Use of Accessible Yoga Terminology and Accessible Yoga Teacher Badge
Guidelines for Accessible Yoga Training Graduates
The following details and guidelines have been created and shared with the intention of:
- providing transparency and clarity
- upholding the integrity of the Accessible Yoga School and Accessible Yoga Training program
- maintaining the trust our community holds in our training programs and our graduates
Our priority is to create and deliver quality training programs, which center safety, active inclusion, and approaches to teaching which are truly accessible to anyone who wishes to practice, while uplifting those who hold marginalized identities and/or have limited access to yoga training / practice resources.
As a yoga education provider, we aim to maintain the integrity of the term 'Accessible Yoga', and our Accessible Yoga Teacher Badge, to provide assurance to our community members that those who promote themselves as Accessible Yoga Graduates, and their offerings as Accessible Yoga Classes, have completed adequate training, are sharing the practices of yoga in accordance with our values of accessibility and inclusion.
Clarification of Terminology
Accessible Yoga:
A yoga training school, led by Jivana Heyman, offering various continuing education training programs, which promote accessibility in all aspects of yoga teaching and practice
AYS Website | Instagram | Facebook | Email
Accessible Yoga Teacher:
A teacher who has completed either:
- 200 hour Accessible Yoga Teacher Training with Accessible Yoga, OR
- 30-40 hour Accessible Yoga Training with Accessible Yoga (online or in-person) + a 200 hour (minimum) yoga teacher certification training
Guidelines for Use
Those who meet Accessible Yoga Teacher training eligibility criteria (outlined above) are welcome to:
- Promote themself as an Accessible Yoga Teacher
- Display the Accessible Yoga Teacher Badge on their website, social media, business card and/or promotional materials when promoting appropriate / relevant offerings
- We ask that any digital display of the Accessible Yoga Teacher badge is linked to / includes links to our Accessible Yoga School website or social media:
- www.accessibleyogaschool.com
- @accessibleyoga
- Include in their website / social media bio that they:
- Have completed Accessible Yoga Training with Jivana Heyman / Accessible Yoga
- Are Accessible Yoga certified
- Have trained with Accessible Yoga
- Promote their offerings as Accessible Yoga Classes
- Offer non-certification workshops on the topic of making practices more accessible, for students or teachers
Examples of acceptable terminology:
- Accessible Yoga classes with Sarah Jones (YES)
- Integrated Chair/Mat Accessible Yoga classes with Sarah Jones (YES)
- Adaptations to Make Your Practice More Accessible - a Workshop with Accessible Yoga Teacher, Sarah Jones (YES)
Completion of our Accessible Yoga Training does NOT qualify graduates to:
- Use the Accessible Yoga School logo or Accessible Yoga / Accessible Yoga Association logo on their website or promotional materials
- Offer / promote their own Accessible Yoga Training certification courses (training others to become Accessible Yoga Teachers), Eg.
- X Accessible Yoga Certification Training with Sarah Jones (NO)
- X Accessible Yoga Teacher Training with Sarah Jones (NO)
- X Accessible Yoga Training with Sarah Jones (NO)
- Promote themself / their business as ‘Accessible Yoga’ in ways that suggest a direct affiliation with ‘Accessible Yoga’ (which is an international non-profit organization), eg.
- Eg. X Accessible Yoga New York (@accessibleyoganyc) - business name / handle for an individual teacher's classes or studio located in NYC, suggesting they are an official branch of Accessible Yoga (NO)
- Replicate any parts of the Accessible Yoga Training manuals to share with students or teachers, without express permission from Jivana Heyman / Accessible Yoga School
- Share course content from our Accessible Yoga Training with students or other teachers (including videos, slides, handouts etc) - these materials are copyrighted
Inclusivity & Accessibility Guidelines
We ask those who have completed our Accessible Yoga Training to acknowledge that promoting offerings as “Accessible” is much more than a marketing term or trending phrase.
When promoting your offerings as “accessible yoga” please consider the following:
- Are your classes being offered in an accessible venue (for in-person classes), where details of the venue accessibility are provided (and can easily be located), or that accessibility considerations are in place for online offerings (eg. live captioning)
- Are props to support the practice available within the venue, or guidance given (which is easily located) for options for bringing own props
- Are your classes welcoming and are you actively including all who may want to practice, with options for chair practice if getting down on the mat is not available
- Is your teaching approached with consideration of acknowledging and challenging racism, ableism, diet culture / fat shaming, ageism, homophobia, transphobia etc (eg. being actively anti-racist, anti-ableist etc)
- Do you practice land acknowledgement, and acknowledge the roots of the practice through your offerings, ensuring respect and appreciation rather than appropriation
- Is your class pricing financially accessible (eg. tiered pricing options / class scholarships available - without the need for work trade)
- Do you engage in ongoing learning / unlearning / professional development, specifically in areas where you are socially located in closer proximity to power (eg. white, non-disabled, cisgender)
Please note - this is a non-exhaustive list of considerations. We encourage teachers to be in a continual space of further learning / unlearning.
About Accessible Yoga
Accessible Yoga was founded by Jivana Heyman in 2007. In 2015 we split the organization into two, creating the Accessible Yoga Association, and the Accessible Yoga School - co-created by Amber Karnes. In early 2024 we merged the two organizations back together, returning to our original name: Accessible Yoga, which is how you find us today.
As an organization we have evolved and changed with the times over the years, however our mission remains the same:
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To make yoga accessible and equitable by opening the conversation
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To share tools and training for yoga teachers, yoga therapists and yoga students who are looking to find accessible practices and teachings
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To provide quality education around equity issues in yoga, including practical tools from trustworthy sources to inform your teaching practice
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To offer this education in a variety of formats, currently offering live online courses, on-demand courses, and in-person courses with self-paced online modules.
