The tides are turning, and body positivity is on the rise. Thanks to activists and disruptors in just about every industry all over the world, the message is getting out that there is no wrong way to have a body. It seems that one of the last places for this body inclusivity to hit was the Yoga world. Everyone has the image of the stick slender, white female yogi doing impossible poses unassisted on a mat. For so many women and men, they looked around in a yoga class and saw nobody who looked and moved like them.
Not anymore! We are so excited to have celebrated yoga teacher and social justice activist Dianne Bondy on the show today. Michelle has undergone her Yoga For All teacher training and considers it one of her most life-changing moments to date. Dianne started the Yoga For All Movement as a way to make the healing practice of yoga accessible to anyone, regardless of body size, race, or ability.
So many believe they have to have the “right” body to practice yoga, but Dianne knows that simply is not true. There are ways to adapt and move that is best suited to you and your body, but fear and stigma so often hold us back. Dianne is breaking down those barriers by teaching students and other yoga instructors that yoga is for everyone. Whether you take a class with Dianne live or online, prepare to have your expectations shattered!
Yoga is for all bodies! Today, Dianne, Michelle, and Nicole will show you how.
Listen to Episode 8 (Click here)
Show Notes:
- Michelle is glowing because another of her dream guests is here today #00:00:10#
- All about Dianne’s role as an accidental activist and yoga disrupter. #00:02:15#
- Yoga is geared toward one body type and demographic #00:03:20#
- We are starting to see a shift in the yoga for all image. #00:04:00#
- All about the Pennington’s ad #00:05:00#
- The body image narrative #00:08:30#
- Nicole relates to the healing power of yoga #00:10:40#
- Yoga for all was born out of a desire to ensure no one is triggered by what is happening in class. #00:13:00#
- Where Dianne sees the ripple and the shift happening #00:15:30#
- Yoga is all about paying attention and being present #00:16:50#
- Dianne’s experience about being a woman of color and a woman of size within the yoga world. #00:18:00#
- Graves Disease, chronic illness, and bodies that still show up. #00:21:15#
- Yoga community is life-changing #00:22:00#
- What you see in film and pictures that isn’t quite real. #00:24:30#
- Wipe out but get back up. #00:26:30#
- Safe spaces get transformed into a brave space. #00:27:30#
- What it’s like to work with Dianne #00:28:50#
- Dianne learns from other studios, but she is still feeling the judgment and trauma. #00:31:00#
- Live classes, retreats, online classes, and more! #00:33:00#
- Adaptive classes are all about showing up now and not waiting. #00:36:00#
Quotes and Shareables
“We need to put different images in the forefront so that people of all types can see themselves in the practice.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of the mat, and you don’t have to be afraid of your body.”
“When a group of us stand on the side of a mountain and scream, we create an echo. People will listen.”
“Learn to accept who you are.”
“It’s so nice to go to a teacher who understands- someone who knows where you’re coming from.”
“Healing can happen in any increment.”
Links:
The commercial that blew Michelle’s mind and brought her back to the mat: Dianne Bondy for Pennington’s
Join Dianne Bondy and her inclusive yoga in any of the following places:
Dianne Bondy is a celebrated yoga teacher, social justice activist and leading voice of the Yoga For All movement. Her inclusive view of yoga asana and philosophy inspires and empowers thousands of followers around the world – regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, or level of ability.
Dianne contributes to Yoga International, Do You Yoga, and Elephant Journal. She is featured and profiled in International media outlets: The Guardian, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, People and more. She is a spokesperson for diversity in yoga and yoga for larger bodies, as seen in her work with Pennington’s, Gaiam, and the Yoga & Body Image Coalition. Her work is published in the books: Yoga and Body Image, and Yes Yoga Has Curves.
To learn more about symptoms and treatments for Grave’s Disease, please click here.
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