This final recorded session of the cohort offered a workshop exploring a collection of yoga postures and different variations that may be appropriate for programs. Feel welcome to practice along and notice how to explore accessible variations to consider in your programs. 

This session concluded with a demonstration of a program adapted for youth, shared by Lo Patt, PYP's communications manager and youth facilitator in Arkansas.

Please feel welcome to share any questions of comments you may have about this session. Consider how you might adapt sequences to support the unique populations you serve.

This week we shared discussion of Samadhi, the 8th Limb of Hatha Yoga. We also explored tools and resources for determining the regulation and engagement of participants as well as supporting folks who may be in active recovery. 

Please feel welcome to share any thoughts or topics that resonated with you, or you may prefer responding to one or more of the prompts below:

• How might you introduce principles of Samadhi within a carceral setting?
• What considerations could be beneficial when supporting a new group of participants, or supporting those who are in active recovery?

I enjoyed learning more about graduation and the opportunity to register with Yoga Alliance. I also appreciated the information about providing testimonials and becoming a PYP ambassador. As I've mentioned previously, once I complete my finals, I plan to begin volunteer training and hopefully apply to become a Justice System Liaison. Given my lived experiences, I feel this is an area where I could make a meaningful contribution.

I appreciated the conversation with Emma about inclusive language, particularly the use of "ladies." Until around age 30, I frequently used expressions like "girl" in everyday conversations, but I've naturally become more intentional with my language. I occasionally slip back into those habits depending on who I'm with, but I recognize the importance of using inclusive language in the spaces we're facilitating. Similarly, I appreciated the discussion about adapting terminology to different groups. References to the stars, moon, or solstices might resonate with some participants but not others, so it's important to make the practice accessible and relevant to the people we're working with.

The discussion about men's and women's prison yards and outdoor recreation was particularly interesting. My previous roommate described her experience at a large women's correctional facility in Ontario, where she said men from a neighbouring institution would catcall women across the fence. Having experienced incarceration at Vanier myself, I found this especially insightful. However, because I was only there for approximately one week and never received outdoor recreation time, I can't speak to how the yards operate today. It was another reminder of how different people's experiences of incarceration can be.

I actually teared up closing out with seeing Jen’s smiling face as she said, “Goodnight, everyone,” knowing that I’ve now completed all the modules and weekly classes. I’m so appreciative of this entire experience and the opportunity to reflect on my journey through these posts. I can’t believe how perfectly timed this milestone is with everything else happening in my life right now.

Thanks, Jen and PYP, for such a meaningful experience! I’m so excited for graduation next week! 🧡

I've been thinking about it in the way I facilitate different groups that I lead or facilitate now, and realized at times I have an “agenda”, or try to steer the group one way, or steer the conversation in one particular direction (I mean, I have slides, we have to talk about this 😊 ) . In this way, I'm stealing from the group. I'm stealing their agency to let their needs be known and then met within the group. I thought that was really interesting, and I've been thinking about all the different things that were mentioned in relation to asteya.

And then, of course, thinking about how systems of oppression, capitalism, misogyny, colonization, etc. have caused asteya on a macro and micro level, both in the past and present. These systems operate with the intention of replicating this harm to stay in power, and the systems (and people behind the systems) steal not just mental health and well-being, but others’ basic human rights, their access to resources, their agency, their choices in life, and in many cases, their lives themselves.

I liked the idea that asteya is about creating opportunities to support agency. I think that was a really important piece that I took from this week's teaching. I also really appreciated what Alejandro said about giving yourself grace when you don't get it right. I think that is so important. When we feel like we've messed up, or there's something we want to change in our classes or whatever it is we're doing, we need to be able to give ourselves grace and compassion, and know we did the best we could with what we knew at the time, and commit to doing better moving forward.

At the same time, I think when we focus on “what we did wrong” for too long, it can become about us rather than about the harm we caused to the other person. So being able to acknowledge it, self-correct, make a change, and give yourself grace feels really important.

I lead a group for adoptive, foster and kinship care families who are struggling with bog issues and challenges within their homes. Many of their teens or young adults are in crisis. They have all adopted or foster children with early histories of trauma, and these children are now teenagers and young adults, and part of their trauma is acting out on behaviours that can be really difficult within a family environment. We've been meeting for about a year and a half now, every two weeks, so I know these families quite well.

A few weeks ago, I did a breathwork session with them. I had been doing breathe holds in my own yoga practice, and I thought it would be interesting to bring into the group. Afterwards, I did a roundtable and asked what people noticed, whether they enjoyed it, whether they didn't enjoy it, and what their experience had been.

One of the participants reminded me that she has CF, and that the breath holds weren't possible for her, so she just breathed normally. I had invited people at the beginning to breathe with what was comfortable for them, to release the holds as they felt they needed to, or to just not do the breathe holds at all if they weren't comfortable, but it's a very small group, and if I had remembered at the beginning that she has CF and finds breathing difficult in general, I wouldn't have done that practice at all. I would have chosen something different.

I was hard on myself for a little while, thinking, "How did you not remember that this woman has CF?" But after hearing Alejandro talk about being able to let it go and do better next time, I found myself thinking about it differently. It wasn't intentional harm, but the harm was still there. So now it's up to me to acknowledge that (I reached out to her after the class), make a change, and do better next time.

The other thing I've been thinking about a lot is how we've been talking about the early trauma that most people in a carceral setting, or in rehabilitation, will have experienced.

During one of the breakout room conversations, one of the group members asked about various behaviours during a class, and I think the example was “attention seeking”.  The information from Jenn about this was so good, reminding us all that we should be cautious in making assumptions about how somebody might be, and to really consider not basing our expectations on what other people have told us that person will be like.

What came to mind for me, since I work in this field, was also the impacts of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD. Studies have shown that a very large percentage of people who are incarcerated, both in Canada and the U.S., have either been diagnosed with FASD or are suspected to be on the spectrum. The same is true here in South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of FASD in the world. I would imagine the numbers would be significant worldwide if more studies were done.

FASD can cause behavioural challenges, difficulties with social skills, a lack of awareness, communication difficulties, impulsivity, and many other challenges, including not having the ability to learn from “cause and effect” (which may be a factor in recidivism). FASD is brain damage, as the developing brain has been affected by alcohol exposure in utero. When you then combine that with early trauma experiences, mental health issues, or other neurological differences, it's just a lot to realize that the people we may be working with could be experiencing.

For me, that's another way of thinking about giving people grace and recognizing that everybody is doing the best they can with the hand they've been dealt. This isn't a studio setting. These are individuals who have most likely been through a lot, potentially from the very beginning of their lives until now, when we have the opportunity to work with them.

Those were my main takeaways this week. I really enjoyed the range of motion practice, and again, the reminder of asking, "What does today's body need?"

I have experienced "surrender" in a couple different forms in the last 3 or so years. My first truly all encompassing understanding of surrender was when I got sober. I did not go through AA where surrender is a core tenant of the program. But through my own journey, the idea of surrendering - surrendering to my powerlessness over alcohol; to my regrets; to wasted time; to self-harm; to falsehoods; to embarrassment - I was able to start a true journey of forgiveness, self-acceptance, and self-love. Having become comfortable with the idea and feeling of surrendering, I have had an even more profound experience with it recently. I was unexpectedly released from my work contract in August. As a single person, I have only myself to rely on - no second income, no safeguards of a family support system. In past decades - I know I would have gone into total panic mode. But this time, I accepted the reality, and I trusted that the universe would show me the way. That's not to say I haven't put in a lot of work on self-reflection, self-discovery, and self-analysis to figure out what my next step was. But I allowed the universe to guide me and I surrendered to the process. Sure enough, I have met some amazing people, I was led to a job posting, and I have just completed the interview process with a good chance of getting the position. Even if I don't, the calmness and steadiness that came with surrender has helped me navigate this process with clarity and confidence. I have many thoughts about how I will approach this new employment situation and my life in general and the steadiness and ease. A feel a trust within myself going forward that I am strong and capable of handling the challenges of life I will continue to face. The foundation of yoga has surely added to my ability to move forward in life with a better understanding of myself, how I move through the world, and how my energy creates portals of openness to welcome in change. 

The idea of bringing in the idea of surrender to a carceral setting seems challenging. The "maintenance to surviving" really resonated with me and I can see a path of offering surrender to self to participants to help disrupt that survival mode. Offering surrender as creating trust and confidence in yourself seems like an accessible avenue to opening up this idea to the practice. 

Something I have learned over the last year, especially coming from a communications background, is how much language matters. I have become much more intentional about person-centred language, including how I speak about disability and incarceration. I have previously called myself a former inmate, but moving forward I will say “a person who has experienced incarceration.” That distinction feels important as I move into this work.

I really appreciated our journaling around, “I am becoming a trauma-informed and healing-centred yoga facilitator.” When I think about service, I think about taking everything I have experienced over the last two years and using it to connect with and support others. I now understand personally what it means to experience police violence, incarceration, alcohol misuse, eviction and homelessness. Experiencing homelessness has been especially eye-opening because I came from a place of significant privilege and did not understand how dehumanizing some systems and services can be. Right now, I feel especially connected to people experiencing homelessness, while also recognizing how much that intersects with trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

It was really moving to hear everyone speak about “becoming.” I remember beginning this training in January and being in such a different place. There was a time when I could barely talk about what happened to me with police because it was still so traumatic. I am now able to talk about those experiences, recognize how much healing has happened and think about how I can use what I have learned to be of service to others.

I also really appreciated the teachings on Ayurveda and the idea of daily, seasonal and life stages. It felt incredibly relevant because I am closing a season of displacement and homelessness and moving into a stable home where I can finally settle.

Even the discussion about our environment and substances felt connected to that transition. A year ago, I was drinking heavily, chain smoking frequently and could not imagine living somewhere without a balcony for instance. My new home does not have one, and that no longer feels like a loss. I may still have a couple of drinks with a friend at a show, but I am not imagining myself drinking alone in my apartment or chain-smoking alone on the balcony anymore. I am not only moving into a new home; I am moving into a very different version of my life.

As I finish the training, I am looking forward to completing my final reflection as a three-part small painting piece once I am settled into my new home. I am also returning to a consistent hot studio yoga practice, despite the challenges those spaces present, and plan to use the facilitation guide to keep developing my skills before completing my final practicum by the end of the year.

Overall, I am incredibly grateful that I was able to take this training at a time when I was finally ready for it. There has been so much growth, healing and love in this experience, and graduation feels less like an ending and more like the beginning of what comes next.

The discussion about balancing masculine and feminine energy also really resonated with me because I am gender fluid and use she/they pronouns. I appreciated the philosophical idea that we all hold both masculine and feminine qualities within us rather than those energies belonging exclusively to one gender. It also made me think about Indigenous understandings of gender that existed outside of the Western binary, including Two-Spirit identities and other culturally specific gender roles. I can definitely relate to sometimes feeling like a more masculine woman while still having a strong connection to femininity, so that whole discussion really stood out to me.

Another part that really stayed with me was the slide about supporting people who are medicated, experiencing active addiction, or displaying unpredictable behaviour. It immediately made me think about what is currently happening within Correctional Service Canada. CSC has recently restricted certain psychiatric medications. That really concerns me because people in correctional settings are already dealing with incredibly difficult circumstances, and disrupting medications that people rely on can make emotional regulation and mental-health stability even harder.

I also reflected on Jen saying that she drives about two and a half hours one way for her Friday classes and mentioning being near the Canadian border. That immediately made me wonder whether she is teaching in Canada and working with Canadian correctional populations. If I get the chance when I book my final practicum, I would really love to ask her about what she is seeing firsthand. I find myself thinking about incarcerated people who are dealing with mental-health challenges a lot, and I would be really interested in hearing her perspective about these medication changes when actually doing this work.

I’m definitely going to pick up two of the resources that were recommended: A Seeker’s Guide to the Yoga Sutras: Modern Reflections on the Ancient Journey by Ram Bhakt and A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation by Jacoby Ballard.

Thanks Jen and PYP! 🧡

I just finished watching the recording for this session; thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences so we can learn from it as a group. I wish I could be there for the discussions that take place, but I'm also so grateful to be able to take this course and work on it through recordings! Here are a few of my "take-aways" from this week:

* I did find the concept of "satya" a tough one to wrap my head around, mainly because what is "my" truth certainly isn't "the" truth, but then who gets to decide or define what "the" truth is. I loved Jenn's reflections on always considering the source as well as politicial, historical, social and religious context of the time. That being said, it's still challenging for me to fully grasp or feel confident in answering "is this the truth", because aren't each of us conditioned by sanskaras? I appreciated the context of them asking "does this "truth" cause harm to myself or others, and that helps a fair bit.

* I loved the idea of visualizing an adult person in front of you who may or may not have caused harm as a child, and I used to do that parenting my children a lot. They came from a deep history of early trauma (both were adopted), and often the behaviours that arise from this trauma can be challenging to understand or know how to support. When I would get deeply frustrated as they got older as behaviours became more serious, I'd picture them as babies (even though I didn't know them then) and how clever their brain and nervous system was to help them survive those times. And now, their nervous system just hasn't learned its safe yet, and this person in front of me needs that compassion and understanding. 

* Alejandro and Jenn both mentioned "doing your own work" before doing work with others, especially those with trauma histories, and I couldn't agree more. It's not my job (as a facilitator) to judge or point out anyone's klesha's or afflictions or anything else. Jenn said it's our role to facilitate and introduce the concept of yoga, that's why we are there, and that resonated deeply. 

* I've also noticed in myself that when there is attachment, emotion, judgement or a reaction when I share my "truth" and wanting another person to understand or accept it - that points to something in me that still needs to be healed. 

* I also sat with the concept of "generational truth" and the absence of that in my life. I am Indigenous Canadian, but my family did their best to erase our past to better "fit in" to the world. They changed our last name, and just starting referred to themselves as "white", even though they clearly were not. All of my history and roots are lost, and that leaves a gap in "truth" which can be hard. It also leaves openness for me to understand truth without generational influence, so I guess it is a double-edged sword. 

* Some of the conversation reminded me of things I've learned through Internal Family System therapy, which is learning to identify which "part" of you is speaking or acting when triggered. Again, if it is a triggered part, it is probably not our "truth", but one of our "parts" speaking for our authentic self. This is an opportunity to get  curious about ourselves, and work to uncover our truth under the layers of trauma, capitalism, oppression, social norms, patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, etc. 

Can't wait for next week - thank you all again for everything you bring to these sessions - much love!

The opening conversation about strength and surrender really stayed with me. When I think about surrender, my first thought is whether it is safe to surrender. I tend to connect surrender with vulnerability and weakness, so it can feel like the opposite of strength. I am feeling stronger every day, but I am also still very afraid to surrender, so that gave me a lot to reflect on.

I also really liked the discussion about the different poses and their relationship with gravity. I had never thought about Downward Dog, Boat, Half Lift and Legs Up the Wall as being similar shapes expressed through different orientations. It gave me a new way of thinking about the body and about how much gravity changes the experience of a pose.

The Bhagavad Gita lesson about whether we have experienced a personal battlefield really hit home for me, especially because it came near the end of the modules. The story of being faced with conflict involving your own family, even when you do not want to fight, reminded me of stepping away from my parents and their expectations of me, losing the home we owned together and ultimately being evicted. It was an incredibly painful journey, but it was one I had to take. Now that I am on the other side of it, I still do not regret what happened. In a lot of ways, it had to happen for me to get where I am now.

Jen’s story about the last time she cried in yoga when Prince died also brought back a strong memory for me. In December 2019, when I was really getting into hot yoga, my ex-boyfriend called to tell me that his mother had passed away. I had been very close with her and she had felt like a mother to me. Before driving to my hometown for three hours, I went to hot yoga and cried through the entire class. I never saw my ex again after that week and the funeral, but yoga became one of the ways I moved through that grief. A couple of weeks later, I held Crow Pose for the first time, and I remember feeling like I was channeling everything I had been through into my practice.

That is the kind of relationship with yoga I hope to reignite when I have a fresh start in my new apartment, and eventually will bring into my teaching so that other people can find their own sense of surrender, strength, grounding, resilience and meaning through the practice of trauma-informed yoga.

Thank you Jen and PYP! 🧡

For me, it means recognizing what is and is not within my control, releasing the need to have all the answers, and trusting myself and giving myself permission to move forward even when I don’t know exactly what comes next.