Colonialism and white body supremacy perpetuates a view of mental health that can be harmful to people in need of support. They do this by distorting society’s understanding of what mental wellness looks and feels like. Research into neurodiversity (clusters of cognitive variations) is also rooted in a patriarchal worldview, which enforces a gap in understanding experiences like autism. 

This distorted perspective influences mainstream yoga classes and wellness spaces, making them unsafe for neurodiverse (ND) folks, particularly people who are also Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC). What is comfortable for neurotypical bodies, can be oppressive or harmful to bodies who do not share that lived experience. 

In this workshop we will explore resources and tools to go deeper and broaden your understanding of neurodiversity. We will explore how to "de-ableize" your yoga practice, your worldview and the space you hold for students, clients and community.

This will be a somatically based collaborative learning environment. There will be slides, and time to practice movement and mindfulness in ways that may feel more comfortable for those commonly diagnosed or who self-identify with autism, ADD/HD, sensory processing disorder, bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. Space will be offered for connection and discussion.

Neurodiversity is natural. It shows up in the distinctive ways we express our experiences, including how we sense, think, learn, remember, communicate, move, feel, and love. All nervous systems are different; there is no “one right way” to be a human being. However, when we have a very different way of feeling, thinking, and interacting with the world, it can be a profoundly isolating experience.

Neurodivergent folks may carry labels related to autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, trauma, psychosis, madness, mental illness, and other neurocognitive conditions. Although disability is part of our reality, neurodivergence doesn’t need to be fixed—rather, we need to be accepted and supported so that we too can experience the joy of being alive.

In a society that isn’t designed with neurodiversity in mind, the practice of yoga can provide an opportunity to celebrate the differences that make us unique, and to openly and authentically express joy within neurodivergent bodies. All brains and bodies deserve to be accepted, understood, cared for, and valued, and when we offer the teachings of yoga in a neuro-inclusive way, all of us can experience the joy of connection and collective healing.

During this workshop you can expect:

• Info-dumps from the heart about yoga and neurodiversity, including history of the neurodiversity movement, how neurodivergent folks experience yoga differently, and why a neurodiversity-affirming approach to yoga matters. 
• A peek into Neurodivergent culture, with a focus on our expressions of joy.
• Yoga and mindfulness practices for embracing differences and cultivating experiences of joy, including options for movement on a mat or in a chair.
• Opportunities to question, reflect, journal, and share.
• Flexible ways to participate and communicate. Stimming is invited and encouraged!

Most ancient traditions make space for neurodivergence without using modern language. How can we identify this inherent accessibility and spaciousness within our practices when most modern yoga spaces ironically use asana to amplify the kleshas (obstacles) and keep us stuck in cycles of systemic ignorance and cultural misappropriation? 

By centering neurodivergence in yoga accessibility, we can rethink and reframe mental, emotional, and spiritual liberation outside of the modern mental health systems and constructs that make us believe that natural human variation is dangerous and undesirable. 

This workshop on Neurodivergence, Mental Health and the Kleshas will honor yoga as a practice rooted in liberation philosophy. We’ll highlight where our personal and teaching practices can learn from and honor neurodivergence as a window into individual and collective healing as well as a door out of unnecessary collective suffering.

In this workshop we'll explore the intersections between trauma and neurodivergence and how these similarities—among other social and economic barriers—can lead to difficulty with receiving a neurodivergent diagnosis. We’ll also discuss the scope of practice of yoga teachers, learn the importance of accommodations, and how they can benefit students across diverse backgrounds.

We’ll participate in a sample practice where we identify common cues that may be inadvertently exclusive of neurodivergent students and gain insights into adaptations for leading more inclusive classes.

Society is experiencing an ever-growing mental health epidemic and crisis of connection with ourselves, one another, and the Divine. Policing, coercion, control, and erasure of spiritual meaning in crisis can perpetuate isolation, shame, self-harm, and suicide. 

Healing demands discipline, self-reflection, deep listening, creativity, and equipoise. Yoga centers can be safer spaces while Yoga teachers are on the front lines, guiding a worldwide demographic on a mental health journey. To do this, Yoga teachers need support.

In this session we will address and explore how to reduce the harm perpetuated by mental health systems with the wisdom and practical application of classical Yoga philosophy, ayurveda, and compassionate lay-counseling. 

The efficacy of peer support, peer respite, and advocacy is evidence-based, complementing professional therapy, counseling, and treatment. Like Yoga, peer support can be an anti-capitalist intervention that builds solid, grassroots community care. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the current international mental health crisis and evidence of the power of peer support and peer-run respite advocacy.
• Demonstrate the importance of spirituality and “meaning making” as central to autonomy during emotional crises. 
• Invite Yogic wisdom for self-healing and as medicine while remaining practical, realistic, and safe, applying Yoga as holistic mental health intervention.
• Name resources, practices, and strategies to protect the agency of people navigating the mental health system, alchemizing crises into community building, justice, illumination,, and freedom.
• Hear and share real-life examples of recovery as a result, in part, of practicing Yoga. 
• Become a part of the Mad Yoga Network. Centering the wisdom of psychiatric survivorship, the Mad Yoga Network is an emerging peer-run cooperative of Yoga practitioners, Yoga teachers and Yoga therapists nurturing mutually supportive relationships, acceptance, and action. We share: experiences of neurodiversity, "madness," healing, and hope; resources for harm-reduction; and a devotion to Yoga while navigating mental health. 

Experience 30 minutes of relaxation-based centering, restorative yoga and calming meditation and a short, facilitated peer-support session as time permits.

Have you or your students ever fallen into a period of spiritual contraction?

Even the most advanced practitioners experience periods of contractions. However, they are part of the journey of coming home to self. A spiritual contraction occurs when our energy becomes temporarily disconnected from our awareness. During a contraction we might experience a profound shift in our mental health, and feel overwhelmed, isolated, victimized, depressed, or anxious. When contracted, we may self-delude or attempt to delude others, engage in old patterning, act out of ignorance, or behave in ways that are outside of our integrity.

The human experience is complex and multifaceted. The word pedagogy refers to the methodologies and theories we apply to how we transmit a particular teaching to a practitioner as a teacher. Tantric pedagogies invite us to explore the multitudes of ways we can reach our students to support their mental health and well-being regardless of the state of expansion or contraction they find themselves in.

In this workshop, Kendra will explore elements of storytelling and Tantric philosophies from the Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam to unpack why we fall into contracted mental states. Together we will explore yogic practices that can help support and affirm our students (and ourselves) as we move towards self-knowledge, interconnectedness, and ultimately, holistic well-being.

During this session, Ekta will define decolonized mental health and delve into perspectives from around the world on neurodiversity. The aim of this workshop is to help attendees reflect on the ideas they have internalized about neurodiversity and how it impacts their teaching. Ideas will be pitched for leading participants who are neurodivergent as well as for teachers who identify as such. 

Ekta will offer two specific approaches that will support attendees to grow in confidence of their leading and facilitation skills.  The workshop will include meditation, reflection / contemplation, and discussion. Ekta will use audio / video and role plays to accommodate different learning styles.

In this workshop, we'll use theory and practice, experimentation, and lived experience to start to explore the bigger picture of neurodivergence—the history of diagnosis, the politics of standardized care, some of the latest and most exciting science into neurodivergent thriving, and how we can all be better advocates and allies for a world that values and supports neurodiversity, with all its gifts and challenges. 

This session will include a little accessible and optional movement and play, a little info-dumping, and a little conversation.

Please be prepared to have your preconceptions lovingly challenged, your opinions on neurodivergence gently radicalized, and your practice and pedagogy enhanced. Whether you are neurotypical, self-diagnosed, peer-diagnosed, or formally diagnosed, you are welcome in this space.

Bonus series summary: Jivana will spend the final hour of the series with a review of all the sessions and general takeaways from each presenter. The goal of this session is to support our learning together in community. He’ll welcome input regarding what we’ve learned on this journey together.