“I never believed that yoga could be something for me. I am not flexible, I live in a larger body, and years of stigma left me lacking physical confidence. Tammy helped me come to the realization that yoga can be just as beneficial and fulfilling for me as for anyone else. She has gently and graciously accompanied me on a (life-)long journey of discovery, self-love, and self-acceptance.” – Carla (client for over 10 years)
Inclusive Yoga focuses on working with compassion for yourself and others in the community as you learn and explore the techniques of Yoga.
This means showing up as you are in a community of people who will welcome and celebrate your existence. Some popular Yoga spaces in the west have come to feature certain looks, certain vocabularies, and financial expectations that can exclude many important members of our society. This approach offers freedom to move in whatever BodyMind you are in – all sizes, all functionality, all abilities.
Who can benefit from the Inclusive approach to Yoga?
-
PEOPLE with chronic health conditions or injury
- Showing up ‘as you are’ is challenging if you have health problems. With extensive experience, I can build or adapt practices in multiple ways to support individual needs – teaching different versions of the practice to different people in the same group at times. Everyone in the class learns to be patient and compassionate for the process of healing not only for themselves but for others in the class.
-
PEOPLE in the LGBTQA+ community
- In many popular Yoga spaces, heteronormative, gender binary ideals are often assumed and reiterated through language and clothing. Many systems of teachings have intermingled societal assumptions of gender and sexual expression with energetic systems of Yoga, which is not necessarily connected to the tradition. The experience of Yoga practice is for human beings and is an evolving river of tradition that includes the fullness of all of our embodiments.
-
PEOPLE WIth Neurodiversity
- How we process reality matters in Yoga! I encourage participants to observe and reflect on their experiences, and I give general guidance rather than dogmatic demands about our guided practices. Your experiences of the practices matter and can be adjusted accordingly. Questions are welcome and encouraged.
-
PEOPLE with limited financial resources
- Yoga has become a multi billion dollar industry, and prices continue to rise. Though I am cognizant of my need to earn money, I am also sharing the tradition of my teachers who supported me financially when I was a student. Sometimes, life doesn’t give us the luxury of paying extra for Yoga, even though we need it most in those times. I have guest passes and reduced rates available upon request.
-
PEOPLE Most Impacted by social oppression
-
- In my former career, I worked in science policy where my focus was worked towards dismantling the sexism and racism inherent in U.S. academic infrastructure. I was trained by educators, sociologists, physiologists, and historians to understand how these systems of oppression impact us all. I continue to volunteer with an U.S. political organization in Germany that supports voters and impacts U.S. policy. I cannot promise that I am the right teacher for everyone who would like to work with me, but every person is welcome, no matter their background.
- In the U.S. and Europe today, many commercial Yoga spaces focus on an esthetic of young, white, and thin bodies, while Ancient Yoga techniques are fundamentally tools that help seek clarity (no matter our external appearances). Many modern western systems have roots in India in the early 20th century, during a time of Colonial occupation. It has changed a lot in the past 100 years both within India and around the world, but we practice with awareness of history.
-
People in a major life transition
- When there are dramatic changing in our life, Yoga can be a great support. These traditions ask us to connect with the big question – “Who Am I?” In times of great transition, we are rewiring our brain to figure out who we are in this new version of life. Rewiring in the support of other people can be a great way to heal and transition.