Jo-San Arnold and I are so proud to have been asked by the International Day of Yoga Committee at the U.N. to contribute to the special world-wide edition of their Light-on-Light magazine about sharing Accessible Yoga with the community, and the International of Day of Yoga.

Click this link
https://tinyurl.com/y72pjwhd
to read both articles (the images below might not show clearly)

(NOTE: There is an error in my article. My class is not at Casa de Oro, it is at El Cajon Library; click here for details)

Here is a link to the entire magazine for your reading pleasure: https://issuu.com/unityearth/docs/lightonlight_un_idy

I want to extend special personal thanks to the following people for inspiring me to learn about yoga and share the knowledge:
Jivana Heyman Karen O'Donnell Clarke, Judith Hanson Lasater Shelby Lafrinere Kaitlyn Asken Melissa Anne Booker Matthew W. Sanford Jivana Heyman Leslie Kazadi Steffany Moonaz Anne Joseph Gretchen Mallios Amy Wheeler Yoga Rachel Krentzman Shawnee Thornton Hardy Jodi Komitor Debbie Williamson Chelsea Roff Shakta Khalsa Learn more »

A few articles about yoga!

Adaptive Yoga Changes Lives

By Rear Adm. Tom Steffens (Ret.), former Navy SEAL and founder, Exalted Warrior Foundation

http://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/4329

New Study Shows Yoga Has Healing Powers

By Susan Brink, for National Geographic

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140207-yoga-cancer-inflammation-stress/

Learn more »

Saturday June 18, 2017 was a celebration in San Diego for the International Day of Yoga. Sponsored/organized by local studio Pilgrimage of the Heart in conjunction with a number of other yoga studios and local/regional sponsors, 500 practitioners of yoga of the body/mind/spirit gathered to celebrate peace, unity, breath, sunshine, life and love!

Accessible Yoga Ambassador/RYT/Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner Jo-San Arnold and I partnered together for the second year to teach Adaptive Yoga for special needs, and this year we added Chair Yoga for Every Body. The festival asked us to offer four half-hour breakout sessions to coincide with their other workshops and we were happy to oblige.

Jo-San had friends from Great Paces come down to enjoy the morning sessions. We emphasize that our style of yoga is NOT just for those with the special needs but also for the caregivers as well, giving everyone and opportunity to stretch and strengthen, to take a break, to reconnect with their bodies, and to just BE.

I was tickled that some of my Silver Sneakers mates came out to celebrate the afternoon sessions and we also had a few other people stop by - "regular" yoga practitioners, a yoga therapist and a woman that specializes in yoga for recovery. What an honor to be able to share with them the joy and the authenticity of yoga "even" in chairs. We received compliments about how much more attention they were able to pay to individual subtle movements of the body!

What I found to be one of the most wonderful aspect of teaching at this event was that we were actually able to get our feet in the grass, to hear the sounds of environment both urban AND natural; rush of the wind in the trees, the birds in the sky, the ambient noise of traffic on the street beyond the park, and even the airplanes cruising overhead (yes, we were directly in the airport landing flight path). The contrast of the warm sun, the shade and scent of eucalyptus trees and the feel of the damp cool grass and earth were wonderful grounding sensations. In fact, when I went on later that afternoon to the group class practice, I found that my balance was actually better outside, on the uneven ground, with no mirror and no flat walls or floor, then it ever is in a studio.

Below are some pictures of Jo-San and me teaching the Adaptive Yoga and the Chair Yoga classes. We even received some coverage in the Union Tribune (thank you Karen Pearlman):

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/hoy-san-diego/news/sd-me-yoga-balboapark-20170617-story.html

Adaptive Yoga

Representing :)

First, Breathing with the Hoberman Sphere

Gentle Twists in Our Chairs

Arms Overhead

Side Stretch

Me, Randy from Great Paces and the amazing Jo-San Arnold

The Great Paces/Great Expectations Group

Chair Yoga

Lunge Pose in a Chair

Navasana (Boat) Pose Prep

Navasana (Boat) with a Block for Pelvic Activation

Low Boat with a Block

Twisting (Pavritta) Lunge on the Chair

Warrior 2 Stance Using Chair Support

Side Angle with Chair Support - W2 Stance

Easeful Pyramid Pose with Chair as a Guide

Child's Pose to Close Class

Learn more »

Good Afternoon, 

I just finished browsing through byomyoga.blogspot.com, and I noticed that you provide some great informative resources for those dealing with developmental disabilities and their families. 

A couple of years ago, one of my best friends gave birth to a child who has this condition, and supporting her through the process of learning about CP and creating the best possible life for him has shown me firsthand what families dealing with CP go through on a daily basis. 

Because of this, I appreciate you offering so many helpful resources to the public on this topic. I would love to recommend another resource for your site, http://www.thecplawyer.com/blog. The blog helps people whose children have been born with Cerebral Palsy understand their legal options. It also offers some great health and wellness information. 

I hope you are having a great week. Thank you again for offering so many helpful resources for those with CP and their families.  Learn more »

"The Accessible Yoga movement is introducing yoga to older adults and others not normally included in this largely young, white, middle-class movement: people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, those with different body types, and underserved communities.

"Aging With Dignity travels to the Accessible Yoga Conference in Santa Barbara for its first video report.

"Video reported and edited by Matt Perry"

http://www.calhealthreport.org/2017/01/09/accessible-yoga/

Learn more »

There are people doing amazing work out there using yoga to complement other modalities to help create vitality, ease suffering, and improve physical and mental abilities. I met a few of those people last weekend and I'm thrilled to share their work with you:

Yoga and Arthritis
http://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga-for-arthritis/

In reality, beginner yoga classes may provide simple, gentle movements that gradually build strength, balance, and flexibility – all elements that may be especially beneficial for people with arthritis. In this article, Steffany Haaz Moonaz, PhD and registered yoga teacher (RYT-500) will demystify yoga for arthritis patients and their providers. (click link above to read more)

Yoga and Cerebral Palsy
http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/inspiration/athletes/ryan-mcgraw

Individuals with physical disabilities often seek alternative means of exercise to help them stay strong and healthy. As Ryan McGraw discovered, yoga can be a great way to improve balance, coordination, stability and movement while strengthening the mind.

Chair Yoga - "Get Fit Where You Sit"

http://getfitwhereyousit.com/

Chair yoga offers you the ability to improve your health through an amazing form of adaptive exercise. You are supported by a chair so you can receive yoga’s healing and restorative benefits that have been known for thousands of years. Yoga relaxes your body and mind, improves your musculoskeletal fitness and flexibility, and elevates your overall health and well-being.

Yoga and Somatic Counseling
http://halakhouri.com/

[Hala's] approach is holistic- she works with a depth psychological perspective that emphasizes the soul (psyche) and each person’s inherent capacity to heal and move towards wholeness. She works with a technique called Somatic Experiencing to help release contractive patterns of trauma from the body-mind to balance and reorganize the nervous system and the entire being.

Yoga for the Special Child
http://www.specialyoga.com/

Yoga for the Special Child®, LLC is multi-level comprehensive Program of Yoga techniques designed to enhance the natural development of children with special needs. Our style of Yoga is gentle and beneficial, safe for babies and children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Microcephaly, Autism and other developmental disabilities. These methods also provide an effective treatment for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD and Learning Disabilities.

Learn more »