Welcome to our 2026 Guest Lecture Panel thread!
As part of your YTT journey, we are joined by a truly extraordinary panel of guest teachers, leaders, scholars, and movement workers who generously bring their experience and insight to deepen our collective learning.
Each guest brings a different lens—rooted in personal practice, social justice, trauma-informed healing, and systemic wisdom. This series is an invitation to expand our understanding of what it means to teach, serve, and hold space—especially in carceral and system-impacted environments.
❗Please note:
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Please feel welcome to leave any questions, comments, and/or reflections for any of the guests as a reply to this thread. I do share all pertinent comments with the individual guests.
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All recordings will be added to this thread as they become available (Titles listed in blue is the link to the recording).
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Any materials shared by the guests will also be posted here.
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You are invited to attend live or watch the recordings and post your reflections in the forum.
🗓️ Guest Lecture Schedule (Chronological)
Judge Victor Reyes - Authenticity in Service Work
Explore the importance of authenticity and ethical considerations in service-oriented yoga facilitation.
Hari-Kirtana Das - Exploring the Bhagavad Gita
Wisdom from the Gita for modern healing-centered leadership and facilitation.
Kristie Torbick - Counterposes & Balance
Explores how balancing movement patterns supports physical and emotional regulation, offering practical tools for trauma-informed sequencing—while also reflecting on the lived realities of healing within and beyond systems of harm.
Bill Brown - Beyond Asana: Integrating Wisdom from Tradition, Science, and Life
Practical and philosophical tools for navigating crisis moments with clarity, purpose, and grounded leadership.
Robert Sturman -To Be Seen: Yoga, Dignity, and the Art of Witnessing in Prisons
Explore how photography and presence can humanize incarcerated individuals and highlight yoga’s power to foster dignity and belonging.
Nicole Hellthaler -Managing Challenging Behaviors in Trauma-Informed Spaces
Tools for de-escalation and maintaining safety and compassion in challenging environments.
Josefin Wikstrom PRE-RECORDED LECTURE AVAILABLE! Adapting Trauma-Informed Yoga for Mental Health
Additional Session w/Josefin- Facilitator Workshop: Working with Severe Mental Health Challenges in Correctional Settings with Josefin Wikström
Gain tools and techniques for adapting trauma-informed yoga practices to support mental health, with a focus on working in diverse clinical and community settings.
Diane Ambrosini -Understanding the Vagus Nerve through a Yogic Lens
Somatic tools for supporting emotional regulation and nervous system health.
Kim Peacock - Guiding Incarcerated Youth
Discover best practices for working with incarcerated youth, including age-appropriate sequencing and strategies for building trust and engagement.
Sonia Diaz Brown - April 14th at 4:30pm EST
Maintaining Facility Relationships & Self-Regulation in a Carceral Setting
Explore best practices for maintaining professional relationships within carceral settings and techniques for self-regulation to sustain effective facilitation.
Sachi Doctor - April 22nd at 11am EST
Healing with Ayurveda: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Restoring & Maintaining Balance
Ayurvedic approaches to balancing energy and supporting nervous system resilience
Nikki Myers - April 28th at 4:30pm EST
Healing in the Margins
The intersections of trauma, addiction, and recovery; building inclusive, transformative healing spaces.
🗓️ Additional Guest Lectures – Dates & Times To be Determined (TBD)
Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois TBD
Cultural Responsibility & Humility in Criminal Justice Work
Strategies for fostering trust and inclusivity while working inside justice systems.
Dr. Haunani Chong Drake TBD
Cultural Stewardship and the 5 Elements
Indigenous perspectives on balance, trauma recovery, and integrating elemental wisdom into facilitation.
Vanessa Ramos TBD
Disability Justice & Accessible Yoga Practices
This lecture explores disability justice principles and offers practical strategies for making yoga more accessible and inclusive for participants of all abilities.
If we can't attend live and choose to watch the recordings is it required to post a reflection in the forum or is that optional? Thanks:)
@s-r-johnson13gmail-com Hello Sandra! Thanks for the question! The Guest Lecture series is completely optional (but highly encouraged). There is no need to share a reflection if you choose to watch the recording. I do however, invite people who do choose to watch the recordings to reach out with any questions or to share any feedback on the session that I can share with the guests. These questions/comments can be added to this thread, but again, no action is required with this guest series.
Hi!
How long are these recordings available for watching? Can we watch them also after the graduation day? 🙂
@ilona-raipalagmail-com Yes! They will be posted here in the forum for at least a year after this cohort's graduation, but I can always share links directly, they will not expire.
