School, Yoga & Activism: A Blueprint for Collective Transformation, which is open for enrollment now!

In this episode:

Anjali introduces herself and talks about her work in the world
How are yoga and activism connected historically? What is the lineage of yoga and activism?
Yoga Is a container of practices, thoughts, concepts which can build capacity & resilience for activism
Yoga helps us be aligned with our deepest dharma
Yoga is about expansion of consciousness: what are you using your expanded consciousness to accomplish?
How your social location is connected to your dharma
Who is an activist? What “counts” as activism?
How perfectionism and black-and-white thinking hold us back
Rituals and practices that can anchor us in our purpose
The importance of community for activists
Anjali’s course, Yoga & Activism: A Blueprint for Collective Transformation, which is open for enrollment through June 19
A call to action for all of us

Show notes and links can be found at accessibleyogatraining.com.

038. Addressing Transphobia and Creating Affirming Spaces Apr 14, 2021

In Episode 38 Amber Karnes sits down with Tristan Katz and Maygen Nicholson to address a few common transphobic talking points and discuss how we can support our trans and gender expansive community members. Tristan and Maygen are both educators who focus on LGBTQ+ awareness, advocacy, and wellness at the center of their work. In this interview, Tristan and Maygen discuss gender identity, why we should all be invested in dismantling the gender binary, and why representation matters. They debunk many commonly held, harmful narratives about trans and gender non-conforming folks, and talk about action steps for learning and beyond. This conversation invites us to take a deeper dive into understanding gender identity and creating affirming space for our trans siblings.

Note: This conversation was recorded in response to the March 22nd J. Brown yoga podcast interview with Katchie Ananda on the topic of “Gender Spectrum and Biological Sex.” Both J. and Katchie are cisgender individuals. The conversation they shared was rooted in biological exceptionalism, trans* exclusionary feminism, transphobia, homophobia, racism, and tokenization. We found it deeply hurtful and problematic and felt the need to address it publicly to stand in solidarity with our trans* and non-binary siblings.

Get show notes, links to everything we discuss in the podcast, and subscribe here.

037. Transcending Trauma with Yoga Apr 07, 2021

In Episode 37 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT. Zabie is the director of Trauma Informed Programs at UCLA and is the Founder of Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga. Zabie has trained thousands of yoga instructors and mental health professionals on trauma-informed teaching and her new book Trauma-Informed Yoga for Survivors of Sexual Assault which is coming out this year. Jivana and Zabie discuss trauma-sensitive teaching practices that benefit every student that comes to our classes. They also discuss the role of the teacher, power dynamics, and walking the line between authenticity and healthy boundaries. This conversation invites us to consider ways we can shift our community spaces to create more safety and opportunities for rest.

Get show notes, links to everything we discuss in the podcast, and subscribe here.

036. Making Yoga Philosophy Straightforward & Accessible Mar 31, 2021

In Episode 36 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Daniel Simpson to talk about yoga philosophy and his new book The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga’s History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices. Daniel is a former foreign correspondent who has gone on to study and teach yoga, meditation, yoga history, and yoga philosophy at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Triyoga, and beyond. Jivana and Daniel discuss many concepts and themes from yoga philosophy including the role of ethics in yoga and how our individual interpretation of the teachings influences how we “live” our yoga. This conversation invites us to consider how we use self-study and practice to either retreat from the world or become a more conscious citizen.

Get show notes, links to everything we discuss in the podcast, and subscribe here.

035. Creativity & Trusting Your Own Voice Mar 23, 2021

In Episode 35 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Linda Sparrowe to talk about creativity and finding our voice. The former editor of Yoga International and Yoga Journal magazines, Linda has been teaching, talking and writing about yoga for more than 20 years. She has a long and varied career as a writer, editor, speaker, and mentor in the holistic healing arena, with a special emphasis on women’s health. Jivana and Linda talk about how personal practice can help us find our authentic voice and how they each get into the mood to be creative. This conversation invites us to consider how we use our voice and our yoga practice and how we can trust our authenticity to express what we truly wish to communicate to others.

For show notes and links, visit the Accessible Yoga Podcast page or episode 35 here.

034. Compassionate Leadership & Mentorship for Yoga Yeachers & Business Owners Mar 17, 2021

In Episode 34 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman welcomes Pamela Stokes Eggleston and Amina Naru to talk about compassionate leadership and mentorship for yoga teachers. Pamela and Amina are two yoga service leaders and the co-founders of Retreat To Spirit - a mentorship organization that helps yoga teachers realize their potential, build their businesses according to yogic principles, and learn how to support themselves with their practice on and off the mat. Pamela and Amina share how self-care and mentorship helped foster their yoga careers and talk about connecting to your “why.” Finally, they share details about their upcoming Retreat To Spirit Mentorship course here at the Accessible Yoga Training School, which opens for enrollment next week.

For show notes and links, visit the Accessible Yoga Podcast page or episode 34 here.

033. Moving Yoga Studios Online & Resilience Through Change Mar 09, 2021

In Episode 33, Amber Karnes talks with Anjali Sunita. Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, Ayurveda practitioner, and the business owner behind Baltimore Yoga Village. In 2021, Anjali completely pivoted the Baltimore Yoga Village business model from two brick and mortar yoga studios to an online wellness ecosystem that platforms individual instructors and practitioners. In this episode, Anjali and I talk about pivoting to an online model during a pandemic, what the new business model is, and how others might consider moving to a more collaborative way of working. We discuss how our mindset around co-creating and co-working within our communities can be supportive rather than competitive. We also explore topics like resilience, failure, and why “starting over” can be a good thing, if we let it.

For show notes and links, visit the Accessible Yoga Podcast page or episode 33 here.

032. From Guru To #MeToo Mar 02, 2021

In Episode 32, Jivana Heyman sits down with Theo Wildcroft. Theo Wildcroft, PhD is a teacher, trainer, writer and scholar working for a more sustainable relationship between our many selves, the communities that hold us, and the world that nourishes us. Her research considers the democratization of yoga and the many different ways yoga communities are responding to concerns about safety in practice. In this episode, Jivana and Theo discuss post lineage yoga, the backlash against her work, and her new book, Post-lineage Yoga – From Guru to #MeToo.

This week we explore:

A deeper understanding of post lineage yoga
How Theo decided to do the research and work she is doing
How Theo has navigated backlash for the work she is doing
How we can share power within our spaces and classes
The importance of empowering students from the beginning
The importance of learning outside of formal structures
How Theo does her research

031. Q & A Feb 23, 2021

Hey Episode 31: Q & A

In Episode 31, Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman sit down to answer questions submitted by our listeners and community. In this episode, we will discuss how the practice can support mental health treatment in a responsible and ethical way, scope of practice, the importance of collaboration in our communities, as well as a question about exploring practice while experiencing vertigo.

This week we explore:

How the practice can be used to support mental health treatment in a responsible and ethical way
The importance of understanding scope of practice
How important it is to build collaborative working networks in your community
The importance of having clear descriptions for our classes
The importance of destigmatizing mental health support within the wellness and yoga communities
The importance of giving power back to students in our class spaces
How to explore the practice during vertigo

030. Re-Imaging Our Work Feb 16, 2021

Episode 30: Re-Imaging Our Work

In Episode 30 Amber Karnes talks with Kelley Palmer. Kelley is a writer, creative, advocate, and yoga teacher who focuses on the service of making wellness spaces equitable, accessible, sustainable, and safe for Black, Indigenous and people of color. In this episode, Kelley and I talk about orienting ourselves toward race equity work in our current moment. We talk about what can happen when we use our imagination to creatively solve problems together, rather than getting stuck in guilt, inaction, or a sense of “it’s always been that way and is impossible to change.” We also talk about developing resilience for staying with the discomfort that conversations about race and equity can bring up. Finally, we chat about Kelley’s upcoming course, Race & Equity in Yoga, and let folks know what they can expect if they join.

This week hear more about:

How Kelley developed her upcoming course, Race & Equity: Disruption As A Practice
How the demand for Kelley’s work has shifted in the last 12 months
How Kelley is feeling about her work, the current moment and our ongoing responsibility
The importance of understanding the legacy of oppression that has benefited some and made it unsafe for some to exist
The importance of knowing we can feel more than one thing at a time
How the word unity is being co-opted in this moment
How we can reclaim our imagination when thinking about social justice action and solutions
How Kelley is shifting to honor what feels like the best use of her energy
What to expect in Kelley’s upcoming course, Race & Equity: Disruption As A Practice

029. Yoga & Law Q&A Feb 10, 2021

In this episode, Amber Karnes talks with Cory Sterling of Conscious Counsel. Cory is a yoga teacher, practitioner, author, and an attorney, and he’s here to answer all our legal questions! (Or most of them, probably.) As Cory will tell us in the podcast, law in 2021 means communicating your expectations openly and honestly with heart-leading documents written in plain language. In this episode, we’ll talk about things like waivers, intellectual property, insurance, teaching online, LLCs, and much more.

This week hear more about:

The importance of using legal documents to clearly and honestly communicate expectations within our yoga spaces
The importance of understanding your responsibility to students in your care
The importance of understanding “the duty of care” and “the standard of care”
The myth that waivers of liability do not protect teachers and studios
The difference in responsibility for in person and virtual classes
The difference between a waiver and a disclaimer for offering classes on different platforms
How to legally create boundaries for consent for touch, assists and adjustments
How to ethically navigate legal issues, complaints and accusations of harm
The importance of finding the right insurance for you
How different business structures offer different benefits and protections
The difference between being an employee vs. a contractor

028. Power In Balance Feb 02, 2021

Episode 28: Power In Balance

In Episode 28 Jivana Heyman sits down with Susanna Barkataki. Susanna supports yoga practitioners to lead with equity, diversity and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence. She is founder of Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute and runs 200/500 Yoga Teacher Training programs. Jivana and Susanna have an in-depth conversation about the philosophy and history of the yoga and social justice movements of India. This conversation explores lessons and takeaways from the traditions, practices, and movements of yoga to bring social justice and advocacy to the forefront of our wellness spaces.

This week hear more about:

How Susanna started piecing together her recently released book through, essays, articles, interviewing her family and community
How social justice and yoga have always been connected practices for Susanna
The importance of seeking social justice and activism as a part of yoga more and more
How important service is in the tradition of yoga
How non-violence and service led social justice movements in India’s fight for liberation
How Ghandi and others modeled service and social justice as major part of the traditions of this practice
How Susanna learned about movements and service during her time living in India
How ancient texts, like the Yoga Sutras, gives us inspiration for social justice

027. Race & Equity Jan 26, 2021

In Episode 27, Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman sit down a few days after the attack on the US Capitol to dig into a personal conversation about race and the role they play in upholding white supremacy. They both share how the current events and political climate has impacted them and allowed them to do self study and tune into necessary self care. Amber and Jivana each talk about the importance of investigating how we are each upholding systems of oppression. This intimate conversation is an invitation to be mobilized towards action that supports a sustainable change.

This week hear more about:

How the attack on the US Capitol impacted Jivana and Amber
How Amber centers care of self to ground and fortify
The importance of being intentional with our media consumption
The difference they noticed in how peaceful protesters have been treated at the US Capitol in contrast to what unfolded during the attack on the Capitol
How Jivana was arrested while protesting at the US Capitol in the 90s
Tools for grounding when anxiety, stress and sadness follow current events
How support for Q’Anon within yoga communities is harmful
The importance for white people to have uncomfortable conversations about race and injustice
The importance of leaning out of guilt and centering action
The importance of supporting the folks and organizations already doing the work instead of trying to lead change
The importance of looking at your own daily life, community and practices to understand the power and privilege you might hold

026. It Is Time For a Reinterpretation Jan 19, 2021

In Episode 26, Jivana Heyman sits down with Justin Micheal Williams, an author, transformational speaker, and top-20 recording artist who has become a pioneering voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. Justin Michael immediately opens up and shares about navigating a tough upbringing, self doubt and following his dreams. Justin Michael also talks about meditation as a practice that frees us to feel all of our feelings and emotions. This conversation offers fresh perspectives about meditation and its place in our personal practices, wellness spaces and social justice movements. As a special treat Justin wraps this conversation by offering a guided meditation for us all to enjoy.

This week hear more about:

How Justin’s upbringing and childhood create a pattern of overachieving
How a moment in his dorm room led him to stop looking for fulfillment and happiness outside of himself
How navigating the death of his grandmother opened him to following his dreams
How we can think about our purpose vs career
How perfectionism shows up harmfully in wellness spaces
How oppression shows up in wellness spaces
The importance of decolonizing our wellness practices
The importance of releasing certain misconceptions about meditation
The importance of developing practices that allow us to sit with all of our feelings and emotions
How meditation can support post traumatic growth

025. Real Stories from The Accessible Yoga Training Online Jan 12, 2021

In Episode 25, Jivana Heyman sits down with four Accessible Yoga teachers to talk about the Accessible Yoga Training, how the training impacted their teaching, and how they are carrying the mission of Accessible Yoga into their work. Natasha Williams-Chaoua, Sarah Nuttridge, Marc Settembrino and Jacquie “Sunny" Barbee each share where they are located, about the work they do, the communities they serve and how taking this training transformed their perspectives of the practice. This conversation gives insight to the benefits of joining our Accessible Yoga Teacher Training as well as some possibilities you might sense for yourself if you further accessibility in your teaching practice.

This week hear more about:

How the training shifted their perspectives as a yoga teachers and yoga students
How they each came to find the teachings of Accessible Yoga
How to incorporate props into our teaching
Tips for making your classes/offerings more accessible
How teaching Accessible Yoga has transformed and inspired them
Their collective hopes for more and more teachers to take the Accessible Yoga Training

024. Q & A Jan 05, 2021

In Episode 24, Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman sit down to answer questions submitted by our listeners and community. First, Jivana and Amber talk about the ways that we can offer accessible classes in the new virtual landscape while taking into consideration the impact of the pandemic on teaching yoga. Jivana shares a list of his favorite texts for studying yoga philosophy, and finally, Amber and Jivana give some tips on how to include philosophy and self-study in your classes. This conversation was an invitation for Amber and Jivana to answer questions from listeners and share some of their favorite learning resources.

This week we explore:

How they each feel about the pandemic’s influence on the year and the pending vaccine
How to support students with an accessible yoga class in the virtual landscape
The importance of having grace and compassion for ourselves as teachers we learn to navigate the virtual teaching spaces
The importance of making sure your class descriptions provide clear indications of things like who will be served, the types of movement and what they can expect from the class
The importance of asking your students for feedback on the classes you offer as a learning tool
The importance of continuing our studies of yoga philosophy
How to build time into your class offerings for check ins, talking about the philosophy of this practice and cultivate a community learning space.

023. Creating Solidarity & Building Community Dec 29, 2020

In Episode 23 Amber Karnes sits down with Karin Carlson, yoga teacher, community advocate, and founder of Return Yoga. Through Return Yoga’s teacher training program and community outreach, Karin and other local teachers work in domestic violence shelters, jails, youth crisis centers, mental health contexts, and substance abuse treatment centers. Karin and Amber jump into a conversation about the ways white folks do harm when they rush to diversify their studios without actually understanding or investigating the problem. Karin shares quite candidly about her experience of charity versus solidarity and the ways it continues to cause harm in under-resourced communities. This conversation invites us all to consider how we build truly authentic communities, sustainable movements for change, and work in solidarity with communities outside of our own.

This week we explore:

How activism was ignited in her home city of Minneapolis and exposed harm from the local yoga community and a lack of awareness about the role white folks in those spaces should play in community care
How harm occurs when we rush to “fix” a problem in a community we are not apart of and do not fully understand the problem and our role to play in coming up with solutions
The importance of understanding the difference between solidarity and charity
How the yoga community still focuses on the business of making money instead of equitable solutions and real shifts in culture
The importance of learning to sit with discomfort, grief and other strong feelings, especially for white people
How the attention once focused on social change have shifted and lost momentum as the pandemic continues
The importance of understanding how “whiteness” causes harm to BIPOC communities around this country
How important it is to ask “How can I be of service?” and listen to the answer from the communities we wish to serve
How Karin went about creating a community to share this practice with through authenticity and honoring her lineage
How Karin developed her “Anti 200 Hour” program
How the pandemic is going to permanently shift how yoga and yoga teacher trainings are being offered
How Karin has been able to develop community connection in virtual spaces

022. The Trans Yoga Project Dec 22, 2020

The Trans Yoga Project is a collaborative effort supporting Trans* people's spiritual wellness through community (re)education, advocacy within the yoga and wellIn Episode 22 Jivana Heyman welcomes M Camellia and Puja Singh Titchkosky to learn more about the mission of the Trans Yoga Project.ness industries, community building, and creating guided practices by and for Trans* and non-binary people. M and Puja share deeply about how their collective began their work together and how the shared values of the groups have led to this new project. M and Puja talk about the subtle and overt ways that assumptions and language can make yoga spaces feel unwelcoming, unsafe, and inaccessible. This rich conversation invites us all to investigate how we may be creating harm and inaccessibility for Trans and Non-Binary folks and reminds us of the responsibility we each have to shift, learn and advocate.

This week we explore:

How the Trans Yoga Project is cultivating spaces that allow Trans folks to thrive and find access to safe yoga and healing spaces
How collaboration created this new project and leads how they work together
How language can make yoga and wellness spaces harmful to Trans folks
How making assumptions about our students leads to misgendering and other harmful experiences
How the layers of assumptions, social conditioning and discrimination make yog and wellness spaces inaccessible
The importance of developing a practice of using and respecting pronouns; yours, others and strangers
The importance of examining the unnecessary practice of gendering that happens in our yoga spaces (for ex. Bathrooms, changing rooms, pose cueing)
The importance of investigating and engaging gender in our own experience
How M leaned into investigating the stories of gender and got a grounded understanding of herself
The importance of understanding the expansiveness of gender as a step towards understanding and inclusivity

This week’s question:

How are you creating space for gender exploration?

021. Empowering Students Through Mentorship Dec 15, 2020

In Episode 21 Amber Karnes welcomes Francesca Cervero, private yoga teacher and teacher’s mentor. Francesca gives insight into how she built her career and offerings as a teacher and mentor. Amber and Francesca discuss the ways we build trust, depth and understanding for ourselves and our students on the journey of self discovery using the tools of this practice. This conversation holds space for us to examine the ways teachers can empower and educate our students in group and private yoga and wellness spaces.

This week we explore:

How Francesca grew her teaching practice and business
How Francesca started mentoring other teachers
How Francesa created her podcast
How students and teachers can benefit from ongoing private sessions
How supporting students can expand our perspectives as teachers
How to build a supportive teaching practice to best serve your students
How to build a trusting bond with students
The importance of inquiry vs aesthetics in teaching physical posture
How to re-imagine progress for ourselves and our students
How to empower and educate students beyond the physical accomplishments often attached to this practice in current yoga culture.
The importance of observing students during practice, instead of practicing alongside them
How Francesca shifted to virtual teaching in response to COVID-19 and how it has impacted/shifted her offerings

020. How Chair Yoga Democratizes Asana Practice Dec 08, 2020

In Episode 20 Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman sit to talk about chair yoga and how it can be used as a tool to democratize asana practice. We begin with a conversation about how lineage and “guru culture” are shifting as abuse is being revealed. Jivana and Amber also talk about the way dominant culture conflates health and wellness as a basis for a human being’s worth and value. They each share about the ways that this belief keeps folks from understanding the potential of chair yoga and creates more ableism in our yoga spaces. The conversation also talks in depth about how chair yoga can be used to serve folks in diverse bodies who have different needs from the physical practice.

This week we explore:

How the end of “Guru culture” through the revealing of ongoing abuse is shifting yoga culture
How we continue to have a collective focus on extreme physical asana
How Amber thinks about her learning lineage in yoga
How Jivana thinks about his Guru and lineage
How toxic diet culture and dominant culture have influenced who we see as an expert or “yoga celebrity”
How props like chairs are still seen as less than in mainstream yoga spaces
How we uphold health as the basis for value in others, on and off of the mat
How the sutras talk about our care, feelings and thought about our bodies
The importance of creating right relationship with our body and spirit through acceptance
How to easy use a chair to make the other limbs of the practice accessible to anyone
How the chair can be used as a prop to support postures, making them more accessible

This week’s question:

What is the right relationship with your body?

019. Tiny Bits of Joy Dec 01, 2020

In Episode 19 Amber Karnes sits down with Pamela Stokes-Eggleston. Pamela is a published author, stress management consultant, wellness resilience expert, national speaker, and sleep wellness coach. She founded Yoga2Sleep due to her challenges with insomnia and secondary post-traumatic stress. Pamela goes into deep detail about how her own life experiences led her to focus on the connections between yoga, sleep, and supporting veterans and their families. Pamela shares about the importance of tapping into what she calls “tiny bits of joy.” Join Amber and Pamela for this conversation that invites us to each use this practice to serve others.

This week we explore:

How Pamela created Yoga 2 Sleep and came to this work from her own experience with sleep disorders
The importance of sleep for our overall wellness and ability to navigate stress
How common it is for folks to navigate sleep disorders
How Pamela came to focus on working with veterans
How Pamela’s experience as a military spouse brought her back to her yoga practice and led to her being a teacher
How Pamela saw yoga serving veterans and their families
How working with veterans taught Pamela about the needs of caregivers and families of wounded veterans
How we can build small practices into our daily lives to support our stress and responsibilities
How this practice holds the space to embody resilience and strength in a sustainable way
The question, “What are you prepared to do?”

018. Run Forward Towards Discomfort Enthusiastically Nov 24, 2020

In Episode 18 Amber Karnes sits down to chat with Kimberly Dark, a writer, professor and teacher who works to reveal the hidden architecture of everyday life so that we can reclaim our power as social creators. Amber and Kimberly talk about the bias present in us all and how to begin unpacking the biases we hold that do harm, especially in regards to bodies and their variations. Kimberly shares the importance of being open to discomfort as a gateway to embodied learning and culture shifting. Kimberly also talks richly about the ways we can honor our lived experiences and the fullness of who we are. This candid conversation between Amber and Kimberley invites us all to lean heavily into our own discomfort in the service of creating a better world.

This week hear more about:

How Amber and Kimberly met at a retreat Kimberly offers
The importance of learning to accept the presence of bias
The power of unpacking the cultural biases that dehumanize us all
How healing spaces can ignore the intersections of identity, bias and accessibility
The importance of unpacking the systems of oppression in our lived experiences
How to navigate call-ins and critiques of our work with self study and clarity
The invitations available in Kimberly’s new book “Fat, Pretty and Soon To Be Old”
How we as teachers can learn from the students who show up in our classes
How social change happens over time and not in one moment
How the idea of resilience has been commodified and warped
How we model humanity for others, like our children and the importance of honoring all of who we are and what we experience
Exploring the question “How do you rest?”

017. When We Are Set Upon The Right Path Nov 17, 2020

In episode 17, Jivana Heyman welcomes Lakshmi Nair. Lakshmi Nair is the founder of Satya Yoga Co-op, a BIPOC owned and operated yoga cooperative in Denver, Colorado. Satya Yoga Co-op grew out of a yoga immersion and teacher training for Black & Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) that Lakshmi has been offering in Denver since 2014. In this interview we learn more about Lakshmi’s journey back to her practice and the creation of this transformative yoga co-op. Lakshmi and Jivana discover that they have been in the same yoga spaces since the late 90s. The exchange between Lakshmi and Jivana gives insight into building sustainable models to make this practice available, accessible and welcoming for all.

This week hear more about:

How Lakshmi began her work supporting BIPoC in wellness and yoga spaces
How growing up in Denver as a POC disconnected her from yoga
How living in a more diverse environment provided pathways to healing
How yoga was introduced to her as a teen by her father
How Lakshmi returned to the practice as an adult
Why Lakshmi designed her Trainings with the intention of making it accessible to as many BIPoC folks
How the Co-op was created from her desire to support the teachers she was training, instead of sending them into a yoga industry that undervalued them
What she learned from other co-ops in her area when creating her Co-op
How theCo-Operative is navigating the ramifications Covid-19
How the city of Denver is working to tackle equity and access to wellness and yoga
How working in collaboration is an important part of making yoga accessible in a sustainable way

016. Stop saying “full expression of the pose” [Making Asana Accessible Part 2] Nov 10, 2020

Episode 16 is the second in a series about making yoga asana accessible for all bodies. In this episode, Amber and Jivana talk about the language we use as yoga teachers. Jivana shares what the yoga Sutras say about the role of asana in our practice and we talk in-depth about investigating and shifting the language we use to communicate in our teaching spaces. Amber talks briefly about her recent Yoga Journal cover issue, including the history of harm the publication has had in yoga and wellness, and the importance of holding these large organizations accountable. This conversation is a rich exchange about the way our words can create belonging and affirm our students or our words can uphold systems of oppression and perpetuate a yoga practice that is inaccessible to most.

How Amber feels about her recently released Yoga Journal Cover and the history of harm the publication has had in yoga and wellness.
How the Sutras talk about the physical asana
The focus of western yoga culture to center the physical aspects of the practice while ignoring the other parts
How being in inquiry within the body empowers us to going into deeper inquiry around our thoughts and feelings
How the phrase “full expression of the pose” creates a hierarchy in our yoga classes
The importance of investing the language we use to teach this practice
The importance of understanding the stories people are holding about using props
How we unlearn ableism within our practice spaces and community
How teaching the foundations and intentions of each pose removes hierarchy of physical ability
The importance of giving our students agency and using language that empowers them, honors consent and welcomes folks to honor the bodies they have

015. Yoga & Social Activism Nov 03, 2020

In episode 15, Jivana Heyman welcomes Hala Khouri, yoga teacher and co-founder of Off The Mat Into The World. Hala shares openly about how her own life and experiences led her to the work she does as an activist. She also gives insight into the beginnings of Off The Mat and how the organization came to be. In this conversation Jivana and Hala talk openly about how they are each navigating the political climate within yoga spaces. This conversations invites us all to reconnect the roots of yoga to social activism.

In this episode we learn more about:

How parenting, politics and the pandemic are showing up in her life during these times
How Hala came in activism and community organizing
Hala’s story of leaving Lebanon as a child because of war
How Off The Mat was created
The importance of grassroots organizing
How Hala came out with a strong stance against Q-Anon
How individualism in wellness is holding space for right wing ideology in wellness communities
How yoga has been disconnected from its historical roots of social justice and activism
How to lean into to the connection between yoga, social justice and our individual action

014. How Trauma-Informed Yoga Serves Us All Oct 27, 2020

In Episode 14, Jivana Heyman sits down with De Jur Jones, a yoga teacher, flight attendant, community advocate, and model. De Jur has worked as a model for Accessible Yoga and is the main model used in Jivana’s recent book, Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body. De Jur shares about the populations she serves, including incarcerated communities, folks who were formerly sex trafficked, and those facing housing instability. De Jur also shares about her work as a trauma-informed yoga teacher and community support member and how she brings intention to her offerings to support the humans in front of her. De Jur speaks in depth about the many types of trauma that we do not regularly consider or choose to ignore. This conversation invites us to consider the trauma in our experience while holding the awareness that everyone around you also has trauma.

In this episode we learn more about:

The work De Jur does in her community with yoga
How the pandemic has shifted her ability to serve
How the pandemic has isolated and limited services to these underserved communities
The increased risk for COVID-19 for folks who are incarcerated and the concern De Jur has for them
What trauma informed yoga looks like when serving folks in highly traumatized environments like prisons
How De Jur brings intention to her physical cueing and poses to honor the trauma present in her students experiences
How trauma shows up in ways we may not regularly consider
How the impact of generational, race based trauma is always impacting BIPoC
How the wildfires in California are creating trauma for those who are most marginalized
How mandatory mask use has created tension and escalated situations with passengers who are refusing to comply
How De Jur is practicing self care in the midst of all the current unfoldings
Deeper understanding of what triggers and activations are and how they show up every day
How the tools of yoga can support us when we experience triggers or activations
How the breath can support us as an ever present way to self regulate

013. Making Peace With Your Body Oct 20, 2020

In Episode 13, Jivana Heyman interviews Amber Karnes about her upcoming course, Making Peace With Your Body. Amber shares openly about why she chose to do this work and how this work is intertwined in her own experience as a fat person. This conversation talks about the toxic nature of diet culture, the harm inflicted on folks in larger bodies within the medical industrial complex, and the ways dominant culture devalues folks in bigger bodies. Amber shares about how we can divest ourselves from diet culture and lean into our personal power, and what body image work has to do with social justice.

In this episode we dig in about:

Why Amber began this work
How Amber came to identify as fat
How the medical industrial complex treats folks in larger bodies
How diet culture shapes our wellness and yoga spaces.
How we systems of oppression influence dieet culture and our widely held beauty standards
How we each hold a hierarchy of bodies that devalue those in bigger bodies
How all of the devaluation of larger bodies trickles down to influence the distribution of resources
How fatphobia shows up in the decisions we make about food, dieting and wellness
How much time and energy we put into trying to fix ourselves and fit into beauty standards
How we can lean out of toxic diet culture and reclaim our personal power
How we can heal the relationship we have with ourselves
How disrupting toxic diet culture is a part of dismantling white supremacy and other systems of oppression
How Amber’s new course will work and what to expect

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

What would you do with all the resources (money, energy, time, etc.) that you have spent on trying to fix yourself and your body if you could get it back?

012. What is the role of asana in yoga? [Making Asana Accessible Part 1] Oct 13, 2020

Episode 12 is the first in a series about making asana accessible for all bodies. In part 1, Amber and Jivana dig into the ways physical practice is centered in western yoga culture. Jivana and Amber talk in detail about the other parts of the practice that often are ignored in most yoga and wellness spaces. We also talk about a simple mindset shift that prepares you for adapting almost any asana. This conversation invites us all to investigate the misconceptions we hold about changes in the physical body and how asana can support us through those changes.

How philosophy calls for making the practice accessible
How physical practice is centered in western culture
The role of physical asana in an accessible practice
How the practice supports our spiritual body as well as our physical body
The process of accepting our inevitable death and changes in the body
How systems of oppression have influenced the current yoga culture
How Jivana supported his grandmother, an advanced yogi, through aging and death
How Jivana witnessed the physical practice showing up for folks he was supporting through death and dying in his HIV/AIDS activism
The importance of understanding why we do poses, considering their benefits and contraindications
How to lead a mix leveled class through different physical postures
How we can support folks in any body experience the intention of the physical postures
How our language and communication about bodies can disempower of students
The importance of releasing our conditioning about bodies, ability and accessibility

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

Can you deepen the experience without doing more physically or leaning on making your practice more demanding?

Resources:

Kemetic yoga
Matthew Sanford (we also recommend his book and DVD)
Jivana’s book - Accessible Yoga
Amber’s video on eagle pose and larger bodies
Want to learn more about making asana accessible? Join the January cohort of the Accessible Yoga Training. You can drop your name on the waitlist here, and we’ll let you know when enrollment opens!

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

011. Anxiety, Yoga and Our Truth Oct 06, 2020

In episode 11, Jivana Heyman and Amber Karnes sit down to discuss their individual journeys with anxiety. They both share the ways yoga has been helpful and discuss what has not served them. This conversation holds the space to normalize the fact that we are all navigating anxiety and that some of us are navigating anxiety disorders. Jivana, who is writing a new book, felt it was important to have this conversation, giving a space for him to share authentically about his journey through grief and anxiety. In this episode Jivana shares deeply about reshaping his practice diving deeply into self exploration as a way to learn to accept the role anxiety plays in his life. Amber also talks in depth about how yoga gave her new tools to navigate her thoughts, patterns and negative self-talk.

The importance of stepping away from technology for our wellness
How we can create space for our wellness practices to honor the lives we are living
How we can drop the stigma of discussing mental illness
How the death of Jivana’s mother triggered an emergency anxiety attack
How being a yogi doesn’t not exclude us from navigating anxiety
How navigating anxiety has reshaped Jivana’s personal practice and his new book
How teaching brought Jivana back to his personal practice
The importance of allowing others to teach and lead us as teachers
How the practice holds space for us to feel our feelings
How we can lean into creativity and avoid cultural appropriation
How wellness communities lean into ableism in the face of mental health conversations
How to navigate negative self talk within our practice

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

How do you remain respectful of the traditions of yoga and make it accessible?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

010. The Responsibility and Opportunities We Have In This Moment with Dianne Bondy Sep 29, 2020

In episode 10, Jivana welcomes Dianne Bondy to talk about how she has created her platform, grew her career, and built a global yoga community. Dianne talks about how she leaned into the virtual space early on and gives advice for folks looking for tips on how to build their own platforms. This time with Dianne gives great insight into best practices, tools and things to remember as we teach virtually. Jivana and Dianne both talk in depth about the importance of making sure that our virtual offering spaces are accessible to all. Dianne also talks about the responsibility we each have to dismantle white supremacy and the importance of understanding the place of social justice and advocacy in our yoga spaces and personal practice.

How travelling less has create more ease for her and revealed how tiring her complex travel schedule actually was prior to the pandemic
How the power of manifestation in creating the career she desired
How she began her career and grew her global yoga community
How she leaned into virtual teaching spaces against pushback from other teachers and folks in the yoga community
How to create impactful work during these new normals because of social distancing and virtual offerings
How to best set up lighting and positioning for teaching virtually
How to secure the tools you need to teach virtually
How to make your virtual space accessible to all
How race and racism are ignored and dismissed in our wellness spaces
How we have a deep moral responsibility as space holders and teachers of this sacred path
The responsibility of white teachers and the yoga community to understand the social impact of yoga

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

What are you doing to connect your yoga practice to your social advocacy?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

009. Yoga Is Not About Fixing Others Sep 22, 2020

Episode 9 Show Notes

In episode 9, Amber and Jivana talk about a recent article Jivana has featured with Yoga Journal talking about yoga’s response to disabilities and illness. Together they explore the belief that folks with disabilities or illness need to be fixed or cured, especially within yoga spaces. Jivana talks in depth about the connection between ableism and white supremacy, making it pervasive and easy to ignore by those who think they are unaffected. Jivana also shares more about the ways ableism is upheld in our wellness spaces by centering healing and curing people. This episode invites us all to investigate the stories we hold about our bodies, disabilities, illness, death, and yoga’s place aside those identities and life transitions.

The difference between a medical model of disabilities and the cultural model of disabilities
How yoga communities deal with disabilities and illness
The push from disabilities communities to embrace disabilities as an identity
How the move from person first language to identity first language to is showing up in different communities
How the ableism in our society is the obstacle or limitation, not disabilities
How white supremacy is the root of ableism
The danger of focusing on the physical aspects of the practice and the importance of teaching the complete practice
How upholding “advanced asana” as “advanced yoga” upholds ableism
How positioning healing or curing as the goal of yoga upholds the belief that folks with disabilities or different bodies need to be fixed
How Jivana’s experience of witnessing how yoga can serve those who are dying
The importance of yoga to support our inevitable transition to death
How the role of yoga teachers is to support their inner journey, not to fix others

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

Does the ability to perform advanced asana make you an “advanced yogi”?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

008. Yoga philosophy through a South Asian perspective with Shyam Ranganathan Sep 15, 2020

Episode 8 Show Notes

In episode 8 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Shyam Ranganathan and Jivana Heyman have a discussion about Yoga philosophy through a South Asian perspective. They explore the various ways that Western imperialism shows up in the way we interpret and practice yoga, what the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita both say about our responsibility when it comes to other people (social justice), and how translations, interpretation, and a Eurocentric bias can completely change the context and the meanings of the teachings.

In episode 8, Shyam & Jivana discuss:

Shyam’s story including why he decided to teach yoga philosophy, why he translated the yoga sutras, and how online education through the Yoga Philosophy school informs his teaching
Moral philosophy & ethics (or dharma in south asian tradition), an investigation into the right and the good
Shyam talks about how Yoga is a practice of devotion to the ideal of Ishvara, which is defined by unconservativism and self governance, whereas Yoga philosophy is a question of right action (or social justice)
How Western imperialism expresses itself as a common theme when we study yoga philosophy (“shut up and get in line” or “don’t question the status quo”) and why intellectual traditions from outside of Europe automatically get labeled as “religion”
What Shyam thinks of a guru that makes you earn your status and work your way up their ladder… “That’s Plato, not Patanjali”
What Patanjali has to say about how we should deal with folks who advocate for harm (or against ahimsa)
Ghandi’s influence on social justice movements and his connection with the sutras
How yoga is a practice of "getting over yourself"
Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga in the Gita and the sutras
How spiritual abuse isn’t yoga, and why modeling yoga after Plato’s model (where a series of hoops is presented as education) is flawed
How to have discernment when it comes to finding or vetting a teacher, and noticing where we give our power away
How Shyam understands and defines Ishvara, and how that changes the context of the teachings

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

007. Dealing with duality and working with our emotions Sep 08, 2020

“I’m not going into my practice to look for a way out of life, but a way in...to experience the fullness of my life.” -Jivana Heyman

In episode 7 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman talk about duality—the up and down, light and dark, "both/and" nature of life. We talk about how attachment to outcomes and the stories we tell ourselves keep us in a place of suffering, and the antidote to that (spoiler alert, it’s non-attachment and acceptance). We discuss personal experiences and practical ways that we each work with our emotions and grief in our yoga practice. We also talk about the danger of spiritual bypass and how embracing the fullness of our human experience honors the yoga teachings and helps us accept ourselves as we are.

In episode 7, Amber & Jivana discuss:

How we are holding opposing truths at the same time and why accepting reality as it is helps us suffer less
How social media gets us stuck in comparison and the tricks our brain does to try to protect us
Jivana talks about how his mom’s death led to exploring his emotions as part of his yoga practice
Amber talks about how being grounded in non-attachment helped her cope with the huge grief and changes to her life and business post-COVID
How to use your yoga practice to make friends with your mind, rather than trying to control or discipline your mind
How Jivana’s journey of fatherhood and parenting his children helped him learn to give himself the tender compassion he gave his children
Amber talks about a step-by-step way that she processes big emotions like anger
Jivana discusses how he works with emotions in his meditation practice
How spiritual bypass and “good vibes only” ignore the reality of life and stop us from
When we use our yoga practice only for self, we miss a huge opportunity to realize our interconnectedness and honor the depth of the practice and our humanity

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

Are you willing to accept all aspects of yourself? And if not, why?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

006. Lessons learned from the Accessible Yoga Training Sep 01, 2020

In episode 6 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber and Jivana talk about lessons learned from the Accessible Yoga Training. Jivana digs deep into the yoga philosophy behind this training that informs both of our work and the way we teach. We talk about shifting the power dynamic between teacher and student and what happens when we give students the tools to work with their practice, rather than insisting they fit into a preconceived notion of shapes or sequences. We also talk about how the Accessible Yoga Training builds community between teachers like us whose work sometimes feels isolating.

How the Accessible Yoga Training got started including Jivana’s background in AIDS activism, creating a teacher training for folks with disabilities, and the way the training has changed over the years
How we make our classes more welcoming and safe by meeting our students where they are
How as teachers we must make sure we aren’t viewing students as lacking something, and as students how we give away our power when we expect a teacher to fix us
Through redistributing power, teachers can be an example of non-attachment
How the Accessible Yoga Training helps our students find a way to practice safely and empowers teachers to innovate, not memorize shapes
How skilled yoga teaching is like art - full of creativity and improvisation
How we approach cueing multiple levels of a posture or practice at the same time
How the Accessible Yoga Training has given folks direction for their work and helped teachers to step up as community leaders and share the heart of yoga

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we invite you to reflect on this question:

What is my role as yoga teacher (in my classroom, in my students’ lives off the yoga mat, and in the wider world)?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

005. Geek wellness, YogaQuest, and the power of stories with Justine Mastin Aug 25, 2020

Episode 5 Show Notes

In episode 5 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber Karnes and Justine Mastin discuss:

Justine’s yoga story: how she got started, what brought her back to the practice, and how she finally found her community at a comic book convention
Why the geek community saw barriers to accessing wellness and how Justine came up with the idea for YogaQuest
What to expect from a YogaQuest class, a narrative yoga class based in fandom stories
Why representation is important for folks who are traditionally left out of wellness spaces
Specific ways Justine created her yoga spaces to be more welcoming to folks from the geek community
How Justine stays in inquiry around cultural appropriation and how YogaQuest is like yoga-fanfic
Narrative therapy and the power of stories to question social norms and create the lives we imagine
Justine’s upcoming book and how it helps us to question social norms through the lens of pop culture

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, Justine poses a 2-part question:

What is the story of my life?
Who are the important supporting characters?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

004. Getting better at failure & reclaiming wellness with Nicole Cardoza Aug 18, 2020

In episode 4 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman and Nicole Cardoza discuss:

Embracing failure and the ability to try new things with resilience, even when things go wrong
How looking at our work and activism with many different angles and approaches helps us stay flexible and keep the confidence to move forward and just do what needs to be done
Giving ourselves grace & accountability through failure
Waiting for permission vs. knowing your lane vs. taking responsibility for jumping in where you do have privilege
How actually putting ourselves in the way of rejection or failure lets us get better and move forward
Failure as a practice and learning from failure in asana
Showing up for ourselves in difficult moments
Reclaiming our right to be well and what wellness means to Nicole
Lessons learned from creating the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, Nicole poses a 3-part question:

What does it look like for your community to be well?

What’s standing in the way of that?

What can you do as part of your wellness practice to dismantle those obstacles?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

003. What’s wrong with saying, “I’m not the yoga teacher for everyone” Aug 11, 2020

In Episode 3 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber Karnes and Jivana Heyman discuss the responsibility of yoga teachers to have a commitment to accessibility in their group classes and how we can’t let ourselves off the hook by saying, “I’m just not the teacher for everyone.” In this episode, we discuss:

Making a commitment to accessibility and how that’s different from trying to please everyone
The importance of creating a culture of permission and safety in our learning spaces
When a “safe space” for some feels unsafe for others, how we can hear difficult truths without getting defensive
Are you giving yourself a pass by saying, “I’m not the teacher for everyone.”
The commitment of yoga teachers to creating equitable learning environments
Creating a culture of safety and openness where students can feel safe in their bodies
Shifting from the role of a fitness instructor to a guide who holds space for our students transformation
Being open to inquiry takes the pressure off us to have all the answers and helps us play to our strengths as yoga teachers
Shifting away from a physical focus toward the subtler teachings of yoga transforms the way a group yoga class looks
Thoughts on “advanced” practice and trauma-informed teaching

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, we are sitting with this question:

What does having an “advanced yoga practice” mean to you?

Get a transcript, links to resources, and show notes at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

002. Dismantling white supremacy & redistributing power in yoga spaces Aug 04, 2020

In Episode 2, Amber Karnes interviews Kelley Palmer, writer, yoga teacher, wellness advocate, and community organizer. In this episode:

Kelley introduces herself, talks about how she came to yoga, and explains why social justice has been part of her practice from the beginning
How Kelley began teaching yoga and how that was informed by the way anti-blackness shows up in wellness
How yoga spaces often mirror the harm that exists in society for folks with marginalized identities
The responsibility of studio owners when it comes to social justice and dismantling white supremacy, fatphobia, ableism, homophobia, etc.
How we miss the barriers that prevent marginalized folks feeling welcome in a space (especially when that yoga space feels like a “safe space” to some of us)
How the conditioning of whiteness keeps us stuck from taking action toward justice
Practical ways that folks can redistribute resources or power within our yoga spaces
Taking the transactional nature out of our relationships
Ways to notice (and dismantle) gatekeeping practices in your yoga spaces
Shifting our mindset from a lens of individualism and fear to a focus on the collective and community care
Kelley’s upcoming course: Race & Equity in Yoga: Disruption As a Practice will be a space for self-inquiry and unpacking our responsibilities toward race equity, yoga, social justice, and more

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path. Today, Kelley poses a 2-part question:

When you think about working toward equity, justice, and liberation, what are you willing to release? What are the obstacles you perceive to releasing those things?

Get show notes, downloads, and transcripts at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

001. If yoga is peaceful, why are y'all so angry all the time? Jul 22, 2020

In episode 1:

Amber talks about her work: community-building around yoga, social justice, and body image
Jivana shares his background with yoga and social justice including how he got started with yoga, how Accessible Yoga came to be, and how his participation in AIDS activism laid the groundwork for his work today
How a community of practice (like the global Accessible Yoga community) supports marginalized practitioners and teachers to be of service and stay connected to one another
Yoga is not just about a personal practice to make us feel better, our opportunity is to use our practice to create more well-being for all
“Yoga is supposed to be peaceful, why are y’all so angry and negative all the time?” We discuss spiritual bypass and why the yoga teachings are not just about “love and light.”
The harm that is done when spiritual teachings are used to ignore or downplay the harm that happens in our own lives, our yoga communities, or the world
Yoga gives us the tools to sit with discomfort, but only using yoga to end our own suffering means we miss an opportunity to use our practice to be of service and lessen suffering for others
Jivana shares about his experience working in AIDS hospice and how that shifted his understanding around healing, death, and yoga
Service is the expression of an expanded mind and an ability to stay open to others’ humanity
Figuring out “your lane” in social justice by honoring your body, knowing yourself, getting beyond shame, fear, and confusion, and managing your mind
We’ll also share with you our plans for this podcast going forward

Today’s inquiry

Each week we’ll leave you with a powerful question. We encourage you to sit in inquiry with this question, write about it, discuss it with another community member on this path.

This week’s question comes from Rachelle Knowles (she offered this during her workshop on the Bhagavad Gita during the St. Louis Accessible Yoga Conference last year).

“If the battle is inevitable, what kind of warrior do you want to be?”

Get show notes, downloads, and transcripts at accessibleyogatraining.com/podcast.

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