Inspiring Instructors - Monica Cordes

I recently attended a weekend training with Monica Cordes on providing Yoga to Seniors and was very inspired by her knowledge of and care for this population.  She works tirelessly in the seniors' community providing yoga where there is little to be found, and has developed a curriculum and trained fellow instructors in how they too can lead seniors safely through a yoga practice at all ages and abilities.

You have a passion for sharing yoga with seniors that is infectious when you train other teachers. How did this passion begin, and continue to grow for you?

I began teaching yoga to seniors about 15 years ago, and began by adapting traditional yoga poses using a chair, either to sit on or as an aid to balancing. At first it was intimidating to deal with a group where there were so many health challenges, but the feedback was so positive that I persevered and started to see how much they were getting out of the practice. Five years ago I was looking around for specialized training and found, to my surprise, that there were very few yoga programs geared toward certifying yoga teachers to instruct seniors—only one in all of Canada! I found this quite appalling. Here was a large segment of the population with special needs may span 40+ years of a person’s life and yoga geared specifically to them was almost non-existent. I decided to take all the courses offered, mostly in the United States, and then design a training of my own. This path has proved to be most rewarding for me. I continue to be inspired both by the senior students I teach and the yoga teachers I certify to teach them.

 For the rest of the interview click here.

Yoga at Durham College

Thanks to Sam, Colin, and Barb of the LGBTQ Centre at Durham College for inviting me to come out and lead a queer yoga class.  Being there reminded me of the privileges that as a Toronto queer I may take for granted in terms of services and safety, even though Toronto is by no means perfect in this regard yet either - but given the short distance between Oshawa and Toronto the disparity felt big in this respect.  It was fantastic to work with the students there, many of whom were trying yoga for the first time.  It's lovely to look into a sea of faces grinning through the tricky moments, and to see eyes flickering to a close as relaxation sets in.  Offering and participating in classes for a community where there is an identified commonality, amongst differences, creates a space that is a wonderful opportunity to work within.
Check out a video about the event

Inspiring Instructors - Elisa Hatton

Meet Elisa Hatton, a yoga teacher, community development worker, and artist. One of her most recent projects was coordinating and teaching yoga with an innovative yoga based HIV/AIDS prevention program for youth, called Mate Masie at The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP), a non-profit organization in Toronto.
Please share with us the Mate Masie philosophy and the objectives and framework of this program.
Mate Masie is represented by an Adrinka symbol, which is a visual symbol originally created by the Akan people of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d’Ivoire that represents concepts or aphorisms. The implied meaning of the phrase Mate Masie is "What I Hear, I Keep" or “I understand.” Understanding means wisdom and knowledge, and also represents the importance of taking into consideration what another person has said. It also means placing a high value on self-reflection versus the stereotypes and myths that are perpetuated by our families, cultures, religion, media, and society at large.

for the rest of the interview go to:  http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/inspiring-instructors-part-iii-elisa-hatton

Inspiring Instructors - Jacoby Ballard

 As a teacher who offers classes specifically to the Queer and Trans communities, I have had some disheartening experiences and witnessed some students struggle to find a place for themselves in the yoga world.  While some studio owners have turned classes away because they want classes the can offer "to everyone", others have "scooped" requests for me to teach to a LGBTQ group because they felt "anyone can teach Queer and Trans Yoga". And, sadly, I’ve taught students who have experienced homophobic and/or transphobic experiences at other classes.  I know we can do better as a yoga community—to open our hearts and create more spaces that provide safety, understanding, and community building. Meet Jacoby Ballard, a yoga instructor and co-owner of a wellness centre in Brooklyn, New York, who is doing just that.
   
What led you to decide to offer yoga classes to the queer and trans communities?

 I came out as trans while training to be a teacher, and so yoga has always been a part of my gender. It’s been a very spiritual process, to transition socially and medically, that it has really demanded that I know who I am. Though I found support through yoga in yamas and niyamas and through the warmth of my teachers, I also found a complete lack of understanding of the trans experience.  

For the rest of the interview click below:

http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/inspiring-instructors-part-ii-queer-and-trans-yoga

Inspiring Instructors - Jennifer Musial

Ever since I became involved in the world of teaching yoga, I have been moved by my peer instructors’ unique approaches and individual dedication to increasing yoga’s accessibility by sharing its benefits beyond the mainstream audience.  I am inspired by this work and am always curious to know more and so I will spend my next few blog entries sharing my interviews with some of these fine folks with you.
Meet Jennifer Musial, a Hatha yoga teacher from Kingston, Ontario, who teaches within the walls of Joyceville penitentiary.
What drew you to teach yoga in prison?

Click here to read the rest: http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/inspiring-instructors-series-part-1

Music on the Mat

I’ve had three primary yoga teachers, none of whom had ever promoted the use of music during class--with the occasional exception of savasana.  Although my teachers taught me much of what I know about guiding students through a practice, on this note, I have found my own path.

The first group I taught was a queer and trans community class.  For many of us, gathering as a group to do yoga was something new, and the music helped us to settle into a comfortable space together.  As I branched out into other studios and teaching venues, I was hesitant about sharing the mixes I had delighted in making for my regular class as my mixes were not traditionally considered “yoga music”. I moved forward despite that, concluding that the best practice was to just  be myself and draw together students who enjoy my teaching style.

read more: http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/music-mat

Yoga is Going to the Dogs

 In the past I have been skeptical of yoga classes for dogs and their people. I wondered if it was yet another marketing ploy, or further humanization the animals we live with.  Then I started to reflect on some of the activities we do share with our dogs, like running, hiking, swimming, and walking.  We both benefit from physical activity, focusing our minds, as well as the communication and cooperation required while engaging in these pursuits together. Why would sharing yoga with our dogs be any different? 
 click below for the rest of the article
http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/yoga-going-dogs
photo credits to EK Park