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, through this 40 hour live, online training.
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 40-hour online 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

Course Dates:
Wednesday September 20 - Friday October 6, 2023
*Trainees receive instant access to pre-recorded content & course manual upon enrollment via our online course portal
Live Sessions:
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am-12pm PDT (Los Angeles) | 12pm-3pm EDT (New York)
5pm-8pm BST (UK)
(convert to your local time-zone)
Study Groups:
Live, online study groups will be offered within the live training dates, held on varied days / times to suit various time-zones & schedules. Trainees are required to attend 3 x study group sessions live, or review the recordings.
Content Overview
Week 1
- Orientation & Introduction to Accessible Yoga
- Integrated Accessible Yoga Chair / Mat Sample Practice
- Accessible Asana Workshop #1 (includes check-ins, centering practices, warm-ups)
- Chair Sun Salutation Practice Teaching
- Yoga History & Culture
- Disability Awareness Training
Content Overview
Week 2
- Accessible Asana Workshops #2 & 3 (Sun Salutations, balancing postures, forward & backward bends)
- Agency & Consent
- Queer & Trans Communities & Yoga
- Working with Larger Bodies
- Bed Yoga
- Breaking the Cycle: Acknowledging White Supremacy Culture in our Wellness Spaces
- Mixed Level Teaching & Group Practice
- Making Meditation Accessible
Convent Overview
Week 3
- Accessible Asana Workshops #4 & 5 (inversions & twists, Savasana & Yoga Nidra)
- Making Breath Practices Accessible
- Neurodiversity in Yoga
- Conscious Marketing
- Service & Support
- Wheelchair Yoga
- Yoga & Social Justice
Content Overview
Pre-Recorded Content
In addition to our live training sessions commencing September 20th, 2023, trainees receive instant access to the following pre-recorded lecture & practice videos via our online course portal upon enrollment, in addition to their downloadable course manual
- Sample Classes with Jivana Heyman, including 3 x Integrated Mat / Chair Accessible Yoga Practices, and a Wall Practice for Balance
- Sample Wheelchair Yoga Practice with Rodrigo Souza
- Yoga Philosophy with Jivana Heyman, including the Four Paths of Yoga, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita
- Introduction to Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman, including What Is Accessible Yoga?, Working with Older Adults, Common Medical Conditions, and Mixed-Level Sample Practice
- The Science of Yoga with Ann Swanson, including Science-Backed Benefits of Yoga, Research on Safety and Teaching Safely
- Trauma Conscious Yoga and Race-Based Traumatic Stress with Nityda Gessel
- Intro to Queer & Trans Considerations in Yoga with M Camellia
- Trauma-Informed Yoga for Incarcerated Populations with Amma Fandiño
- Yoga for Mental Health, with the late Maria Kirsten (recorded live in January 2021)
"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, AY Training Graduate

For this training we offer tiered equity pricing options.
If you are able to attend at the Supporter or Sustainer Rate, your contributions support the ability to offer a lower rate to community members experiencing financial difficulties. We also offer payment plans as well as a limited number of partial scholarships for this course.
Please click the enrollment button below which best represents your financial means.
Need a payment plan or partial scholarship?
The deadline to apply for a partial scholarship for the September 2023 cohort of our Accessible Yoga Training Online is Sunday September 10th, 2023.
Payment plans begin on the day of enrollment, with subsequent payments automatically deducted on the same day of the month for the duration of the payment plan.
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.
I have SO MANY questions! Can I just chat with someone on the phone?
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Are there any prerequisites for this course?
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Is this training all online? How does it work?
What if I can't attend the live Zoom sessions? Can I still take the course / get the certificate?
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?
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