When we think of trauma, we often imagine an assault from the outside. But when someone is diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, the attacker is on the inside. People often report feeling betrayed by their own bodies. That sentiment is common to students in Bobbie-Raechelle Ross’s Yoga...
Why hands-on assists aren’t right for trauma-informed yoga
Touch can be relational, connecting, healing, and necessary for well-being. But Yoga Outreach (YO) classes are touch-free zones for several important reasons. First, no-touch zones make classes feel safer for some survivors of trauma. Not all of YO’s students are trauma survivors. But a high proportion of people in prisons,...
Why use invitational language in trauma-informed yoga?
Directly commanding someone to move their body in a certain way can trigger a defensive response, particularly for survivors of trauma. By swapping “invitational language” for a more direct style of instruction, teachers may help students to recover feelings of autonomy, self-esteem, and even joy in their bodies. “Invitational...
Christmas Mourning
Last week I attended our workshop with Alica Forneret on grief. I was really looking forward to digging in and talking about grief, how it can swirl around a drain slowly, and then suddenly burst the pipes when you’re not expecting it. You might think this is a bit late...
A New Way to Pay for Yoga Outreach Workshops
Yoga Outreach is trying out sliding scale payments for our exciting new Knowledge Development series in Vancouver beginning fall 2019. That means folks will have three options at check-out for each course: Tier 1 - Pay the true cost of the class, including the facilitator’s time, the facility, and administrative...
Lessons in Conference Planning – After Boundaries and Bridges 2019
why host a conference about bad stuff? On May 25, Yoga Outreach hosted its first ever conference: Exploring Boundaries, Building Bridges: Connecting Yoga, community, and self. We started by booking Matthew Remski, who had recently published a book about the aftermath of sexual abuse revelations in a well-known yoga community....
The West’s bias toward a good/bad binary makes us vulnerable – and not in a good way
“People who are unwilling or unable to take an honest look at their own shadows might be equally poor at seeing other people’s shadow sides. This makes them vulnerable to manipulation and abuse.” A Conversation with Liana Yip, Registered Clinical Counsellor Yoga Outreach: Liana, how far is too far ...spiritually?...
Salons are fun, but can’t provide SELF care.
A conversation with Insiya Rasiwala-Finn, yoga teacher, writer, and Ayurvedic counsellor YO: When you read “self-care” in a mainstream magazine or on a billboard, what does that bring up for you? IRF: This is so pertinent right now. I was just scrolling through my email – which attracts a lot of...
How do you know if you’re Spiritually Bypassing?
"A yoga studio can be this weird place where you do something together but remain alone, boundaried by a strip of rubber, a Mona-Lisa smile, and a fixed gaze. The premise is that “going inside” is all that’s needed for your life — and all life — to improve. That...
How to set boundaries that better serve yourself AND others
Exploring Boundaries, Building Bridges: A conversation with Farah Nazarali, non-violent communication expert How should we complain, offer criticism, express disappointment, or demand action within a yoga community? It’s awkward, and conflicts with common notions about yoga. These are some of the questions we’re posing at our upcoming conference: Exploring...