An Anti-Perfectionist Approach to Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman
Over the past decade, there has been a welcome push towards a more inclusive approach to yoga. But what does that look like on a practical level? Jivana Heyman has been at the center of the accessible yoga movement as the founder of the Accessible Yoga Project and the author of The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga, Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. In this episode, Jivana shares an anti-perfectionist approach to accessible yoga that centers the relationship between teacher and student. The conversation delves into insecurities and imposter syndrome, the interplay between teaching and personal growth, and the importance of ethics in guiding both personal and teaching practices. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 The philosophy of accessible yoga 01:48 Jivana’s early experiences with yoga 03:30 How yoga helps with emotional regulation 05:59 The impact of social media and information overload 08:43 How to deal with impostor syndrome 13:22 Teaching as a relationship 21:04 Inquiry on the ethics of teaching 27:50 The importance of meeting your students where they are and respecting their preferences 33:41 Perfectionism and people-pleasing 38:30 Kindness as a guiding principle for accessible yoga 42:15 Helping and fixing vs serving EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Accessible Yoga School Access all of Jivana’s books here Follow Jivana on Instagram @jivanaheyman LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe