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New teacher training course launched to help bring more yoga
to Deaf and hard of hearing people
Y
oga is a growing global phenomenon to the extent
that it is now becoming a part of the mainstream
consciousness. With this increasing profile and demand,
there follows the need for more accessible training and
teaching to every person who wishes to access it –
including the Deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) people.
The Special Yoga Foundation in London focus on offering
training, classes and therapy based on its inclusive Special Yoga
methodology.
Recently, it has been getting inquiries from Deaf and HoH people
wanting to become certified yoga teachers. This is an area that fits
well with the Foundation’s principles, says its founder Jyoti Manuel.
“It is my nature – and at the core of our work – to want to break
down the walls of stigma, particularly when it relates to providing
support for each individual’s needs,” she says.
Yoga is an increasingly popular practice, but Deaf people are
largely excluded from exploring its full benefits because there are notDeaf yoga
enough certified yoga teachers with the skills to make the practice
available to yoga enthusiasts with hearing impairments. This is why
the Special Yoga Foundation has introduced the first certificated
UK 200 hour Deaf Yoga teacher training course in collaboration
with the course leader Graham Nolan, Sarah Scott, who is partially
Deaf, and Lila Lolling. The Deaf Yoga teacher training course is
addressing the gap.
What makes the Deaf Yoga teacher training course the first of
its kind in Europe is a result of the amount of consideration and
planning to provide teachers and trainees with an international-
standard yoga teacher training, paired with the additional capacity
to develop the Deaf Yoga practice.Pioneering
In fact, Deaf Yoga is fairly new globally, with organisations like the
Deaf Yoga Foundation in America (deafyoga.org), led by Lila Lolling,
pioneering both classes and training. The Special Yoga Foundation is