om body
collaborating with Lolling to include her expertise while appropriately
adapting the training in British Sign Language (BSL) and English to
support the UK community.
“Real access to the yoga world in the UK for those with additional
or specific needs has been slow coming to the yoga world in the UK,
it has to be said,” says Scott. “Now Deaf people can look forward to
accessing the riches of yoga with qualified teachers”.
Advanced skillset
The Course Leader, Graham Nolan, is someone who has been
working in the field of yoga and multisensory impairment for over
20 years. He is a leading practitioner and one of the key drivers
in recognising this new course’s ability to give yoga trainees an
advanced skillset.
He holds a diploma in Deafblind Studies, and his dissertation
during this was on yoga and deafblindness. Nolan is also the course
leader for Special Yoga Foundation’s, ‘Teaching Yoga to Adults and
Children with Multisensory Impairment’ course.
When Manuel had the initial conversation about developing
more opportunities to include people that cannot currently access
the benefits of yoga with Nolan and the team, he told an
interesting story:
“Once, when I was working in a yoga studio which had a Groupon
deal, a young Deaf woman came in and very nervously gave me
her print out and voiced, ‘I’m here for yoga’. When I signed to her
‘Welcome’ and asked her about her previous practice she was really
surprised - fate had brought her to a class where the teacher signed.
“However I was totally unprepared. My mind raced and I found
myself ‘conducting breath’ with my hands and making sure I moved
around the class so she could lip-read me in Downward Dog. It was
very far from perfect, but my mind was on overdrive - how could this
develop? I cannot speak on behalf of a person who is Deaf. However,
I can speak about accessibility as a universal principle. Yoga is for
all. Therefore the way yoga is taught must become more accessible
to groups of people who cannot currently access it.”
“This was to be the experience that initiated it”, says Manuel.
Nolan continues: “We are bringing new streams of knowledge
to the yoga industry, and this will soon follow suit with a new
group of yoga teachers that will contribute and nurture Deaf
Yoga into something more accessible. As it is the pilot course, we
are expecting a couple of bumps in the road, but ultimately the
graduates will have the rare capacity to share their teachings with
new people. That is a very exciting prospect.”Accessibility
“With a history of health and back issues and enormous shame,
yoga has held my hand on my path to wellness and love.” says Scott.
She continues, “Deaf and hearing-impaired people will find the same
benefits that we all do from yoga and in addition to finding the inner
space and peace away from having to always look outwards to move
around this world. It is not a prerequisite to being deaf to attend the
course; BSL interpreters, signers and active supporters of the Deaf
and HoH people are also welcome.”
It is incredibly heartening to witness this phenomenon –
continuing to push for inclusive courses and represent people that
have been historically overlooked. The goal is to make yoga a
genuinely accessible practice.For more information on the Special Yoga Foundation’s Deaf Yoga
course visit: specialyoga.org.uk