Curvy Yoga™ class series at Lifespan Yoga®

I completed my certification in Curvy Yoga August, 2012. I really was not looking for another certification; I have plenty to keep me busy. I pursued the Curvy certification because I wanted to be very clear that my studio not just welcomed curvy bodied students, but was serious about their yoga education. I want my classes to feel safe and accessible for all people, and if someone has a round body I am committed to teaching yoga that will work for that person. Many curvy students have always wanted to do yoga but never felt welcome in a yoga class and this must change. Yoga has always been for every body.

It is important to break the myth that yoga is only for skinny, flexible, young people. You will probably never see an image in the media of a curvy yogi. The last advertiser I was working with could find no stock photo of a yogi over a size 4 to use for my ads. I asked them if they had a stock photo of someone with grey hair doing a yoga pose. They did not.

The main goal in Curvy Yoga is providing a comfortable and supportive space for Curvy students to explore yoga postures with other people like them, learning the same thing, and going through similar challenges. I found beginning Curvy students could completely relax with others in a no-judgment zone. We are now winding down the Curvy Yoga series this Tuesday (6:45-7:45 pm). All of the students finishing up the Curvy series are feeling confident about moving into Gentle Yoga. 

When I developed our Gentle Yoga classes, I did so for my students with chronic disease, chronic pain and/or severe stress. They wanted to slow down and relax, their health depended on it. They did not need to increase their stress with a fast paced or too hard yoga class! So the Gentle Yoga classes became a place to do yoga very slowly, with time in the pose and between poses. All poses are taught at a few levels of difficulty so any student can experiment, challenge or back off at any time. With their Curvy Yoga introduction, these students will blend right in. They can grab chairs or props at any time and now they know exactly when to use them.

We will resume our Gentle Yoga class at 6:30pm Tuesdays in October. If you want to learn about my next Curvy Yoga program at Lifespan Yoga in Jacksonville, FL go to www.lifespanyoga.com and sign up for our newsletter to receive announcements.

Chair Yoga Certification Program

Lifespan Yoga® Chair Certification in Jacksonville, Florida

September 23

When I began teaching yoga to cancer patients that were being treated with chemotherapy and radiation treatments, everyone was doing well in yoga class and many of the students were fit. But I had a nagging feeling that someone would come in that could not get up and down from the floor. This prompted me to learn Chair Yoga. I did my research, took classes, read up on it and finally put it on the calendar as a stand alone class. In the first class I had a woman who had suffered 7 strokes, a woman with dementia, two women who walked with canes and a few people with leg problems from diabetes. I realized this was going to be as challenging as the cancer classes and I loved it. I never looked back. I added another class the next year and now am offering a class to certify other yoga teachers to teach this very special yoga.  

To enroll in this certification you must have completed a Yoga Alliance Approved 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and have a calling to learn how to teach yoga to people who cannot get up and down from the floor. This includes people of all ages. Younger people attend chair yoga classes if they have serious headaches or medications that make them dizzy. People with every type of disability, especially MS attend. People of all ages with knee and hip problems avoid floor yoga and move to chair yoga. Diabetics with neuropathy may feel safer doing yoga in a chair. Some people begin in chair yoga and after a few months transition to gentle yoga on the floor. This happens more than I expected. Of course anyone who sits at a desk can do yoga at work in their chair. Many yoga postures can be modified so everyone can experience the spirit of the yoga poses from a chair or with the chair as a prop. If you are interested in providing a transformational experience for these students, this certification is for you. Sign up at www.lifespanyoga.com.