Jivana Heyman

Jivana Heyman (he/him), C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. He’s the author of two books, Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body, and Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion (Shambhala Publications).

Jivana coined the phrase, “Accessible Yoga,” over ten years ago, and it has now become the standard appellation for a large cross section of the immense yoga world.

He brought the Accessible Yoga community together for the first time in 2015 for the Accessible Yoga Conference, which has gone on to become a focal point for this movement. Jivana is also the creator of the Accessible Yoga Training and the co-founder of the online Accessible Yoga School with Amber Karnes, which is a platform for continued education for yoga teachers in the field of equity and accessibility. They also created the Accessible Yoga Podcast in 2020.

Over the past 25 years, Jivana has led countless yoga teacher training programs around the world, and dedicates his time to supporting yoga teachers who are working to serve communities that are under-represented in traditional yoga spaces. For more information head to www.jivanaheyman.com

Amber Karnes

Amber Karnes, E-RYT-200, is the founder of Body Positive Yoga. She’s a yoga teacher trainer, ruckus maker, social justice advocate, and a lifelong student of her body.

Amber is a community-builder who trains yoga teachers and studio owners to create accessible and equitable spaces for wellness and liberation. 

Through her retreats, workshops, and the Body Positive Clubhouse, she coaches with folks who want to build unshakable confidence and learn to live without shame or apology in the bodies they have today.

She’s the co-creator of Yoga For All Teacher Training, an Accessible Yoga Trainer, a member of the Accessible Yoga board, and a sought-after expert on the topics of accessibility, authentic marketing, culture-shifting, and community-building.

She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband Jimmy. You can find her at bodypositiveyoga.com.

Kelley Nicole Palmer

Kelley Nicole Palmer (she/her) is a writer, wellness advocate and community organizer committed to using the tools and philosophies of yoga to cultivate liberation, joy and peace for herself and others. Her connection to the living practice of yoga, a path of mindful wellness and self realization fuels her work, impacts her life and propels her to want to share it with others through her writing, events and guest teaching opportunities. She remains focused on making this healing practice accessible to all, connecting to communities that are normally excluded or ignored in mainstream wellness circles.

Being a mother of two liberated souls has created a point of focus that brings these tools to the way she is mothering them and also calling her to share this with all parents. Through in person and online offerings, Kelley centers her work on making these connections with authentic and sustainable tool building. Her writing, offerings and more about her can be found at www.kelleynicolepalmer.com.

Melanie Camellia

Melanie “M” Camellia (they/them) is a yoga teacher and advocate, called to create profoundly accessible spaces for self-inquiry by integrating mindfulness and adaptive movement practices with the spirit of social justice. They believe that the goal of yoga, as of life, is collective liberation and in turn challenge contemporary yoga practitioners to dismantle the systems and beliefs that hold us all back. Melanie teaches group and private classes in the Washington DC Metro Area and as a Founding Instructor on the online class platform Core to Coeur. They offer regular workshops exploring queer identity, body image, and agency. Beyond their direct work with students, Melanie co-leads the Yoga & Body Image Coalition and trains teachers in accessible teaching methods for all bodies and abilities through their one-on-one teacher mentorship program and as an Accessible Yoga Trainer, and manages operations for Accessible Yoga Trainings internationally. They’ve been called a “tour-de-force of encouraging radical self-love” (DC Refined) and listed among the “top thinkers and activists in the field of body positivity” (OmStars). Melanie lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with their two cats, Matcha and Chai.

Hersha Harilela Chellaram

Hersha Harilela Chellaram (she/her) (ERYT500, CIYT, RYP, RYC, YACEP) is an award-winning yoga therapist, teacher trainer, and non-profit leader, pioneering inclusivity and wellbeing in Hong Kong. She has over 20 years experience teaching yoga to a wide range of ages and abilities, in both studio and community settings.

As founder of Hersha Yoga School of Teacher Training, she offers education, training and professional development at the 200, 500 and 800-hour levels, offering signature programmes in Accessible Prenatal Yoga and Empowered Inclusive Yoga. She is founder of YAMA Foundation, a charity that makes yoga, art, and meditation accessible to Hong Kong’s most vulnerable communities. Under Hersha’s leadership, YAMA was awarded Accessible Yoga Organisation of the Year 2020.

Hersha advocates for disability rights, equality and equity in wellbeing spaces, and has taught around the world. She recently starred in three-time Emmy nominated show Oddbods in their Busy Bodies children’s wellbeing series. Honours and awards include: Liv Magazine’s 100 Women of Wellness: Change Maker 2021, 20 Yoga Teachers of Colour to Watch in 2020, and the 2014 Women of Hope Award: Children’s Advocate.

Alessandra Uma Cocchi

Amma Fandiño

Amma Fandiño, RYT500, MSc, has been a devoted yogini for over 28 years and a passionate biologist for 27 years. Certified Integral Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher. Amma’s passion is to share yoga with communities with challenges and conditions of vulnerability on a physical, mental and emotional level. Her initial teaching experience was in Santa Barbara CA under the support and mentorship of her teachers Rev. Jivana Heyman and Rev. Vidya Vonne (†) to whom she professes immense gratitude for their teachings and their example of life that inspired her on her journey as a yoga teacher. Upon the return to her home country, Colombia, Amma has been dedicated to teaching cancer patients and their caregivers. Her inspiration is to help alleviate pain and support symptom management associated with chronic and terminal diseases, accompanying patients to improve their life quality and their ability to cope with the difficult circumstances of the disease. Another facet of Amma´s vocation is teaching yoga to people with anxiety, depression, and addictions. Amma offered Yoga classes at the Santa Barbara County Jail, CA, and currently teaches in two prisons in Bogota. She dedicates her efforts to provide a space that promotes empowerment, rehabilitation, and healing of those deprived of liberty, as well as supporting their addiction recovery processes. Amma is contributing to the Accessible Yoga Program since 2015 and is a regional representative of the AY group in Spanish. As a Yoga Accessible trainer, she feels honored and fortunate to support the training of yoga teachers in the Spanish-speaking community. She lives in Colombia with her husband and two kids and loves to spend her free time in contact with nature.

Amma Fandiño, RYT500, MSc, ha sido una devota yogini por más de 28 años y una bióloga apasionada por 27 años. Profesora certificada de Yoga Integral y Yoga Accesible. La pasión de Amma es compartir yoga con comunidades con desafíos y condiciones de vulnerabilidad a nivel físico, mental y emocional. Su experiencia docente inicial fue en Santa Bárbara, CA, bajo el apoyo y la tutoría de sus maestros Rev. Jivana Heyman y Rev. Vidya Vonne (†) a quienes profesa inmensa gratitud por sus enseñanzas y sus ejemplos de vida que la inspiraron en su viaje como profesor de yoga. Al regresar a su país de origen, Colombia, Amma se ha dedicado a enseñar a los pacientes con cáncer y a sus cuidadores. Su inspiración es ayudar a aliviar el dolor y apoyar el manejo de los síntomas asociados con enfermedades crónicas y terminales, acompañando a los pacientes para mejorar su calidad de vida y su capacidad para hacerle frente a las difíciles circunstancias de la enfermedad. Otra faceta de la vocación de Amma es enseñar yoga a personas con ansiedad, depresión y adicciones. Amma ofreció clases de yoga en la cárcel del condado de Santa Bárbara, California, y actualmente enseña en dos prisiones en Bogotá. Dedica sus esfuerzos a proporcionar un espacio que promueva el empoderamiento, la rehabilitación y la sanación de las personas privadas de libertad, así como a apoyar sus procesos de recuperación de adicciones. Amma está contribuyendo al Programa de Yoga Accesible desde 2015 y es una representante regional del grupo AY en español. Como entrenadora de Yoga Accesible, se siente honrada y afortunada de apoyar la capacitación de maestros de yoga en la comunidad de habla hispana. Vive en Colombia con su esposo y sus dos hijos y le encanta pasar su tiempo libre en contacto con la naturaleza.

Sarah Elizabeth Helt

Sarah Elizabeth Helt (she/her) (E-RYT 500, YACEP) has been teaching yoga and meditation for the past ten years. Sarah’s teaching of the physical practice of yoga (asana) combines alignment-focused cueing and personal exploration with principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to create mindful movement classes for all age groups and ability levels. Sarah’s classes are trauma informed, playful, and based on a deep connection to the natural world.

Sarah has been involved with the Accessible Yoga Association since attending the first conference in 2015, first as a volunteer, then as lead of communications, and most recently as a teacher trainer for the Accessible Yoga Training School.

Sarah specializes in working with disabled athletes, those who’ve experienced trauma to the brain or spine, and those with low vision/blindness. Sarah is certified in Accessible / Adaptive Yoga, Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, Pre/Post Natal Yoga, and Power/Vinyasa Flow. Sarah lives in Los Angeles, CA and enjoys star gazing, singing, and creating safe spaces for big emotions.

Connect with Sarah at www.groundedsourceyoga.com