Inclusion

THE CONVERSATION: How can yoga reach EVERY BODY AND MIND? Who is currently excluded from yoga in its current structure — culturally, physically, financially, socially, and geographically? Why is that, and how can Yoga Alliance help foster greater inclusion in yoga?

WHAT WE LEARNED:

Yoga professionals and practitioners agree that there are key concerns and issues to address with respect to inclusivity in yoga and offered some solutions on how to address them through open-ended responses.

We saw in our 12,000-respondent survey that exclusion can take many forms, from practitioner stereotypes to teacher training affordability to trauma sensitivity, gender bias, and the challenges of geographical and language borders, among others. The pictured chart, (Survey: Attitudes and Beliefs of Yoga Professionals and Practitioners Worldwide, 2018, Edge Research), highlights some of the key concerns surfaced. Read more here.

Standards Review Project Survey: Attitudes and Beliefs of Yoga Professionals and Practitioners Worldwide 2018, Edge Research.

⇲ Read the Working Group Paper

Through the working group specific to Inclusion, a few recommendations regarding diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and equity (DIAE) “rose to the top”:

  • The concepts of DIAE should be interwoven throughout the RYS 200, 300, and 500 curricula
  • Teacher Trainers should receive additional training on concepts surrounding DIAE

Yoga Alliance could offer a course to Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs) that would include information on adaptive yoga, inclusive teaching, trauma awareness, and cultural sensitivity.

To learn more about this working group’s recommendations, please download the Inclusion Working Group Paper here. As a reminder, Yoga Alliance brought together a diverse spectrum of expert advisory voices to maximize the perspectives and resources within this area of inquiry. They represented one stream of input in the process, albeit an important stream.  We thank them for their participation and dedication.

Note: these working group papers provide expert recommendations to Yoga Alliance and the yoga community for consideration as the Standards Review Project continues. They are not prescribed actions but rather insights from an experienced and dedicated group of subject matter experts. They were written by an independent third party. At this point in time, no decisions have been made regarding standards updates, and we welcome and encourage your feedback and comments regarding the entirety of the SRP process.

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Advisors In This Group:

Jacoby Ballard

Jacoby Ballard

Jacoby Ballard is a white trans queer person working to support and nourish local and national social change work through yogic and Buddhist practices, herbalism, and political education, as well as educating and organizing embodied and contemplative communities in social justice ...
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Susanna Barkataki

Susanna Barkataki

Susanna Barkataki, M.Ed. Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Core Community of Interbeing, is known for her passion for decolonizing yoga - practicing yoga not just as poses but as a way of life. She ...
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Lisa Carbone

Lisa Carbone

Lisa Carbone was introduced to yoga for personal well-being and stress management while in graduate school. This experience sparked her initial research interest in yoga and launched a personal exploration into her own mind-body connections. From there, she pursued yoga ...
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Phindile Dhlamini

Phindile Dhlamini

Phindile Dhlamini-Motshegwa, RYT 200, is an avid yoga practitioner with over a decade of practice and experience. Her area of interest primarily revolves around the yoga eco-system and the diverse communities that make up the industry. She is exploring her ...
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Marshawn Feltus

Marshawn Feltus

Marshawn Feltus is a Chicago West Side native and owner of the first yoga studio, ACT Yoga, in Chicago’s Austin community. He has gained recognition through a variety of media, community members, and organizations for his work in the Chicago community ...
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Jivana Heyman

Jivana Heyman

Jivana Heyman, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings for people of all abilities and backgrounds. Accessible Yoga offers two Conferences per year, which focus ...
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Hala Khouri

Hala Khouri

Hala Khouri, M.A., SEP, E-RYT, has been teaching yoga and the movement arts for over 20 years. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is trained in ...
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Crystal McCreary

Crystal McCreary

Crystal McCreary has taught yoga and mindfulness since 2007. She is committed to creating and holding safe spaces for people to connect, heal, learn, and build resilience in a world that often takes relentless hold of our bodies, minds, and ...
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Maryam Ovissi

Maryam Ovissi

Maryam Ovissi became an avid student of yoga in 1999, after studying privately with Simin Yahaghi, her first yoga teacher, in California. Since 2001, she has been teaching Hatha, Hatha Flow, Vinyasa, Prenatal and mom and baby classes. Maryam is a ...
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Luvena Rangel

Luvena Rangel

Luvena Rangel, HHP, E-RYT, RPYT, YACEP comes with over 15 years of experience in international oil and gas, aviation, and logistics businesses. Born and raised in the Middle East and with an academic background in science and medicine from Ukraine, she ...
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Melanie Williams

Melanie Williams

Melanie Williams, RYT-200, is a fat, queer, non-binary yoga teacher and self-love advocate in Washington, D.C. She is called to create profoundly inclusive spaces for wellness, self-inquiry, and the inward journey by integrating spiritual teachings and accessible movement practices with the spirit of ...
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