2nd Annual Accessible Yoga Conference

Join the world’s leading adaptive Yoga teachers for a weekend of education, community-building, and inspiration. We’ll explore ways to make Yoga available to everyone regardless of ability. All Yoga students and teachers are welcome.

The mission of the Accessible Yoga Conference is to provide a forum where the Yoga community can come together to connect, share, and support those who wish to expand access to the Yoga teachings for people with disabilities, chronic illness, seniors, and people who may not feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.

Join us for a weekend program which includes asana classes, workshops, and panel discussions with senior Yoga teachers on a variety of topics related to increasing access to Yoga. Topics range from adapting poses to community building. You'll also get a preview of the Teacher Training programs offered by conference faculty.

Vegetarian lunch is included each day, as well as a reception on Friday evening. Once you sign up you'll be asked to choose from a selection of conference programs. Join us for the only Yoga conference dedicated to sharing Yoga with everybody!

The Accessible Yoga Conference Schedule is not yet available. Once the schedule becomes available, we will contact all Registrants via email and allow access to sign up for specific sessions.

For more information please visit our website or email us

Santa Barbara Lodging & Resource Guide

Limited Scholarships Available: Scholarship Application Form

Refund Policy- Full refund (minus Brightstar's $25.95 service fee), 50% refund after August 16th, No refunds after September 2nd. 

Conference Faculty:

Sonia Sumar- Keynote Speaker, "Yoga for the Special Child"
Sonia Sivakami Sumar is internationally known for her pioneering work using Yoga therapy with special children. She has owned and directed centers for Yoga for the Special Child™ in Chicago and in Brazil, where she achieved remarkable results working with children who have Down Syndrome and other challenges. She travels extensively, conducting workshops and training programs throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Asia and most recently in Africa. She is also the author of the book Yoga for the Special Child. www.specialyoga.com


Cheri Clampett, "Therapeutic Yoga", "The Power and Presence of Creating Sacred Space for Healing"
Cheri Clampett, CYT, ERYT-500 is a certified yoga therapist with over 25 years of teaching experience. She is the founder and director of the Therapeutic Yoga Training Program. She co-led the Integrative Yoga Therapy Teacher Training and has presented Therapeutic Yoga at the White Lotus Foundation Teacher Training, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Rusk Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. Cheri currently teaches yoga at the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, where she founded the yoga program for cancer patients in 1999. She also teaches monthly workshops at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center and brings Therapeutic Yoga to the Santa Barbara Healing Sanctuary retreats. As a certified yoga therapist, Cheri focuses on the healing aspects of yoga: freeing the body, breath and flow of energy through practicing with awareness, compassion and love. Cheri is co-author of the Therapeutic Yoga Kit, published in January 2009 by Inner Traditions, and available on Amazon and at your local bookseller. therapeuticyogatraining.com


Jivana Heyman, "Integrated Accessible Yoga Classes - How to Serve All Your Students"
Reverend Jivana Heyman, eRYT500, is the founder of Accessible Yoga, which is an international organization dedicated to sharing Yoga with all. Currently, Accessible Yoga offers annual Conferences, Teacher Training programs around the world, Ambassador Programs, and an online Directory. Jivana is also co-owner of the Santa Barbara Yoga Center, manager of the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute, and an Integral Yoga Minister. He currently serves on the Integral Yoga Teachers Council. His passion is making Yoga accessible to everyone, and empowering people with the Yoga practices. The tools of yoga can transform our lives by teaching us how to find that refuge of peace within ourselves, no matter what is happening to us or around us. That is the most empowering gift of all - the gift of peace. www.accessibleyoga.org


Dianne Bondy, "Yoga for Larger Bodies", "Yoga, Race & Inclusion"
Dianne Bondy, eRYT500, is a celebrated yoga teacher, social justice activist and leading voice of the Yoga For All movement. Her inclusive view of yoga asana and philosophy inspires and empowers thousands of followers around the world - regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, or level of ability. She applies over 1000 hours of training to help her students find freedom, self-expression and radical self-love in their yoga practice. She shares her message and provides thousands of followers with affordable access to online yoga classes, workshops and tutorials at her virtual studio: Yogasteya.com. Dianne contributes to Yoga International, Yoga Journal, Do You Yoga, and Elephant Journal. She is featured and profiled in International media outlets: The Guardian, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, and more. She is a spokesperson for diversity in yoga and yoga for larger bodies, as seen in her work with Pennington’s, Gaiam, and the Yoga & Body Image Coalition. Her work is published in the books: Yoga and Body Image and Yes Yoga Has Curves.www.diannebondyyoga.com

Hala Khouri, "Yoga for Trauma"
Hala Khouri, M.A., E-RYT, has been teaching the movement arts for over 20 years. Her roots are in Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, dance, Somatic Psychology, and the juicy mystery of Life itself. Hala earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Religion from Columbia University and has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She wrote her thesis on using yoga and other complementary disciplines such as eco-psychology and somatics for self-empowerment to inspire a global shift towards peaceful and sustainable living. She is also trained in Somatic Experiencing, a technique which focuses on trauma’s impact on the body-mind and ways to resolve it. Hala is one of the creators of Off the Mat, Into the World, along with Seane Corn and Suzanne Sterling.  This is a non-profit organization dedicated to utilizing the tools of yoga and somatic practices within a justice framework to inspire people to be conscious leaders of change. Through the non-profit A Thousand Joys, Hala works with social workers and direct service providers, educating them on the effects of vicarious trauma and offering them somatic tools to discharge and manage stress and create a culture of wellness. www.halakhouri.com

Lakshmi Voelker, "Chair Yoga-Get Fit Where You Sit"
Lakshmi Voelker, E-RYT 500, KYTA, YA, IAYT is a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, a member of the Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists, and holder of other certifications. Lakshmi is celebrating her 50^th year in the Yoga world. and has dedicated her life to creating accessible paths to wellness. By creating chair yoga, she was able bring adaptive fitness and exercise programs to those who could not benefit from traditional methods of physical activity due to age or limiting physical condition. She created Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga™ in 1982 when one of her students was stricken with arthritis and could no longer get down on the floor to practice Yoga. In 1999, she authored and produced her widely acclaimed "Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga: The Sitting Mountain Series" CD/cassette.  Following the success of her CD, she then created the first Get Fit Where You Sit!® DVD Video, a series of innovative Chair Yoga Fitness and Exercise DVDs in 2007.  She made breakthroughs in two areas: extensive 20 minute step-by-step instruction of each class providing multiple levels of flexibility (LOF) and shorter 10 minute chair yoga classes. Lakshmi certifies Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga™ teachers (LVCYTs). around the world via live certifications and Online teacher trainings via Skype. There are now 1500 LVCYT’s worldwide. www.getfitwhereyousit.com

Durga Leela, "Yoga of Recovery"

Durga Leela BA, CAS, PKS, Yoga Acharya, is the founder of Yoga of Recovery. Durga holds the RYT-500 qualification, having completed both the Sivananda Yoga teachers Training Course and an Advanced Yoga Training. She is also extensively trained in Meditation and Vedanta. She is a Clinical Ayurvedic and Pancha Karma Specialist, trained both in the US and India and serves as the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Yoga Farm in California, since 2003. She is a professional member and speaker for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), also a member of Yoga Alliance. Durga is a practical, down to earth, and to the point speaker who has worked on her own path of recovery. She has a great sense of humor and a real warmth for understanding the trials and tribulations of our human condition. She has been a grateful member of 12 step fellowship for over 16 years. She has a great sense of humor and a real warmth for understanding the trials and tribulations of our human condition. Durga has participated in all the Recovery 2.0 online conferences. www.yogaofrecovery.com

Stephanie Lopez, senior trainer of iRest Yoga Nidra,"iRest Yoga Nidra"

Stephanie Lopez’s teachings are informed by her longtime immersion in the non-dual teachings of Yoga as well as her integration of the wisdom traditions of both Eastern spirituality and Western Psychology. Stephanie’s compassionate presence, depth of knowledge, and ease of being creates a welcoming space for insightful learning. Stephanie is a Licensed Independent Social Worker, Gestalt Therapist, iRest ® Senior Trainer, Retreat Leader and Supervisor, as well as a Certified iRest Teacher and yoga teacher. She also serves as the Director of Operations for the Integrative Restoration Institute.  She shares her insights in workshops, retreats, and trainings internationally. www.irest.us

Steffany Moonaz, "Yoga for Arthritis", "Yoga Therapy, Empowerment and Healing"
Steffany Moonaz, PhD, RYT-500 is a yoga therapist and researcher in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Moonaz spent 8 years at Johns Hopkins University, creating and evaluating a yoga program for individuals with the chronic diseases of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Steffany is now working to bring yoga to people with arthritis in communities nationwide, as well as educating yoga teachers about the unique needs of this population.  She also serves as a mentor for several emerging researchers who are working to study the effects of yoga for various health conditions.  Steffany is on the faculty for the Masters in Yoga Therapy at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. www.arthritis.yoga

Natasha Baebler, "Yoga for Blind & Vision-Impaired"

Natasha Baebler, RYT, the founder of UDyoga, is an individual with multiple disabilities, a Rehabilitation Counselor, and Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. Through her practice, Natasha recognized barriers to full access. First physical, and later instructional. Teacher training programs discuss welcoming all students into class. Yet, few teachers are equipped with the skills necessary to provide a full yogic experience to all students. UDyoga advocates for all students of yoga regardless of what they bring to the mat. A student who uses a wheelchair should be able to have a full personal yoga experience in the same studio, the same class, and with the same teacher as a student who can sustain a complicated balancing pose. UDyoga is about opening yoga to anyone who wants to experience its benefits. This means braking down physical barriers and ensuring Yoga is offered in physically accessible spaces, opening minds and providing tools for yoga teachers to work with any student who enters their class, and helping students recognize that they want to experience yoga, there is a teacher willing to teach them. www.udforyoga.com

Melanie Klein, "Yoga and Body Image- #thisiswhatayogilookslike"
Melanie Klein is a professor of Sociology and Women's Studies. She attributes feminism and yoga as the two primary influences in her work. She is committed to communal collaboration, raising consciousness, media literacy education, facilitating the healing of distorted body images and promoting positive body relationships. She is the co-editor of Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery and Loving Your Body (Llewellyn, 2014) with Anna Guest - Jelley, a contributor in 21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics and Practice (Horton & Harvey, 2012), is featured in Conversations with Modern Yogis (Shroff, 2014), a featured writer in Llewellyn's Complete Book of Mindful Living (Llwellyn, 2016) and co-editor of the forthcoming anthology, Yoga & the Body: An Intersectional Analysis of Contemporary Body Politics, Mindfulness & Embodied Social Change with Dr. Beth Berila and Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).www.ybicoalition.com

Jessica Rhodes, "Dreams into Realities - Best Practices for Yoga Businesses"
Jessica Rhodes, eRYT500, received her MBA in Non Profit Management from the University of Dallas and majored in humanities at the College of Letters at Wesleyan University. She co-author of the Yoga Seed Collective’s (Sacramento) 200 & 300-hour curriculum, the APPLY prison program and mental health programs, a believer of miracles, and a relentless champion of social justice. On a typical day you’ll find her giving talks about the Yoga Seed and mindfulness in the community, managing the budget, making contact with donors, graphic designing, working on the marketing plan, and holding doors open for people on her way to teach a class. www.theyogaseed.org