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.

Connect with Rodrigo:
www.allihopayoga.com
@allihopayoga

Tamika Caston-Miller (she/her) is yoga educator living the life of urban farmer and conscious community builder in Houston, Texas. Co-Owner of The Ranch Houston, Founder of Ashe Yoga Collective, and regular contributor to Yoga Journal, Tamika curates equitable and inclusive yoga experiences in service to collective healing and community repair through the lens of rest, resilience, and integration.

First introduced to movement-based yoga in 1993, and shaped by a decade-long chronic hip pain and medical racism journey, Tamika welcomed in yoga not only as a complement to a joyful life, but an access point for pain management, mobility, and rest.

Tamika is passionate about applying yoga's ancient principles to modern life, which has framed her understanding of yoga as a practice of right relationship with others, the planet, and Self. She specializes in trauma-sensitive Flow, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra, and invites you to pause, feel, rest, and build skills that will serve on and off the mat.

Connect with Tamika:
www.asheyoga.com
@tamika_castonmiller
@ashe_yoga

Nityda Gessel (she/her) is a somatic psychotherapist, trauma specialist, yoga teacher and educator, mom and heart-centered activist. Nityda is the founder of the Trauma-Conscious Yoga Institute, creator of The Trauma-Conscious Yoga Method℠,  and author of forthcoming Norton book: Embodied Self Awakening: Somatic Practices for Trauma Healing and Spiritual Evolution (release: July 18, 2023).

Nityda’s integrative work over the past two decades has significantly contributed to the integration of the mental health and yoga/embodiment professions. Nityda has devoted her life to supporting the upliftment of others, working at the intersection of Eastern spirituality, holistic mental health, and embodied activism.

Nityda founded the Trauma-Conscious Equity Foundation to narrow the health disparity gap between served and underserved communities by providing funding for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ mental health professionals to receive yoga and somatic training.

For you, Nityda wishes a life of joy, freedom and peace. During her time off, she loves getting dirty with her toddler, being in nature, dancing and traveling the world.

Connect with Nityda:
traumaconsciousyoga.com
@trauma_conscious_yoga_method

Michelle Cassandra Johnson (she/her) is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant and educator, and intuitive and shamanic healer. She approaches her life and work from a place of knowing we are, can, and must heal individually and collectively. Michelle facilitates workshops and immersions, leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide, and offers an array of healing services for individuals and groups. For over 25 years as a racial equity educator, she has worked with large corporations, non-profits, and community groups. Michelle is a six-time published author. Her sixth book, The Wisdom of the Hive, published by Sounds True and co-written with her best friend, Amy Burtaine, was released in May 2025.

Michelle was a TEDx speaker at Wake Forest University in 2019 and has been interviewed on several podcasts in which she explores the premise and foundation of Skill in Action, along with embodied approaches to racial equity work, creating ritual in justice spaces, our divine connection with nature and Spirit, and how we as a culture can heal.

Michelle leads courageously from the heart with compassion and a commitment to address the heartbreak dominant culture causes for many because of the harm it creates. She inspires change that allows people to stand in their humanity and wholeness in a world that fragments most of us. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, sweet dog, Jasper, and her honeybees.

Connect with Michelle:
michellecjohnson.com
@skillinaction

Tracee Stanley (she/her) is the author of the upcoming book Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (Sounds True 2026) and the bestselling books Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity and The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to Remember Who You Are - (Shambhala Publications).

Tracee is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than 30 years of studentship in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. She is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence.

Connect with Tracee:
traceestanley.com
@tracee_stanley

Shanna Small (she/her) is a dedicated yoga educator with a commitment to social justice and accessibility. She began her yoga journey over two decades ago, focusing on Ashtanga Yoga, and studying asana, Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Sanskrit, and chanting. Shanna earned her 200-hour Yoga Alliance accreditation under Dolly Stavros and later achieved 500ERYT and YACEP status, directing Ashtanga and Vinyasa programs in North Carolina.

An accident and the murder of George Floyd profoundly impacted her, leading her to specialize in Accessible Yoga and Trauma Conscious Yoga. Shanna initiated Yoga Teacher Training programs and social justice initiatives, drawing from her experiences as a racialized woman. She studies Vedic teachings under Kaya Mindlin and Shantala Sriramiah, and travels extensively to teach accessibility, social justice, and yoga philosophy. Shanna is a passionate advocate for an inclusive and mindful yoga community.

Connect with Shanna:
shannasmallyoga.com
@shannasmallofficial

Anjali Rao (she/her) offers critical insight into the Yoga stories and histories that have been obscured by Brahminism, heteropatriarchy and colonization. She brings a multi disciplinary approach, integrating yoga philosophy and history, with storytelling, imagery and poetry.

Anjali 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, the host of The Love of Yoga podcast, President of the Board of Directors of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non profit organization dedicated to sharing the teachings and benefits of yoga with those who have been marginalized.

Connect with Anjali:
www.yoganjali.me
@yoganjali

Becky Aten (they/she) wears many hats in their work as a neurodiversity advocate, yoga facilitator, and a space-holder and bridge-builder for the neurodivergent community. Becky is on a mission to help us embrace neurodiversity and unmask our differences through the practice of yoga, and she is passionate about co-creating welcoming, accessible, and neuro-affirming environments for self-study, exploration, and community care. Current activities that bring them joy include hiking in nature, petting moss, and reading science and sci-fi books.

Connect with Becky:
yogaforneurodiversity.com
@yoga_for_neurodiversity

Tristan Katz (they/he) is a business consultant and equity-inclusion facilitator specializing in culturally competent marketing strategies and LGBTQ+ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) training and consulting.

Tristan currently serves as COO and Director of Programming for Fruition Growth Network, a platform designed to support entrepreneurs with affordable programming, free trainings, coaching, and community. His clients are at the forefront of creating more access and inclusion in the yoga industry and beyond, with social media audiences of 20k and above; many of them have been featured in NPR, the New York Times, NBC, and USA Today, and have worked with companies like Google, the Met, and TikTok.

As a longtime student of social movements and social justice, Tristan’s work centers on values-focused marketing, the exploration of power and privilege, and the intersection between solidarity and entrepreneurship.

Connect with Tristan:
www.katz-creative.com
@tristankatzcreative

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.

Ann Swanson (she/her), 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.

Connect with Ann:
www.annswansonwellness.com
@annswansonwellness

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 has contributed 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.

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 Instagram archive. 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.

Maria loved using Instagram as a platform for sharing and teaching - check out her archive of posts: @yogaforgrownups