How many times have you been told, “Just take a deep breath?”
According to the yoga teachings, breathing practices are among the most powerful practices we have. Yet, many of the common breathing practices are actually taught in ways that are not accessible or trauma-informed.
For many people focusing on the breath can increase anxiety instead of reducing it. So it’s important to find creative and gentle ways into working with the breath, which can help to bring about calm and reduce anxiety.
The breathing practices offer a direct way into the deepest aspects of our spiritual practice. The breath offers a link between the body and mind. The kleysas, the obstacles to our spiritual understanding, can all be addressed through the breath and offer us practical tools for increased self-awareness.
Join Jivana Heyman for an exploration of pranayama, focusing on finding safe, welcoming, and fun ways to approach these subtle and powerful tools.
This course will be an opportunity for study, discussion, and practice of the many aspects of the breath to support relaxation, nervous system regulation, preparation for meditation, and spiritual unfolding.
On-Demand enrollment includes 1 year of access to the course content and resources via our online course portal.
In this course, you'll discover:
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How the breath brings wisdom and can help us overcome the kleysas, our spiritual obstacles
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The relationship between breath, mind, and spirit
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How to find safe and accessible ways to work with your breath
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An understanding of basic anatomy and physiology of breathing
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Trauma informed breathing practices for safety
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Nervous system regulation, relaxation, and the breath
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Ways to effectively practice common breathing practices
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The role of the breath in meditation
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Breath as a source of inspiration for spiritual exploration
ON-DEMAND COURSE OVERVIEW
Making Pranayama Accessible is a 9-hour online training with Jivana Heyman - now available for on-demand enrollment!
On-Demand enrollment includes 1 year of access to the captioned replays of the Making Pranayama Accessible course (recorded live & online in Nov-Dec 2024).
*The recording of the first session is available as a FREE course preview!
Session 1 (FREE PREVIEW)
Allowing the Breath to Lift the Veil: Wisdom Through Pranayama
with Jivana Heyman
In this session we’ll explore:
- The relationship between breath, mind, and spirit
- How pranayama removes avidya - ignorance of our spiritual nature
- Celebrating the breath before controlling and manipulating it.
- Breath basics - understanding the anatomy and physiology of breath
- Practice: Exploration without manipulation
Check out the first session of Making Pranayama Accessible as a FREE course preview (REPLAY now available!)
If you are curious about this newly updated and expanded 5-part online course with Jivana Heyman (now available on-demand!), we invite you to check out the first session as a FREE course preview.
Enter your details below to receive access to the captioned recording of this introductory 1-hour session with Jivana Heyman, Allowing the Breath to Lift the Veil: Wisdom Through Pranayama, which was recorded live & online on November 15th, as a preview of the full Making Pranayama Accessible course.
*You'll be taken directly to the captioned session recording, however we'll also email a link for you to access it. Please check your Gmail promotions tab or spam / junk mail folder if the replay email doesn't land in your main inbox, it may be there!
Session 2
The Breath and the Ego: the Search for the Self
with Jivana Heyman
In this session we’ll explore:
- Unraveling asmita, the ego, through the breath
- The relationship between the breath, anxiety, and mental health
- Trauma informed pranayama practices
- Nadhi shodhana / suddhi and finding balance
- Practice: Safety and comfort with the breath
Session 3
Is Bigger Breath Better?
with Jivana Heyman
In this session we’ll explore:
- Raga, attachment, and clinging to the breath
- Dergha swasam - and the role of deep breathing in pranayama
- Ujjayi and quietness through sound
- Yoga as preparation for illness and death
- Practice: Quiet and still
Session 4
Subtle Anatomy and the Roots of Practice
with Jivana Heyman
In this session we’ll explore:
- Aversion, dvesha, and pain - using the breath to escape or enlighten
- The relationship between breath and energy
- Koshas, nadis, chakras, and the vayus
- Practice: Prana & breath
Session 5
The Breath of Life: Exploring Illness, Aging & Death
with Jivana Heyman
In this session we’ll explore:
- Breath, disability, chronic illness, and aging
- Adapting pranayama practice for specific conditions
- Breath and healing - physical and spiritual
- Practice: Guided meditation for healing
"The Making Pranayama Accessible course helped me to discover that there are many ways to incorporate and bring breath into my teaching in a way that is not only accessible but there is so much freedom in trying to teach pranayama that is inviting and meets people where they are at. I really enjoyed the course, I felt it was accessible and approachable."
– Rebecca Price, Course Graduate
"This training was so wonderful and really expanded my understanding of pranayama. ...I feel more confident adding pranayama to the classes I am teaching. I also feel more confident incorporating pranayama into my personal practice. The course offered me practices that I can begin using right away. Also, I really appreciated learning more of the philosophy behind the practices. Thank you so much!"
–Teresa Dixon-Asbury, Course Graduate
ENROLL NOW
Making Pranayama Accessible:
Overcoming Obstacles Through the Breath
with Jivana Heyman
Now available for On-Demand enrollment!
Tuition for this 5-part on-demand online training is $199-$249 USD sliding scale
We also offer partial scholarships.
Tiered Pricing Explained:
- Community Rate (supported by your peers)
- Sustainer Rate (covers your enrollment)
- Supporter Rate (covers your enrollment + supports your peers)
If you are able to enroll at the Supporter or Sustainer Rate, your contributions support the ability to offer a lower rate to community members experiencing financial difficulties.
If you would like to clarify which pricing tier is most appropriate for you, please refer to this helpful graphic by Alexis J Cunningfolk:
The Green Bottle: Where You Fall On The Sliding Scale
Intention of Equity Pricing Structure:
Please take a moment to consider the intention of our scholarship program and equity pricing structure, which was created in order to amplify training access for those who hold marginalized identities and those experiencing significant financial hardship.
If neither of those qualifications apply to you, we ask you to please consider other payment options, including using the tiered equity pricing structure and payment plans, or supporting others in our community who have decreased access to financial resources by enrolling as a Sustainer or Supporter, if this is accessible to you.
UPFRONT PAYMENT
Single upfront payment.
Includes 1 year of access to the captioned replays of the 9-hour Making Pranayama Accessible online course, recorded live & online in Nov-Dec 2024, and associated resources.
Community Rate
$199 USD
Sustainer Rate
$225 USD
Supporter Rate
$249 USD
PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
If our tiered pricing and payment plan options are financially inaccessible, please click here to access our partial scholarship application form.
"This course helped me to discover that, if you can breathe, you can practice pranayama, and you're not doing it wrong. I also loved all of the yoga philosophy, very much, and the lesson on making peace with death. I've woken up with purpose and hope that i'm doing something, learning something, that could potentially change my life and those I love and will share it with. I've filled 2 notebooks with Jivana's wisdom and will go back to them regularly. Thank you so so much for allowing me to be a part of this training. I'm going to miss it! I've learnt so much."
– Course Graduate
"This was a wonderful offering. I am always so inspired with Jivana's teachings, his knowledge, his candor, his humour.
I have taken Pranayam trainings before but this one resonated with me, how to make it accessible and what works and what doesn't.
The area of the bandhas really helped me as I always found it confusing and intense taught on the exhale. I personally never teach it, but now I may. In gratitude."
–Sandy Jones, Course Graduate
Course Facilitator: Jivana Heyman
Jivana Heyman (he/him), C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body.
Over the past 30 years of teaching yoga, Jivana has focused on welcoming all people to practice and celebrating our individuality and our differences. His work has focused on dismantling ableism in the yoga world, as well as emphasizing the intersection of yoga and social justice. His books, classes, and trainings support yoga teachers and yoga therapists in finding ways to bring creativity and collaboration into their teaching while still respecting the ancient yoga tradition.
Connect with Jivana:
www.jivanaheyman.com | @jivanaheyman | facebook.com/jivanaheyman
