Show Notes
What is the difference between giving commands and inviting exploration in a yoga class? How can yoga teachers allow students to be their own authority over their bodies and practice? These questions relate to power and consent, and sharing power and promoting a culture of consent is fundamental to making yoga accessible and equitable.
In this podcast episode, Jivana Heyman and guest, M Camellia highlight the importance of recognizing power dynamics in the teacher-student relationship within yoga spaces and leveraging power to create more access for students, respond to students’ individual needs, and hold space for them to uncover their own innate power on their path toward liberation.
Topics include:
Power dynamics in yoga spaces
Resources as power
Power and the yoga teachings
Yoga as a discipline
Improvisation in the classroom
Abuse and trauma in yoga lineages
The power of embracing uncertainty and possibility
Check out Jivana’s new book, The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga, and get more information about the book on his website.
Connect with Jivana:
www.jivanaheyman.com | @jivanaheyman | facebook.com/jivanaheyman
M Camellia (they/them) is a yoga practitioner and facilitator, writer, consent educator, and advocate called to create profoundly accessible spaces for self-inquiry. M is a co-founder of the Trans Futures Collective (previously known as the Trans Yoga Project) and, among other roles within the realm of yoga service, serves on the staff of the Accessible Yoga School. Their teaching and writing center Queer and Trans identity, consent and agency, body liberation, and disability justice in relation to yoga philosophy and practice. They serve as a mentor for other yoga teachers and practitioners who desire to deepen their understanding of accessibility, power dynamics, trauma, and yoga as social justice.
Connect with M:
mcamellia.com | @foundspaceyoga
More from The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga
In this final wrap up episode, Jivana offers an overview of his book, The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga, and highlights a few topics that are of particular importance to him. Whether you’ve read the book or not, this episode addresses many key elements in making yoga accessible for yoga teachers and yoga therapists.
How does being a student of yoga translate into teaching yoga? Loving the practice and wanting to share it with others is at the heart of becoming a teacher. As a teacher, you also continue learning and evolving, deepening your own understanding and practice. This journey of teaching and learning is a continuous cycle that enriches both teacher and students.
“All we're doing is preparing for that moment, where grace just drops in." - Tracee Stanley
According to the yoga teachings, pranayama is among the most powerful practice we have. Yet, many of the common breathing practices are taught in ways that are not accessible or trauma-informed. How can teachers make pranayama more accessible to their students?
Initially, Shavasana may seem like a simple posture. But, when we approach the practice with a little more depth, we can discover a powerful restorative practice with profound and multifaceted benefits.