Jivana Heyman - Poses and Practices for Every Body

WHEN I STARTED practicing yoga in 1991, I got extraordinarily lucky. There was no path to follow, no signposts, no whispers in ancient texts, and no how-to book. There was no Internet flush with magical search engines, no social media posts, no Instagram, and no Facebook. I was lucky enough to meet an amazing, big-hearted Iyengar yoga teacher named Jo Zukovich. We didnt know what to do, but she was confident enough to make me a partner in a great experiment. We explored yoga and disability together.

In 1978, at age thirteen, I was injured in a car accident that killed my father and sister and rendered me completely paralyzed from the chest down. By the time I started practicing yoga twelve years later, I was sick of the Western medical model. I was sick of doctors, of interventions, of physical and occupational therapy, of always being treated like a patient by everyone just because I was disabled. Thankfully, Jo didnt do this. She did not let fear of my otherness get in the way of our yogic study. She helped me become a yoga student just like any other yoga student, except different.

The fact is that yoga, and in particular asana, looks different when it travels through my paralyzed body. On the outside, my poses rarely look as they would if I were a traditional yoga student (whatever that is). On the inside, however, my poses are forged with the timeless heart of yoga. The principles of yoga and asana do not discriminate. Yoga poses do, that is, unless the poses are made accessible to all comers. This simple insight led me to become a yoga teacher, found the nonprofit Mind Body Solutions, and dedicate my life to opening yoga for everyone

This is a vision that I share with Jivana Heyman, the author of this book. Jivana came to the importance of making yoga accessible to all from a different path than I did. Beginning as a social activist, he has been advocating for equal and fair treatment for all people throughout his adult life. At heart, I believe Jivana experienced the healing power of yoga in his own life and is now working to ensure that potential for everyone. He is a man of service with one of the kindest hearts and noblest visions that I have encountered. I have watched him work tirelessly, building not just his organization and trainings, but an international movement aiming to open the door of yoga in all directions and to all people. Whats not to like?

The sacred heart of yoga is inclusive, giving, and ultimately offers transcendent healing to everyone willing to practice. With this book, Jivana has done an enormous service. He has created a runway to the healing potential of yoga for all people. This is the book I needed back in 1991. It would have given me the courage to begin. It also would have helped me know that I was not alone, that someone does in fact care about the potential yoga students not living in the mainstream. Most important, this book would have helped me know that I belong in the ever-growing community of yogis both past and present.

Matthew Sanford