BECOMING AWARE.
by Victoria Kainz
“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard.“
Being overlooked, unseen and underestimated; actions that so many people have to experience on a daily basis. Feeling like you don’t belong and people making you and your work feel small; these are things that can also be found not only in the LGBTIQA+ community, but also in the Yoga community, which I find personally so depressing/unfortunate.
My journey becoming the yoga teacher that I am today and also the one I want be become for my community, was and is paved by these actions of people I just mentioned. These are people who I have gotten to know or will get to know, individuals that I have worked with or future colleagues, or even people that I referred to or still refer to as, somebody I love.
One of my understandings of fifth Yama, Aparigraha; is giving without the expectation of receiving something in return. That is what lays not only behind my teaching, but also feels like one of my purposes in my life.
The journey begins
With yoga it was love at first asana. It started in 2015 after having to say goodbye to my grandma. That summer, I fell into a deep rabbit hole not really knowing how to find a way back home or how to find the way into wonderland. Little did I know that yoga would be the white rabbit that brought me into wonderland and now Yoga has become the thing that I call my life.
Life is not always easy and there are many battles to fight, but I know that there is always a way to find the strength to win. Falling totally in love with yoga was what started my journey to find strength, courage, selflove and the power to break out of a toxic relationship.
Traveling to India on a pilgrim brought me the last portion of strength that had been waiting for me for so long. I was told on that journey that I spread such a giving and healing energy and that I should for sure attend the Shakti Yoga Teacher Training. This left my heart full of joy and power when I came back home. That feeling was almost completely taken away from me when I was told by a person who I called someone that I love, that I am not “allowed” to participate in the YTT.
From that moment on not only my Yoga journey took a turn, but also my life. I decided that I would not let myself be overruled, overlooked or underestimated by anyone. This was the moment an even bigger journey began. After completing my YTT, I felt the need of giving back and helping others more than ever. I started to transform myself into the truest and most authentic version of myself.
Opening my eyes
I became much more aware of what is going on in the world around me, the mistreatment of others, the unsensitive ways of our society and the missing knowledge of people about minority communities, e.g. LGBTIQA+.
Being part of that colourful community and through my experiences, I have realized how much more work there is to do as a woman in this society, and also what a big part I can play as a bisexual woman in this community.
I often have felt unseen, unheard and disrespected because of my dreams, gender or sexuality; it is not only something I am struggling with in the society, but sadly sometime also in the Yoga community.
Transforming that into the need of doing the work, of inclusion, educating and never stop learning is what brings me here.
I realized that people of the LGBTIQA+ community and something that became one of my recent topics, people who experienced trauma in any way, are somehow excluded/overseen when it comes to yoga. For this specific reason, I attended not only the “Teaching inclusive Yoga” Training, but also a Trauma sensitive Yoga Teacher Training.
My goal is to include the knowledge I already have from my experience and learning, as well as both of those trainings into my yoga teaching. I really do love working with pregnant women because it is so nourishing and giving. I attended a short YTT that did not consist of prenatal content in 2018, which wasn’t really enough, but since then I fell in love with teaching prenatal yoga classes. But what I realized since the “Teaching inclusive Yoga” training with you, that mostly those prenatal YTT and also classes are not sensitive and inclusive enough.
The lack of inclusion
First of all and I think that is one of the biggest issues that pregnant people of the LGBTIQA+ community struggle with, is that those yoga classes are still so heteronormative that they oversee not only non-binary people but also transgender people who are pregnant. For me becoming aware of that issue, I instantly had the need to educate myself more into that topic but also trying to make my “normal” but especially prenatal yoga classes much more inclusive and sensitive to those issues. Yoga shouldn`t exclude people because of their gender identity, sexuality or colour of skin.
Another issue that I just recently came across because of my Trauma sensitive YTT and a friend of mine, is that people who lost a child during pregnancy but got pregnant again, are also unseen with their trauma and anxiety. Prenatal yoga classes should also be sensitized about how to talk and handle those circumstances.
Beyond Movement
Attending the Nourishyogatraining Pre- & Postnatal YTT would give me more insights not only in the Yoga relevant topics during pregnancy, but because of the amount of knowledge I already gained during my last YTT with you, I feel like it gives me even more sensibilization and wisdom for my teachings in an ethical and cultural perspective. To not only teach “normal” yoga classes more inclusive but furthermore, and as important, pre- & postnatal yoga classes to help those who feel unseen, those who feel unheard and excluded.
Yoga goes beyond the body work, beyond the asanas. It’s a tool and opportunity to not only change the yoga community but also point of views, mindsets and how we teach and how we are in our communities. It means change, new ways and future.
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