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