Making Yoga Accessible - Reflections for Teachers

What does “accessible yoga” look like? We often see the term shared in a generic way, as if we all need to make every yoga class accessible to everyone, all the time. However, if we described all yoga as “for everyone” the term becomes meaningless.

Beyond the physical

Often we think of accessibility as relating to making the practice available on a physical level for anyone who wants to attend. And while physical limitations do prevent many from attending a yoga class, this is only one aspect of many that might prevent someone coming to, or returning to a yoga class. 

Hashtags like #yogaforeverybody can deny the everyday existence and reality of those who can’t come or don’t feel welcome due to a physical disability, debilitating mental health condition, sexual orientation or race.

Race

Yoga can seem inaccessible when we fail to present it as belonging to certain groups, such as ethnic minority groups, ironically even from those of South Asian heritage from where the practice originates. 

So in describing your class, ethos or venue, it is worth mentioning that your yoga class is for those from any background. This might be described as “We positively welcome those of any ethic background” and reinforced with marketing materials that reflect something beyond the slim, white, female stereotype. 

Racism is such a persistent and prevalent issue that fear of not being welcome is often foremost in the minds of those of the non-dominant culture, and so we need to positively reinforce the “welcome” to everyone.

Checking our own prejudices or privileges is a part of this work. If we feel unsure or uncomfortable in reflecting on this then it’s worth reading more, or studying our inherited cultural attitudes to see where we stand. This will help us to open our arms wholeheartedly. 

In Bristol there are groups positively supporting teachers who would like to offer yoga to those who may have been affected by racism. Bristol Yoga Roots Project offer information, resources and talks on race, politics, identity and much more. They can be found on Instagram, @bristolyogaproject.

Gender Identity

We can be specific that those of all gender identities are welcome. Move beyond the assumption that someone is male or female unless they have told us their identity already. By making a statement like “We positively welcome those of any gender identity”, and adapting any signage in the space we teach to state toilets/changing rooms are “any gender” is a great place to start. Also using language that moves beyond the binary from “Ladies/Gents” to “students” or “people” and using gender neutral pronouns are positive steps we can take. 

At the Bristol City Yoga studio we once had a complaint from a student we assumed to identify as male, when we directed them to the changing room, which was a really good lesson in not pre-judging someone’s gender identity based on appearance.

Help students feel welcome and safe

Making students feel welcome is not just at the beginning and then a farewell at the end, it is your full focus and intention in each moment. The basis of this is to practice deep acceptance of ourselves, so that this carries over to those we meet, and we can greet each person with equanimity and with an ability to just be clear and honest. This way we are able to hold the space for those who may feel afraid or depressed, without feeling we need to “heal” anyone.

There are so many reasons in life why one may not feel immediately safe in a new environment, and for some, feelings of anxiety persist even after we know a place and its people. This may be from prior experience of prejudice or racism, or from any other form of trauma which leaves us feeling on high alert. 

Many mental health conditions might make it difficult to attend, or to continue coming to class, the most prevalent being depression and anxiety. Trauma or PTSD can make yoga feel frightening, especially the unknown. 

If a student is slower or less mobile then join in with this person, say to class “Take your time, there’s no rush”. Let those who know where they are going to move on, for example “If you feel ready we are heading towards high lunge”. 

If we are making our classes accessible to those with mental health problems, we will most likely need some additional experience or study in working with these conditions. 

In the next year at Bristol School of Yoga we will be developing our offerings further in this regard to offer courses to teach those with anxiety and adapt classes in a trauma sensitive way.  

Different body types - mobility and proportion

Being well prepared for how we might adapt postures for different body types, rather than assuming everyone will have a certain body type, will help us feel more genuinely welcoming to all students. 

Variations of a pose

Understanding how to progress a pose from its most simple form to its most complex clearly with step by step progression is essential. Also, by making links between different poses within the same family means you always have a handy alternative to reach for if a posture looks inaccessible.  

Similarly we can’t assume that everyone can do something like step the foot forward from downdog. So work out how to break this down, e.g. lower the knees first and slide or heel- toe the foot forward.

After setting up a pose, continue with “Or if this feels tricky, we can try sitting higher on blocks like this…” to add in alternatives so that no one person feels called out. 

There are certain postures which need amending according to the size and shape of a person’s body. For example, certain seated twists may need a wider base to move the bent leg out of the way of the abdomen, and turning away into an open twist means the abdomen is not in the way of spinal rotation. The language for this might be “Adapt the pose to suit your body, if you feel you need more space, the foot could go wider here” whilst demonstrating adaptation.

Applied Anatomy

Being able to talk calmly, kindly and honestly about different body types is a skill and one which we may adapt to suit different students, e.g. I feel it is OK to talk about if you have a more “bendy body type” or “if you feel more restricted in the hips” as this language is not value loaded. Rather than referring to the “advanced option” or “easy version” of a pose. 

A good understanding of applied anatomy is also helpful to understand why a student might be struggling with a pose.

Props

Understanding how to use props and having some props available is key to making practices more accessible. If we understand the key mechanics of a pose, then we know how to adapt that pose with props to make it easier or more challenging. 

We can also put the students who find balance more difficult near the wall and just let everyone know that this is totally fine. 

Philosophy

Weave yoga philosophy in by sharing teachings like there is no such thing as perfection. We are just here to be present to whatever happens in all our wobbliness or wonkiness. Deep acceptance is the true yoga. 

In keeping with this we don’t need to show off our best practice and can instead hang out with those who are struggling more. Hold back, be slower or bend the knees more, stay with the student who needs you and they will feel welcomed. This is making yoga accessible. 

Trauma

Since we often don't know who our new students are, or who carries the burden of trauma, or even perhaps understand exactly what trauma is, it makes sense that we offer a sensitive approach that is less likely to trigger those with an experience of trauma.

There is a lot of research in this that you may want to read up on, some main pointers are to:

Offer options

Give options to your students so each person knows they are their own boss and can choose to adapt your suggestions to suit them. For example, "staying here if this suits you” or “you may like to...", "feel what's right for you in this moment”, "if your body is happy here” or “ if you feel you need more".

Closing one's eyes can feel unsettling for many students, so offer the option as to whether eyes close or stay open but perhaps lowered. 

Affirmative language

We can also check our cues and aim to use affirmative language such as “allowing the leg to straighten” rather than “don’t bend your knee”. There is evidence to suggest that language that is positive can help both mobility and healing. Saying something like “float your arms up” can feel more easeful than if we say “reach up high” for example. 

We can aim for a melodious tone without sounding too saccharine! 

Also aim to keep any sensory stimulus relatively steady for example, not suddenly changing the lighting without warning.

Neurodiversity

The same sort of considerations stand us in good stead for those who are sensitive through neurodiversity, such as autism spectrum, ADHD, etc. Additional stimulus such as music during class might feel a lot to deal with. Some students might feel rushed to move between poses, whilst for others stillness might be challenging. If we offer a chance to, for example, take gentle movement during savasana, or to keep the eyes open this might help more people feel OK to attend class.

Communicating who the class is for means we can disclose if the class is slow paced or dynamic, breath focused or movement focused, with or without music, etc. Choose to normalise different conditions such as neurodiversity and mental health conditions - since these are all on a wide spectrum that connects us all.

When we refer back to the yamas - to ahimsa and satya and make this the basis of our practice and teaching, we may find ways to help students to feel safe. Yoga does not pathologize anyone - the human mind has the tendency to believe we are each an individual entity which can leave us feeling alone, scared, isolated or anxious. Whereas yoga philosophy sees us as being essentially unified, there is nothing wrong with any of us, even if we feel we are not coping in the best way in that moment. Yoga can offer us a chance to review and adapt our thoughts and behaviours. This understanding of our interconnectedness as the basis of teaching yoga may help us to offer practices that feel safe and welcoming. And a way to reflect and communicate clearly who our classes are for.

Want to learn more?

In our adjustments intensives we share how to help students self adjust with accurate alignment cues and props as well as considered physical assists for those who enjoy being adjusted.  We have an intensive focused on Standing & Seated poses, and one on Backbends & Inversions.

We’re also developing courses for teaching yoga for anxiety and trauma sensitive yoga, so subscribe to our newsletters to be the first know about upcoming courses, teaching tips and resources and the latest research to support you.

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