Show Notes
This week M Camellia joins Jivana to take a deep dive into how we can challenge the norms and “rules” of Westernized yoga culture and co-create a culture that focuses on collective, rather than just individual, liberation.
M Camellia (they/them) is a fat, queer, non-binary, neuro-emergent yoga teacher, writer, and advocate, called to create profoundly accessible spaces for self-inquiry. They believe that the goal of yoga is collective liberation and challenge contemporary yoga practitioners to dismantle the systems and beliefs that hold us all back. M is a co-founder of the Trans Yoga Project and serves on the staff of Accessible Yoga, among other roles within the realm of yoga service. Their teaching and writing often center Queer and Trans* identity, consent and agency, fat liberation, and disability justice in relation to yoga philosophy and practice, and they serve as a mentor for other yoga teachers and practitioners desiring to deepen their understanding of accessibility, trauma, and yoga as social justice.
On this episode, M offers profound and heartfelt insight into what it means to invite agency and exploration into yoga spaces, the importance of learning when and how to say “no” and “yes” on and off the mat, and consent and power dynamics in yoga. They also provide specific examples of how to do this as yoga teachers and practitioners.
Learn more about M and their offerings. Follow M on Instagram. Follow the Trans Futures Collective (previously the Trans Yoga Project) on Instagram.
Learn more about Yoga Revolution by Jivana Heyman.
Order your copy of Yoga Revolution at Shambala, or wherever books are sold.
Also by Jivana Heyman: Accessible Yoga: Poses & Practices for Every Body (2019, Shambala) The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body (2024)
Connect with Jivana: www.jivanaheyman.com @jivanaheyman facebook.com/jivanaheyman www.accessibleyogaschool.com @accessibleyogaschool facebook.com/accessibleyogaschool
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.