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Teaching Kids Yoga

Teaching Kids Yoga is a growing niche for yoga teachers. Yoga for kids is a fun physical activity particularly for…

How to Support BIPOC Students in Yoga Teacher Trainings

The final straw in Harmeet Kaur Mann’s online yoga therapy class was when the First Nations women had to console…

The Anxiety of High Standards

It was only six weeks from the time the first strange patch appeared on Melissa Holt’s scalp til she was…

Teaching Yoga Without Cultural Appropriation

Teaching Yoga Without Cultural Appropriation When people talk about cultural appropriation in Yoga they often cite expensive mainstream studios where…

From Student to Volunteer Yoga Teacher

in 2013, poet and artist, Alexandra R. LaFlam stayed at Pacifica Treatment Centre to overcome an addiction fuelled by grief…

Accessible Yoga Means Websites Too!

We’re so excited to share that Yoga Outreach’s website is now more accessible for people with visual, cognitive, and motor…

How Trauma Informed Yoga is Different

If you’re a holistic Yoga teacher, you may be wondering if it’s really necessary to take a trauma informed yoga…

Building a Sustainable Nonprofit in Yoga Land

In the decade that followed founder Sandra Sammartino stepping back, Yoga Outreach struggled to keep its head above water, both…

How Our Yoga NonProfit Started

Have you ever wondered how to start a Yoga nonprofit in Canada?  25 years ago, a small, committed community of…

25 Day Yoga Challenge - Live Practice & Workshop Schedules

Creating a consistent self-care routine Did you struggle with your mental health during the pandemic lock down? Are you struggling…

Yoga in schools, staff rooms, and community health centres

Karen George was at a loss about how to help her client, a woman so severely depressed that she was…

Gifted Mantra Performer Joins Yoga Training Faculty

For generations, Rishima Bahadoorsingh’s family has practiced meditation, mantra and kirtan as part of daily life. Sundays were for learning…

Cedar weaving can embody healing for West Coast First Nations

“My family has been deeply impacted by colonization,” explains Avis O’Brien of her formative years in Alert Bay, home of…

How I spend my yoga privilege

Depression and anxiety are frequent visitors for me. The trick is to wait them out, not battle them directly. Instead…

Are we practicing yoga right?

  Yoga every damn day + Positive vibes only = Peace and light. That’s the promise right?  Instead we’ve got…

How therapists cope with compassion fatigue

By Tannis Price, therapist-in-training Have you ever found yourself feeling numb to other people’s problems, or to sad stories on…

Relationship is priority in trauma-informed yoga

Nicole Marcia’s self-esteem tanked after she was assaulted by a neighbour more than two decades ago. She shut up the…

Why I'll always find time to volunteer

Volunteerism is an important family value of mine. From as early as I can remember, my Grandma and Mom have…

Yoga at home for depression and anxiety

“Isolation makes any problem bigger,” says Leslie Wilkin, a clinical social worker. Normally, Leslie Wilkin sees her clients at Island…

Six ways to talk about homelessness with kids

Talking to kids about inequality in a way that makes them feel empowered rather than helpless is challenging. The Street…

How trauma-informed yoga empowers cancer patients

When we think of trauma, we often imagine an assault from the outside. But when someone is diagnosed with a…

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…

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…

Christmas Mourning

Last week I attended our workshop with Alica Forneret on grief. I was really looking forward to digging in and…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…