The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
391: Yoga for Wheelchair Users with Rodrigo Souza
How can we make yoga classes more inclusive and accessible to wheelchair users? What are some dos and don’ts when it comes to working with differently-abled people? Rodrigo Souza shares his insights and perspectives.
Rodrigo Souza is the founder of Allihopa Yoga. After experiencing a life-changing spinal cord injury, Rodrigo turned his journey of recovery into a mission to make yoga accessible for all bodies. He shares adaptive yoga with people who have experienced trauma, loss, and disability while helping them find comfort, joy, mindfulness, and acceptance in their unique experiences.
In this episode, Rodrigo invites us to consider the language we use and how to be more inclusive with the words we use. He also shares his personal experiences with disability and being a wheelchair user, while reminding us that mistakes are a normal part of learning to be more inclusive. Rodrigo provides tips on practical ways to create more welcoming yoga spaces as well as guidance on teaching yoga to wheelchair users.
Whether you are seeking ways to adapt your yoga lessons to be more inclusive or simply want to challenge your assumptions, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.
[2:09] Shannon gives a shout out of thanks to sponsor, OfferingTree.
[2:52] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Rodrigo Souza.
[5:24] What does Rodrigo do and who does he do it for?
[8:44] Shannon and Rodrigo discuss some of the terminology and language around people in wheelchairs.
[10:58] What are some key things yoga teachers could change with their language?
[14:24] Shannon shares a mistake she made when talking about a wheelchair user.
[17:09] Rodrigo talks about the Golden Rule when it comes to working with wheelchair users.
[19:31] It is important for us to diversify our friend circle, or at the very least, our social media feeds.
[22:33] Rodrigo shares his experience tackling internalized ableism.
[25:46] Shannon pops in with a few messages for listeners, including a shout out to sponsors, OfferingTree.
[27:42] What has Rodrigo's experience been as a wheelchair user attending a regular yoga class?
[30:21] Shannon and Rodrigo discuss how YTTs often tend to be rigid and not focused on inclusion, accessibility, and equity.
[33:02] What are some variations of yoga poses that yoga teachers can offer to students who are wheelchair users?
[40:16] What are some resources available to yoga teachers who want to make their yoga classes more accessible to wheelchair users?
[42:10] Rodrigo is starting to write a book - he shares a little about some of the themes he will cover.
[47:21] Rodrigo explains how yoga has helped him deal with pain.
[51:24] Find out more about Rodrigo and learn from him via his website and social media.
[53:07] Shannon shares some of her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Rodrigo.
[55:56] Shannon shares a personal update. The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast turns 8!
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 365: How to Teach Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 289: Limb Difference and Yoga with Melissa D'Errico
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Anti-Oppression, Inclusion and Accessibility in Yoga - Resources by The Connected Yoga Teacher
Gratitude to our Sponsor, OfferingTree
"Mistakes are a step for us to learn."
"I think a teacher should never feel sorry for the student. That is the wrong power dynamic you have in the room if you go that way."
"Every mistake is a learning opportunity."
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
390: Yoga for People with Limited Energy with Katie Blecker & Audrey
People with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or other health conditions may have limited energy. As yoga teachers, what are some things we should know when teaching people with limited energy? What are some things that are helpful, and what should we avoid? Katie Blecker and Audrey share their insights as yoga teachers with limited energy.
Katie Blecker is a yoga teacher, advocate, and visual artist. Her lived experience with complex chronic illness informs her worldview and inspires her passion for disability advocacy. In her work as a trauma-informed yoga facilitator both online and in-person, Katie focuses on supporting folks who live with chronic illness and pain, disability, and chronic stress using tools such as therapeutic asana, pranayama, and meditation.
Audrey also is a yoga teacher and advocate whose experience with complex chronic illnesses informs her way of practising and teaching. As a disabled and neurodivergent person, her philosophy is that the practice will adapt to the person, not the other way around. Audrey devotes herself to sharing the transformational tools of yoga with other people so they too can find a practice that serves them, where community, access, and joy are centred.
In this episode, Katie and Audrey share their personal journeys with chronic illness and how these experiences have shaped their inclusive teaching methodologies. They explain what "limited energy" means and how it differs from someone who is simply more tired than usual, and how their own conditions influence their work as yoga teachers. Katie and Audrey also highlight the importance of adapting yoga practices to individual needs, the role of community in fostering a supportive environment for those with chronic conditions, and how yoga teachers can best support people with limited energy.
[2:20] Shannon introduces her guests for this episode - Katie Blecker and Audrey.
[8:31] What work does Audrey do and who does she do it for?
[10:21] What does Katie do and who does she do it for?
[11:58] What are CFS and ME? Katie and Audrey share a little about these chronic conditions.
[15:02] What are some things that Audrey has found unhelpful in a yoga class because it does not work well for someone with limited energy?
[19:45] Having limited energy is not just about feeling more tired than usual. Katie explains the distinction.
[23:55] What do yoga teachers who are working with people with limited energy need to know?
[30:48] Shannon pops in to share a little about OfferingTree.
[33:13] Katie invites us to take a step back and reflect on why we might feel the need to "fix" or "help" someone through yoga.
[35:33] What are some of the benefits of yoga for people with limited energy?
[42:15] How do Katie and Audrey show up for their work as yoga teachers as people with limited energy?
[50:21] Find out more about Katie and Audrey's work via their websites and on Instagram.
[54:33] How do Katie and Audrey speak up for social justice when they have limited energy?
[63:13] Speaking up for social justice is not a sprint, it's a marathon, and it is important not to make it a competition.
[70:08] Shannon shares her takeaways from this conversation with Katie and Audrey.
[74:22] Shannon shares a quick personal update.
Gratitude to our Sponsor, OfferingTree
"Limited energy is like a profound absence of being able to create energy through the body. It's not being tired, it's a severe level of fatigue that can't really be recovered from on a day to day level. ... We start out with almost an impairment in energy on a daily basis." - Katie
"First and foremost, remembering that our students are the experts in their own bodies and their own experiences." - Katie
"Yoga will not heal or fix any anyone." - Audrey
"It's important to look at all of the wonderful practices of yoga and not always focus on Asana and movement." - Audrey