Complete the Accessible Yoga Training online!
Learn to design yoga classes where all students can practice together in a way that honors and celebrates people of all ages, sizes, abilities, and experience levels
Upcoming Course Dates:
September 20 - October 6, 2023
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am-12pm Pacific (Los Angeles) | 12pm-3pm Eastern (New York)
5pm-8pm London, UK
(Convert to your local timezone)
$600-$900 USD Tiered Pricing
Partial scholarships and payment plans available
Our next online training is
September 20 - October 6, 2023.
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am-12pm Pacific (Los Angeles) | 12pm-3pm Eastern (New York)
*UK & Europe friendly times:
5pm-8pm BST (London, UK)
Be part of the next Accessible Yoga Training Online cohort.
Join our interest list to be the first to know when we open enrollments.
We'll never share your information; unsubscribe anytime.
Join Interest List
We'll never share your information; unsubscribe anytime.
Join the Accessible Yoga movement!
Online training offers expanded possibilities and flexibility as we explore foundational aspects of equity and accessibility in yoga.
In this training you’ll:
- Understand the benefits of an accessible yoga practice including: enhancing muscular strength, balance, flexibility, improving physiological functions, reducing stress, anxiety, chronic pain and promoting overall health and well-being
- Determine safe and appropriate variations of common asanas for a range of physical ability (chair, mat/bed, standing)
- Learn specific asanas for flexibility, strengthening and balance training to maintain or improve health and independence
- Understand the purpose and implementation of props to make yoga accessible to all abilities
- Acquire knowledge of common medical conditions and the benefits and concerns for implementation of a yoga practice
- Learn to create integrated Accessible Yoga classes where students of different abilities can practice together
- Explore the many ways that yoga can be adapted to suit students with disabilities, physical challenges, seniors, people with larger bodies, and more
- Learn how to make your classes welcoming to everyone, to empower students with agency, and to approach students in a trauma-informed way
- Review the physical and psychosocial benefits of pranayama and meditation and how to make these practices available for all students, regardless of ability
- Learn how to apply the teachings of yoga philosophy in day-to-day life to reduce stress, create more balance and develop authentic connections with self and others
- Explore techniques to build a strong community among your students to support the transformational process of yoga
Make Your Teaching Accessible
Learn a new way of thinking about postures and practices that honors the essence of yoga, and will allow you to design multi-level classes with ease.
Get Support From Experts
Explore trauma-informed teaching, working with larger bodies, yoga for seniors, and much more with our team of Accessible Yoga trainers.
Learn At Home
More accessible than ever before. Learn from home: no travel expenses, everything is recorded and captioned so you can review materials and work at your own pace.
What you'll get when you join
This training includes:
- Live training with a team of experts on accessible yoga: 24 hours of live virtual classroom time
- Video resources: 6 additional hours of required pre-recorded videos
- Connect with other teachers: 3 hours of study groups
- Practice teaching: 5 hours teaching practice and reading to incorporate concepts you learn in the training
- Graduates of the program receive a digital certificate for 40 hours of training
- Connection with a huge network of teachers and practitioners around the world dedicated to sharing this ancient practice with everyone
- Free 3-month membership in Accessible Yoga’s Ambassador program
- 40 contact hour CEUs from Yoga Alliance (for yoga teachers) or International Association of Yoga Therapists (for yoga therapists)
What our students are saying
Yoga as a means for change
I’d like to recognize Jivana Heyman for inspiring me to seek beyond what I thought I knew about yoga and teaching yoga. I like to offer my students different variations for the poses during our practice to find the right way to suit the pose to their body, but the recent training I did with Accessible Yoga School was a real eye-opener in how to REALLY make my classes accessible to everybody and every body, and also to use yoga as a means for change and to build community. Thank you Jivana for putting together such an amazing course with so many wonderful, and often thought-provoking, guest speakers. I very highly recommend everyone to experience this training.
– John Chesebro
More mindful & purposeful
My heart is full from the positive response and feedback I’ve received after sharing just some of the things I learned or were reinforced in your AY training…. ESPECIALLY, at the senior center! I received the most feedback from that group, particularly on the subject of commercialization of yoga and this biased, non inclusive image of what a “yogi” looks like. Already, I’ve slowed down my classes (even the Pilates-inspired one), we’ve made our moves more mindful and purposeful and my students know before they leave class that yoga is steadiness of the mind. I can’t thank you enough.
-Erik Fuentes
What our students are saying
The core of yoga is accessibility
"The Accessible Yoga Training helped me discover that accessibility encompasses so many different dimensions -- physical, cognitive, emotional, financial, political -- and yet at the same time, the core of yoga is indeed accessibility."
-Daniel Choi, Accessible Yoga Training Online participant
It's truly for everyone
"The Accessible Yoga Training helped me discover my love of diving into and exploring yoga philosophy (and how it can be truly accessible)! It's felt a bit elusive to me, or like it was for more 'advanced, wiser' teachers, and I don't feel like that anymore. It's truly for everyone, teacher or student!"
-Sarah, Accessible Yoga Training Online participant
Tools and perspective
"I'd recommend the Accessible Yoga Training to a friend because the tools and perspective I learned from made me realize how little integration there is in most yoga classes I attend and teach. People with disabilities or BIPOC are rarely welcomed and respected in yoga spaces and are therefore denied access to the healing benefits of a sustained yoga practice. We need to restructure studios and our classes so everyone is welcome and can walk away having learned something about themselves and challenged there self- perceptions.
I also found it very important to drive home the point that physical ability does not equal inner peace and that the power structure of teacher and student can become a dangerous power dynamic. As teachers we need to remember to stay humble and realize we are merely imparting teachings and skill sets, we are not all mighty healers, we are space creator where people can come to learn about themselves and take care of their needs through agency and self-empowerment. All yoga teachers need this outlook to tap into the benefits of yoga beyond the physical form."
-Kelly Wieman, Accessible Yoga Training Online participant
Meet Your Instructors
Learn from our team of Accessible Yoga Teacher Trainers, who are each experts on topics like accessibility, social justice, trauma-informed teaching, marketing, and more. Our global team of trainers have all been certified by Accessible Yoga founder Jivana Heyman.
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 Training 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
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.
Through in person and online offerings, kelley nicole 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.
kelley nicole is also a Study Group Mentor for our Accessible Yoga Training Online.
M Camellia
M Camellia (they/them) is a yoga practitioner and facilitator, writer, consent educator, and advocate called to create profoundly accessible spaces for self-inquiry. They believe that yoga is a practice of collective liberation and challenge contemporary yoga practitioners to dismantle the systems and beliefs that hold us all back.
M is a co-founder of the Trans Yoga Project and serves on the staff of Accessible Yoga, among other roles within the realm of yoga service. Their teaching and writing center Queer and Trans* identity, consent and agency, body liberation, and disability justice in relation to yoga philosophy and practice, and they serve as a mentor for other yoga teachers and practitioners desiring to deepen their understanding of accessibility, power dynamics, trauma, and yoga as social justice.
M lives in Southern Maryland amongst beloved community and regularly makes offerings online and in the Washington-Baltimore metro area.
M is also a Study Group Mentor for our Accessible Yoga Training Online.
Susanna Barkataki
Susanna Barkataki (she/her), M.Ed. E-RYT is a teacher, coach, inclusivity promoter and yoga culture advocate. She helps yoga teachers, studios, nonprofits and businesses become leaders in equity, diversity and yogic values so they can embody thriving yoga leadership with integrity and confidence. Growing up a mixed Indian and British woman in the diaspora has led her to the healing work of honoring yoga as unity. She puts her Honors degree from UC Berkeley, Masters in Education, years of training, retreat in India and the U.S. to use as a modern day yoga diversity consultant.
She is the founder of Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute that has online and in person yoga and diversity trainings. She runs a Yoga Leadership and Safe Space Mastermind, that offers teaching and coaching in small groups so yoga teachers, studios, classes, and programs are well prepared to be inclusive, accessible and welcoming while honoring the roots of yoga. She's the creator of the Honor Don't Appropriate Summit and Honor Yoga's Roots Teacher Training.
Dani Anderson
Dani Anderson (she/her) is a disability advocate and public affairs professional with over fifteen years of involvement in the disability field, including the state and federal government, corporate, and non-profit arenas.
Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from California State University Channel Islands. In addition to her lifelong lived experience, she was a Governor appointed member of the State Independent Living Council (SILC).
In 2020, Anderson was recognized by California State Senator Hannah Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Monique Límon as Woman of the Year. Dani is focused on improving communication between individuals with and without disabilities.
Amma Fandiño
Amma Fandiño (she/her), RYT500, MSc, has been a devoted yogini for over 28 years and a passionate biologist for 27 years. A 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 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 is also a Study Group Mentor for our Accessible Yoga Training Online.
Rodrigo Souza
Rodrigo Souza (he/him) is an RYT 200 Adaptive & Accessible Yoga teacher with experience in teaching yoga to folks who have gone through Trauma & Disability. Rodrigo suffered a spinal cord injury (T3 complete) in 2014 after a fall accident. He has been studying and practicing Mindfulness and Adaptive Yoga to help him deal with muscle spasticity, chronic nerve pain, anxiety, and many other secondary symptoms conditions that the injury has brought him.
Through direct personal experience with traumatic injury, and chronic pain, and discovering the need to take charge of his recovery to optimize long-term wellbeing, Rodrigo decided to become a Yoga teacher and teach from his own experience, creating Allihopa Accessible & Adaptive Virtual Yoga Studio. He also runs a non-profit organization called AllihopaBrasil to make yoga more accessible to marginalized groups in Brazil and also teaches newly injured folks in an active rehabilitation non-profit in Sweden.
Rodrigo received his Adaptive yoga certification training under Matthew Sanford, the leading pioneer and “Jedi” of the Adaptive Yoga World. He is focused on creating a supportive community for those who have experienced trauma & disability through Adaptive yoga.
Anjali Rao
Anjali Rao (she/her) offers insight into the Yoga stories and histories that have been obscured by heteropatriarchy and colonization. She brings an intersectional lens in integrating yoga philosophy and history, with storytelling, imagery and poetry.
She is an Indian American immigrant, a cancer survivor and believes that a dedicated practice of yoga in all its expansiveness can alchemize and heal the world by creating ripples of change within and around us.
She is an aspiring writer, President of the Board of Directors of Accessible Yoga, an international non profit organization dedicated to sharing the teachings and benefits of yoga with those who have been marginalized.
Tristan Katz
Tristan Katz (they/he) is a writer, educator, digital strategist, and equity-inclusion facilitator who holds space for learning and unlearning about gender as it relates to trans inclusion and queer competency. They also teach marketing practices to foster business growth from a justice and equity-focused perspective.
Tristan’s intention is to offer this work with an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. He was named one of Yoga Journal’s 2021 Game Changers and is proud to serve on the Board of Directors at Accessible Yoga.
Ann Swanson
Ann Swanson, MS, C-IAYT, LMT, RYT500, believes that scientific research on yoga is key for increased access and accessibility of the practice. She is the author of SCIENCE OF YOGA, which is being translated into 15 languages. Ann is a certified yoga therapist, Yoga for Arthritis Teacher Trainer, and Accessible Yoga Teacher.
After studying yoga in India and tai chi in China, she became fascinated by why and how these practices improve health–and significantly eased her own chronic joint pain. She went on to explore the science of the human body. Filled with curiosity for both the western and eastern perspective, Ann dove into the pre med university courses, became a massage therapist, worked in a cadaver lab, and ultimately earned a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Now, she helps people relieve pain (like from arthritis or persistent back pain) through practical and accessible yoga and mindfulness practices. She also enjoys educating about the fascinating science of yoga to spark curiosity and motivation for folks to practice more, because yoga works!
Our Accessible Yoga Training Online includes pre-recorded content from Ann on the topic of the Science of Yoga. Ann looks at which of yoga's benefits are actually backed by scientific research, and how to consider contraindications to yoga practices while you're teaching.
Maria Kirsten
Our dear friend, colleague, and community member, Maria Kirsten sadly passed away in April 2021. You can learn about Maria’s life and work, and her journey with cancer, via the episodes of the Live Like You Love Yourself podcast that she recorded with Chara Caruthers, and via her website (linked below). She was a passionate teacher, who made the most of every moment she was given. She is greatly missed, but the legacy of her passion for yoga continues through all of the students and teachers she taught over many years, and all of the incredibly valuable resources she left for us all to continue to learn from – which was her wish. We are eternally grateful for Maria, and she is forever in our hearts. The recording of Maria's session of Yoga for Mental Health from our January 2021 Accessible Yoga Training Online is included in the pre-recorded content for our ongoing Accessible Yoga Online courses.
Maria Kirsten (she/her), originally from New York City, lived and taught yoga in Northern New South Wales, Australia for 20 years. She was a yoga therapist, occupational therapist, yoga teacher and teacher trainer. Maria specialised in making yoga accessible for students of all ages, and levels of experience and ability. She used her understanding of anatomy and functional movement to empower and educate students to modify and individualise their yoga. Maria’s special interests were in yoga for older grownups, yoga to support mental health and yoga therapeutics. Maria’s teaching style was unconventional, practical and fun, with lots of “real life” application and a big picture approach to yoga practice. Maria loved to share all her experience and learning to empower others to teach yoga in a safe, accessible, empowering way. She taught advanced trainings in Yoga for Older Grownups and Yoga for Mental Health. She was also the co-host of the Live Like you Love Yourself Podcast with Chara Caruthers. yogaforgrownups.com
Meet Your Study Group Mentors
In addition to 21 hours of structured training content, and pre-recorded content, our Accessible Yoga Training Online includes opportunities to attend Study Groups. Held within the training dates for each cohort, our live, online, small-group mentoring and support sessions are led by our global team of certified Accessible Yoga trainers, and cater to a variety of schedules and timezones, as an opportunity to connect with our trainers and trainees, receive feedback and ask questions.
Hersha Harilela Chellaram
Hersha Harilela Chellaram (she/her) 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.
Liz Oppedijk
Liz Oppedijk (she/her) came to yoga in her fifties, following serious illness and injury. Through yoga, her recovery became a transformation. But she was left with a question: how to bring the practice of yoga to people for whom the mat is a barrier? She found her answer in Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga. Liz is now a leading expert on Chair Yoga based in the UK and an official Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga teacher trainer, and she is co-authoring a book on the Lakshmi Method to be published in 2023.
As well as training teachers, Liz is a qualified Yoga Therapist and a yoga researcher. She lectures regularly at The Minded Institute on chair and accessible yoga, yoga for Parkinson’s disease, yoga for dementia, and basic yoga techniques for healthcare professionals, carers, and community workers. In collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire, her recently completed research studies on yoga in nursing homes and mindfulness for Parkinson’s are due to be published in 2022.
Her commitment to accessible yoga led her to establish Accessible Chair Yoga CIC, a non-profit social enterprise. ACY is dedicated to bringing yoga to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or physical or mental condition through training others to teach chair yoga and through sponsorship of research into yoga’s effectiveness in the health and social care sector.
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
Alessandra Uma Cocchi
Uma Cocchi (she/her) is based in Italy and serves as an Accessible Yoga Trainer in Europe, and a regional representative for Accessible Yoga in Italy. She also works as a certified Yoga Therapist. In this field, she leads observational studies on Yoga’s impact on a variety of pathologies with amazing Italian doctors and institutes.
Uma comes from the Integral Yoga tradition of Swami Satchidananda. She has been teaching this style since 2003 (500-RYT), and is an Integral Yoga Teacher Trainer as well.
In 2004 she founded YAP Integral Yoga Centre in Teramo, Italy. YAP is a non-profit Italian organization for social promotion, aiming at spreading the Yogic practice for ethical advancement, awareness and wellbeing for all.
Tuition for Accessible Yoga Training Online
Equity Tiered Pricing:
We offer sliding scale pricing for this training:
- $600 USD Community Rate: For folks who need financial assistance
- $750 USD Sustainer Rate: Base cost of this course
- $900 USD Supporter Rate: For folks who can afford to pay a bit more, you'll enable community members experiencing financial difficulties to join at a lower rate
Payment Plans & Scholarships:
We offer a limited number of partial scholarships. To apply for a partial scholarship please click here.
When registration opens you will also have the option to pay via payment plan, over 3 or 5 installments, debited monthly.
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 our 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.
What our students are saying
My class attendance has significantly increased
It’s been just about a year since I took the Accessible Yoga training in NYC, and it has totally changed my outlook on teaching. I look at my students in a completely different way now and interestingly, my class attendance has significantly increased. I was asked to teach a gentle/accessible yoga module in a 300 hr. YTT at the studio where I teach and I’m thrilled to be doing so. Thank you for the incredible work that you do.
-Stephanie Haberman
Transformational & loving
I can honestly say, I feel more prepared after this training than I did a whole month in my 200-hour teacher training. I am inspired and have already used so much of what I have learned in teaching and in my personal practice. I can’t thank everyone enough for this transformational and loving training.
-Elizabeth Sosner
Frequently Asked Questions
I have SO MANY questions! Can I just chat with someone on the phone?
What are the benefits of becoming an Accessible Yoga Teacher?
Do I need to be a certified yoga teacher, or have finished a 200-hour program, to attend this training?
Are there any prerequisites for this course?
How in depth is the Anatomy and Physiology portion of the training?
How long is the training?
Is this training all online? How does it work?
What if I can't attend the live Zoom sessions?
Do I need special equipment or software for the training?
How long do I have access to the training materials?
Can I share the videos, manual, or other resources with other teachers who aren't in the course?
Can I earn continuing education credit or contact hour CEUs for this training?
Are scholarships available for the training?
Are payment plans available?
What if I need a refund?
What if I need help?
What our students are saying
Life long learning process
“My biggest takeaway was accepting not always being 'correct' or saying the right thing. That using correct language and actions to be fully accessible as a Yoga teacher and community member is a life long learning process. People will respect your authenticity if you are brave enough to show your faults.”
-Melanie Jones, Accessible Yoga Training Online participant
Supports yoga for everybody
“I’d recommend Accessible Yoga training because it supports yoga teachers to get past the (western) biases and prejudices of the 'yoga isn’t for me' category and supports Yoga is for every body.”
-Katherine Skinner, Accessible Yoga Training Online participant
Our next online training is
September 20 - October 6, 2023.
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am-12pm Pacific (Los Angeles) | 12pm-3pm Eastern (New York)
*UK & Europe friendly times:
5pm-8pm BST (London, UK)
Be part of the next Accessible Yoga Training Online cohort.
Join our interest list to be the first to know when we open enrollments.
We'll never share your information; unsubscribe anytime.
Join Interest List
We'll never share your information; unsubscribe anytime.
