Fat yoga safer spaces in Ottawa

I've been on disability leave from work for over a year now because depression and anxiety, hyperthyroidism (Graves disease) and chronic pain. But really, its because of ableism and classism. 

A healthy future for me involves doing less, and teaching yoga might be a way to simultaneously nurture a healthy relationship with my body and co-create safer spaces through facilitation (my comfort zone). 

This go fund me page is to help pay for yoga teacher training specific to fat bodies ( or... volumptuous, curvy, curvaceous, big, full, FAT!)

For the past 3 years, yoga has been there for me and my disabled body. I've been guided by genuinly kind teachers who shared their musculoskeletal, glandular and neurological systems knowledge, who gave me space to cry on my mat (often), who made us listen to the same trusted song during resting pose (ENYA!), who noticed me not coming, and noticed me making it to class. 

I'm white. White people practicing yoga is messy, my people are into cultural appropriation, which is real and violent. I'm invested in dismantling white supremacy in everything I do, and I'm still figuring out what that'd mean in this new role. I imagine land acknowledgements, I imagine transformative and justice-seeking storytelling, I imagine pay-what-you-can spaces, I imagine giving credit where credit is due,
I imagine doing what I can so that people with a diversity of shapes know that they belong and are also deserving of wellbeing. 

Yoga is also very thin body centric. Few teachers consider the extra 100+ pounds I have on them. Few consider that my stomach and my breasts and my thighs can't magically dissapear so I can reach for certain poses. Few offer healing touch or assist me in my poses. 

The thing, is that you cannot hate your body into health. 

So, I hope to create safer and more accessible spaces for fat, neurodiverse and differently abled people to engage in healing work. I'm tired of the ableism and fatphobia that seems built into the workout world, I'm tired of being the biggest person in the class, I'm tired of seeing fat folks leave class early, I'm tired of knowing just how risky showing up was for them, I'm tired of the missing dignity available for fat folks who want to take up space and be active. 

"We bring our whole selves to the mat; folds, lumps and all, fiercely moving through Warrior poses, feeling powerful and strong and connected in our bodies." - http://www.yoganonymous.com/fat-is-spelled-y-o-g-a 

A few years ago, I started thinking about fatness, sport and imagery in preparing for a fatphobia workshop. I came accross Valerie or Big Gal Yoga @biggalyoga on instagram, check out this beautiful being. 

This is the organisation that I hope to receive my teacher certification from.  Their teacher training description is extensive, and its exciting to imagine I might just get to take part! www.voluptuousvinyasa.com

The training consists of workshops every second weekend from early August until graduation in March 2017. 

Early bird pricing ($1750) is on until the end of the month so if I make a deposit ($200) before May 31st I'll lock in that price. An extra 225$ of books and materiels will be required throughout the semester.

Thank you for reading all the way down, and thank you for anything you can send my way (a share, a like, a hey is ALL GOOD!). J'apprécie profondément votre soutiens.