Accessible Yoga Podcast

NISCHALA JOY DEVI is a masterful teacher and healer. For many years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing. Her dynamic delivery and deep inner conviction empower each individual, allowing the teachings to expand beyond boundaries and limitations of any one tradition enabling...

This episode is a replay of a conversation between Jivana Heyman and Octavia Raheem on Jivana's podcast, Yoga Revolution. This week’s guest, Octavia Raheem, teaches us to slow down, prioritize rest, and honor our varied human experiences. Octavia is a mother, author of "Gather," yoga teacher, and founder of Starshine & Clay Online Yoga and Meditation Studio for Black Women and Women of Color....

In episode 52, Amber interviews Maya Breuer, yoga teacher, community activist, and Yoga Alliance’s Vice President of Cross-Cultural Advancement. She shares about the work Yoga Alliance is doing for teachers working in marginalized communities as well as her important projects like the Yoga Retreat For Women of Color, Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, and more. Maya talks about the importance of self-c...

Content warning: this episode contains discussion of death and grief. In episode 51, Amber and Jivana talk about how they are each navigating grief and loss in their personal and professional lives. We’ll discuss tools that help us from humor to therapy to our yoga practice. We talk about how concepts from yoga philosophy have helped us reduce suffering and embrace the nature of life as it really...

The information on this Podcast does not constitute medical or other professional advice and should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your physician, psychotherapist, or other health care provider.  Please note, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this program are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent...

In episode 49,  Amber and Jivana reflect on how constantly changing circumstances surrounding COVID are shaping their personal and professional lives. We’ll discuss how we are each navigating the burnout and hopelessness that many of us are feeling, as well as ways we are responding. We discuss strengthening community bonds, practical tools for navigating anxiety and uncertainty, and Jivana l...

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah known for his playfulness, heart-opening, and commitment to change from the inside out. As a yoga teacher with 20 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and runs the Resonance mentorship program for certified yoga teachers to find their niche and calling. In 2...

Michelle C. Johnson is an author, yoga teacher, social justice activist, licensed clinical social worker and Dismantling Racism trainer. She approaches her life and work from a place of empowerment, embodiment, and integration. With a deep understanding of trauma and the impact that it has on the mind, body, spirit and heart, much of her work focuses on helping people better understand how power a...

Marlysa Sullivan is a physiotherapist and yoga therapist with over 15 years of experience working with people suffering with chronic pain conditions. She is the physical therapy coordinator of the empower veterans program which provides an integrative model in working with people with chronic pain at the Veterans Administration. She is an Assistant Professor in Yoga Therapy and Integrative Health...

In episode 45, Amber and Jivana share tips for keeping students safer in yoga classes. In this episode we’ll explore how the methods we use to teach can contribute to an environment of safety for our community. Amber and Jivana will discuss practical tools they use to help students tap into their personal power and listen to their bodies, rather than striving or competing to keep up with the rest...

In episode 42, Amber Karnes interviews Jivana Heyman about his upcoming book, Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion. We discuss what a “yoga revolution” means, the relationship between yoga and social justice, the role of self-care in our work, and much more. This interview invites us to take a look at the “why” behind our personal yoga practice and consider possibilities...

In episode 43, Jivana interviews Bill Brown from Prison Yoga Project.  In this episode, Jivana and Bill discuss: Bill’s background and personal interests How Bill started his yoga practice How Bill ended up volunteering teaching in prison Childhood trauma How trauma is stored in the body What teaching in prison is like Society failing to care for people COVID disrupting Prison Yoga Project’s...

In episode 42, we're sharing a recording of Reggie Hubbard's powerful closing keynote from this year's Accessible Yoga Conference online. There are some within the yoga community that think politics and yoga should not mix. That the purpose of yoga is to escape from the pressures of the outside world and find inner peace. But yoga at its essence is the refinement of conscious awareness to meet lif...

In episode 41, Amber and Jivana discuss community building and collaboration. As we gear up for the upcoming Accessible Yoga Conference, community is on our mind. In this episode we’ll talk a little bit about our history with community building including Amber’s time in the hardcore punk scene and Jivana’s AIDS activism. We talk about the “how” of collaboration, things to think about when joining...

In episode 40, we’re back! Amber and Jivana catch up about what they’ve been doing while the podcast has been on break and update you with all the latest of what’s to come. We’ll discuss what Accessible Yoga Association is up to, plus give you a sneak preview of the upcoming Accessible Yoga Conference Online.  In this episode... Amber & Jivana check in and catch up about the time we’ve be...

In Episode 39 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Amber Karnes sits down with Anjali Rao to discuss the connection between yoga and activism. Anjali Rao is a yoga teacher, social justice activist, multi-cultural training specialist, and a cancer survivor. She is an Indian American immigrant from Bangalore, India. Her work explores yoga philosophy and history integrating marginalized voices using story...

In Episode 38 Amber Karnes sits down with Tristan Katz and Maygen Nicholson to address a few common transphobic talking points and discuss how we can support our trans and gender expansive community members. Tristan and Maygen are both educators who focus on LGBTQ+ awareness, advocacy, and wellness at the center of their work. In this interview, Tristan and Maygen discuss gender identity, why we s...

In Episode 37 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT. Zabie is the director of Trauma Informed Programs at UCLA and is the Founder of Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga. Zabie has trained thousands of yoga instructors and mental health professionals on trauma-informed teaching and her new book Trauma-Informed Yoga for Survivors of Sexual Assaul...

In Episode 36 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Daniel Simpson to talk about yoga philosophy and his new book The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga’s History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices . Daniel is a former foreign correspondent who has gone on to study and teach yoga, meditation, yoga history, and yoga philosophy at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies,...

In Episode 35 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman sits down with Linda Sparrowe to talk about creativity and finding our voice. The former editor of Yoga International and Yoga Journal magazines, Linda has been teaching, talking and writing about yoga for more than 20 years. She has a long and varied career as a writer, editor, speaker, and mentor in the holistic healing arena, with a sp...

In Episode 34 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Jivana Heyman welcomes Pamela Stokes Eggleston and Amina Naru to talk about compassionate leadership and mentorship for yoga teachers. Pamela and Amina are two yoga service leaders and the co-founders of Retreat To Spirit - a mentorship organization that helps yoga teachers realize their potential, build their businesses according to yogic principles,...

In Episode 33, Amber Karnes talks with Anjali Sunita. Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, Ayurveda practitioner, and the business owner behind Baltimore Yoga Village. In 2021, Anjali completely pivoted the Baltimore Yoga Village business model from two brick and mortar yoga studios to an online wellness ecosystem that platforms individual instructors and practitioners. In this episode, Anjali and I...

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 practic...

Hey Episode 31: Q & A 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...

Episode 30: Re-Imaging Our Work  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...