Accessible Yoga Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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?

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