Accessible Meditation with Jivana Heyman
In this episode of the podcast, I’m talking with Jivana Heyman about accessible meditation. Jivana is the founder of the Accessible Yoga movement, and he has plenty of insights to share about how meditation practices can be relevant in our world today.
Episode Details:
Photo by Sarit Rogers
You’ll hear about Jivana’s own personal journey of learning meditation, and his perspective on how an inward practice like meditation can help during uncertain times when the outer world also needs our attention.
Jivana describes the central role that meditation plays in the Yoga tradition, and why highlighting accessible meditation (and other subtle practices) is an important part of the advocacy of Accessible Yoga.
We also touch on the wide variety of meditation styles within Yoga (including breath meditation, mantra, chakra meditations, visualizations, yoga nidra, and more). And, you’ll hear Jivana’s thoughts on reframing asana itself AS a form of meditation.
Accessible Meditation Topics We Cover:
- how pranayama is distinct from breath meditation
- accessible meditation adaptations, especially for those with anxiety, trauma, or neurodivergent minds
- similarities and differences between Yogic and Buddhist philosophies and practices
- broadening the definition of what counts as meditation.
I hope this episode will leave you feeling empowered to find your own ways of bringing meditation into your life!
Guest Bio:
Photo by Sarit Rogers
Jivana Heyman is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of the books: Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and a new book, The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. His books, classes, and trainings offer support to yoga teachers and yoga therapists in finding ways to bring creativity and collaboration into their teaching while still respecting the ancient yoga tradition.
Accessible Meditation Resources and Links from this episode:
You can connect further with Jivana through his website jivanaheyman.com or through the Accessible Yoga organization. He is on Instagram at @jivanaheyman and @accessibleyoga.
- There are lots of resources on the Accessible Yoga blog, including this article on making pranayama accessible, which picks up on some of the themes we discussed in this episode.
- And, here is an article Jivana wrote on accessible meditation for Yoga International, which includes some wonderful images of accessible postures.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
- Episode 82: Training Mindfulness in Movement with Dr. Tamara Russell
- Episode 87: Neurodiversity-Affirming Mindfulness Practices with Sue Hutton and Jan Wozniak
- Episode 74: ADHD and Mindfulness Meditation with Ying Deng
- Episode 91: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma with Anne Cushman.
The 100th episode of the podcast is coming right up! I’m preparing a special episode on the theme of “why we practice,” and I want to hear YOUR voice. You can record a short message HERE by 8/24/24 to be included in the episode. (You can also email me a message to read out, if you prefer. Send it to mail@movedtomeditate.com.) Thanks for sharing your “why” and co-creating this special episode with me!