Australian Yoga Journal – August 2019

16

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

IN THE NOW

the latest

Did you know?

• Nearly half the population
  will experience mental illness
  in their lifetime


• More than half of yoga students
  start yoga for mental health
  reasons


• More than ¾ of yoga students
  continue yoga for the mental
  health benefits

The need for trauma and

mental health awareness within

the yoga studio has been a big

topic of conversation within the

yoga community

of late. Where once

adjustments were accepted

(often reluctantly) as part of

class, teachers are now

becoming aware of the need

to ask permission in order to

create a safe and comfortable

environment for their students.

Psychologist and yoga teacher

Dr Lauren Tober explains

that for students with a

history of trauma, especially

sexual trauma, having a

teacher touch them in class

may be triggering. Some

days students will be

uncomfortable receiving

adjustments, whereas other

days hands-on assists may

be welcomed.

To promote conversations

about touch and empower

students on the mat, Tober

has created these funky little

consent tokens for students

to place next to their mat and

communicate their preferences

with clarity and ease.

Tober also offers courses for

yoga teachers to improve

their mental health

awareness in the studio.

For all the details, head to

http://www.mentalhealthawareyoga.com

Yoga adjustments

AND MENTAL

HEALTH

Heartache in the yoga community

The yoga community has responded to the recent news of Maty Ezraty’s passing

with deep sadness. An inspiration to so many, 55 year old Maty was a pioneer in

the yoga community and travelled the world to share her wisdom. She began

teaching in 1985, and in 1987, at just 23 years old, opened the popular YogaWorks

in the United States – a studio that has been hugely instrumental in shaping yoga,

as we know it today. Her teaching was steeped in many years of dedicated practice

and she was known for her holistic and joyful approach to yoga and a deep

wisdom that had so many students flocking to her offerings.

A regular contributor to Yoga Journal, Maty inspired with her intelligence, honesty and warm heart.

In a recent Yoga Journal interview that explored the state of yoga today, Maty said, “It disturbs me when

I see people taking pictures of themselves doing yoga at the beach. It worries me. I could go outside right

now—it’s beautiful here in Hawaii—and I could walk on my land and pretend that my life is perfect.

But in reality, I’m human—and I have all kinds of things going on that are not perfect. I could use my

environment to completely create something that’s not real and to hook people in a way that makes them

feel like their life is not as good. It’s a fantasy, and that’s what worries me. Instead, people need to get

off their asses and study yoga.” Hear hear! Thank you for your generous contribution to the yoga world

beautiful Maty. You will be dearly missed by so many.

yj77_12-19 in the now&media .indd 16 19/7/19 1:43 pm

16

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

INTHE NOW

the latest

Did you know?

• Nearly half the population
  will experience mental illness
  in their lifetime


• More than half of yoga students
  start yoga for mental health
  reasons


• More than ¾ of yoga students
  continue yoga for the mental
  health benefits

The need for trauma and

mental health awareness within

the yoga studio has been a big

topic of conversation within the

yoga community

of late. Where once

adjustments were accepted

(often reluctantly) as part of

class, teachers are now

becoming aware of the need

to ask permission in order to

create a safe and comfortable

environment for their students.

Psychologist and yoga teacher

Dr Lauren Tober explains

that for students with a

history of trauma, especially

sexual trauma, having a

teacher touch them in class

may be triggering. Some

days students will be

uncomfortable receiving

adjustments, whereas other

days hands-on assists may

be welcomed.

To promote conversations

about touch and empower

students on the mat, Tober

has created these funky little

consent tokens for students

to place next to their mat and

communicate their preferences

with clarity and ease.

Tober also offers courses for

yoga teachers to improve

their mental health

awareness in the studio.

For all the details, head to

http://www.mentalhealthawareyoga.com

Yoga adjustments

AND MENTAL

HEALTH

Heartache in the yoga community

The yoga community has responded to the recent news of Maty Ezraty’s passing

with deep sadness. An inspiration to so many, 55 year old Maty was a pioneer in

the yoga community and travelled the world to share her wisdom. She began

teaching in 1985, and in 1987, at just 23 years old, opened the popular YogaWorks

in the United States – a studio that has been hugely instrumental in shaping yoga,

as we know it today. Her teaching was steeped in many years of dedicated practice

and she was known for her holistic and joyful approach to yoga and a deep

wisdom that had so many students flocking to her offerings.

A regular contributor to Yoga Journal, Maty inspired with her intelligence, honesty and warm heart.

In a recent Yoga Journal interview that explored the state of yoga today, Maty said, “It disturbs me when

I see people taking pictures of themselves doing yoga at the beach. It worries me. I could go outside right

now—it’s beautiful here in Hawaii—and I could walk on my land and pretend that my life is perfect.

But in reality, I’m human—and I have all kinds of things going on that are not perfect. I could use my

environment to completely create something that’s not real and to hook people in a way that makes them

feel like their life is not as good. It’s a fantasy, and that’s what worries me. Instead, people need to get

off their asses and study yoga.” Hear hear! Thank you for your generous contribution to the yoga world

beautiful Maty. You will be dearly missed by so many.