Accessible Yoga Podcast

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

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

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

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 

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

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

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

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

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. 

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