Yoga accessibility
Published in the Republican 2019
I was invited to be interviewed for an online yoga summit organized by yoga teacher and psychotherapist Ashley Turner. The conference is from March 18 to March 22. Ashley asked me to focus on how to make yoga accessible for people with disabilities based on my own personal experiences.
Yoga has been a wonderful practice, helping people connect with their bodies, calming their minds and releasing anxiety. Like myself, many people have trouble with different poses, such as standing and balancing poses due to physical limitations.
In teaching yoga or practicing, you need to be creative in adapting to the pose by taking it apart to make adjustments. I am a big fan of using props, such as blocks, straps and a chair to get the full effect of the yoga pose.
Oftentimes, it can be useful to find a new and safe way to modify the pose to your body’s limitations. In yoga, having proper alignment is the key to keeping your body safe.
As in any practice, maintaining proper breath to the movement is the key to getting the full effect of the mind and body connection. I am always reminded of a quote I learned from a yoga teacher at Kripalu. “Your yoga mat is your science lab in experimenting with your body’s movements.”