We sometimes struggle to talk about what we do over here at Movement for Modern Life, because it is not just one thing for one body. We are more than just a yoga platform. We are a movement. We aim to be an inclusive community. We speak to all ages, all backgrounds, all levels, all shapes and sizes. For us Yoga is not exclusive to able bodied skinny young women. Here at Movement for Modern Life we offer Inclusive Yoga for EveryBODY. We are aiming to be the most radically diverse and inclusive yoga and movement platform around.
Great diverse range of teachers, body positive, not just another bendy, skinny white women yoga platform. Loads of great practices and I love that all pillars of yoga, not just the asanas are explored. I’ve not long been a member but am pleased to be on board and great value for money.
Susie
Inclusive Yoga for Everybody: what does this actually mean?
An example of your accessibility is that my increasing deafness makes it very difficult for me to hear a teacher in a ‘real’ hall. With the online classes I can even stream the sound through a portable speaker so that when I’m lying down I can still hear the words
Sue
Inclusivity is a term used a lot at the moment. Luckily, we have more awareness of areas of life that are not inherently inclusive. We have become more aware of language we use that doesn’t speak to the masses, and more aware of marketing and images that don’t match the beautiful array of variety we have in the world around us.
In the yoga world this manifests as magazine photos and instagram posts showing more able bodied, young, slim women. Often these women are in pretzel-like shapes that are unimaginable for the majority of us!
The exclusivity shows up in subtler ways too. A yoga class ‘open to everyone’ but is actually a vinyasa practice that is weight bearing on the hands and too fast to cover the basics of breath. Or classes that are so large the teacher barely notices you, let alone check in with you if you have injuries or any physical limitations they can help you cater to.
SO for us, inclusive yoga for everybody really means that we hear and acknowledge everyone’s unique needs. AND on top of this, at the core of what we share is for us all to connect to ourselves and understand our own needs, limitations, and capabilities. Taking time for THIS part is what makes MFML inclusive and welcoming.
Read:
- Nadia Gilani talks a lot about ways to make yoga more inclusive in her book ‘The Yoga Manifesto’ – Read more about it here.
- Body Positivity – what it is, what it really means, and how can we incorporate it more in the yoga world.
Although I can’t do all the poses because I had a brain haemorrhage and a speech and language disability, 30 years ago, I feel very much included in MFML and it certainly changed both my mobility and my wellbeing
Cressida
Inclusivity is at the heart of what we offer
At the very heart of Movement for Modern Life is acknowledging our uniqueness and offering a diverse array of movement options that cater to everyone.
Have a look at the categories of offerings on MFML and you find a lot more than yoga. This is why we are Movement for modern life, rather than Yoga for modern life! We don’t always need yoga! SHOCK HORROR! We said it!
Whilst yoga is our roots, and yoga is connected to everything we offer, we have a diverse range of other movement practices available too. Variety really is the spice of life!!
You can find:
Humans are unique and colourful and diverse, and so we need diverse and colourful options to choose from in how we move too!
Listen: to this Yoga off the Mat podcast on Accessibility in Yoga
An amazing site that offers classes to suit every mood, need and ability. I can’t recommend MFML highly enough. It has totally transformed my yoga experience. Wonderful teachers and a really inclusive community feel.
Lisa
Movement for a modern world
Our needs are different day to day, we need to learn to listen. You know how some days we wake up grumpy, other days buzzing with energy, other days we are hungry all day long, and in the next moment we can’t think about food because we are ecstatic with joy?
Day to day and moment to moment we feel different. All of this is welcome at MFML, (and hopefully everywhere else in our lives too!).
Try our Body Intelligence course with Lizzie Reumont, to discover your body more and what you need moment to moment
Read Joanna’s 5 ways Yoga teaches her to love herself more and why she feels yoga really is for everybody
Diverse classes & Diverse teachers
I follow my favourite teachers and look forward to new videos from them and occasionally throw in a session from a different teacher just to shake things up a bit!
Meg
The problem is one size does not fit all. One yoga class is not open to all. One teacher does not speak to all and one style of yoga is not accessible to all. We need to shift from this narrow vision to open our eye and see what diversity really means.
For these diverse ranges of feelings we offer a diverse and broad range of practices. From classes laying down in bed, or practicing from a chair, to intense 2 hour Forrest yoga ceremonies and high intensity core workouts! From live ecstatic dance parties (with Dirish!) to gong baths and online sound healing.
For us inclusivity means acknowledging that one size never fits all, and offering diversity and variety to reflect that! The hard part is learning to listen to what our bodies need and then to follow that call.
We don’t just need different yoga styles on different days, we may need a different teacher too. Our movers often comment how much they love the variety and relatability of our teachers.
It is important that the people guiding us represent many different backgrounds, ages, and sizes. This adds to the feeling of being seen and included within a community. A feeling of ‘I am not alone’.
Kate Walker shares more here about progress in Yoga, changing perspective on how we view our yoga practice, and the importance of variety and diversity.
I know most teachers really want to be inclusive. Kate just is. An example. Most teachers say (from plank or similar) “step your right foot between your hands”. If you are very overweight, there isn’t the room under you to do that. Kate gives a couple of suggestions about how to bring your leg forward. This stuff really matters.
Anon
Inclusive Yoga for Everybody: A community
We asked our Movers what made them feel included within the community:
- Feeling part of a collective
- Kat’s real-ness and personal emails
- The personal touch and feeling heard, the team responds to questions and cares what we think.
- There is something to suit me every day. They offer a wide range of classes – more dynamic and luckily also a lot of quieter and shorter classes
- Something for everyone every day and every season of our cycles of life.
- It’s flexible, adapatable and enjoyable… just like yoga should be
- I can do any class in my PJs at a time that suits me without feeling I have to show up somewhere in person in some kind of snazzy outfit.
- Their mission genuinely seems to be about making yoga accessible (for all bodies!) and sharing the many and varied benefits of practicing yoga
- There’s yoga for every occasion as well as some beautiful meditations to do. I am especially enjoying the Yoga for Menopause series.
Read more about the 5 Benefits of being part of a Yoga Community (or any community in that matter!)
More from the community:
Read more from the community of Movers from all walks of life and backgrounds who have been sharing how MFML has welcomed them in and made them feel included and supported.
What makes me feel welcome is the personal touch that comes with membership, it be so easy to simply pay your money and be given videos but you go the extra mile responding to the questions, actually caring about us and what we think.
Andrew
There is something to suit my mood every day… I can choose shorter practices to fit into a busy morning. I love Kat’s honesty and ‘real-ness’ in her newsletter and sharrings. All this makes me feel part of something more than just a yoga platform.
Joanna
Authentic and diverse. Something for everyone every day and every season of our cycles of life. As a yoga teacher, I find it helpful and inspiring and I trust to be guided by this collective. Thank you.
Basia
I use MFML at least 3 times a week _ if I don’t feel up to a full vinyasa class I’ll do some smaller movements with Clive – I am sure it’s stopping me from seizing up altogether x
Pauline
As someone who is going from a free trial to a paying subscriber – and also as someone who is an absolute yoga rookie, not an expert – I can hand on heart attest that this movement platform is both a game changer and a life changer. It’s flexible, adapatable and enjoyable… just like yoga should be!
J.A.
I am an NHS worker and came to Movement for Modern Life during the Covid Pandemic. It has been since a great companion. My work pattern is still stressful/long days and it is so helpful that I can go online when I have time home. They offer a wide range of classes – more dynamic and luckily also a lot of quieter and shorter classes. Even a 20 min class “clears my head” and lets my neurons work in “straight lines” again!
Ulrike
I’m SO glad I joined MFML! I love that I can do any class in my PJs at a time that suits me without feeling I have to show up somewhere in person in some kind of snazzy outfit. The regular emails introduce variety and keep the momentum going and, although I am a beginner (starting again), I love that there is no hierarchy between beginners, super advanced, pro and other yogis. I feel better emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Thank you so much 🧡🧡🧡
Karen
For me one of the best things about MFML is that it’s always there for me in so many ways, very accessible, professional, yet always friendly and inviting. An example of your accessibility is that my increasing deafness makes it very difficult for me to hear a teacher in a ‘real’ hall. With the online classes I can even stream the sound through a portable speaker so that when I’m lying down I can still hear the words 😊Practising with you at home means that I am surrounded by my own props and feeling comfortable in my own environment. Nobody is going to appear just as the class starts and try to insert their mat into a space that really isn’t big enough 🙄 Well, except for my cat, who often decides to lie across my mat just as I’m about to start 😹I also really enjoy the monthly community classes, bringing us all together in real time. Love seeing your faces, my yoga friends 😍”
Sue
I often recommend Movement For Modern Life to complete beginners, it is a safe and accessible way to start yoga. I follow my favourite teachers and look forward to new videos from them and occasionally throw in a session from a different teacher just to shake things up a bit! It’s useful to use the categories on the website to find sessions with the benefit you are looking for, as the yoga you need can change at short notice. This is how yoga should be, adapting to the needs of the body that is moving, moment by moment.
Meg
I love Movement for Modern Life. The content is excellent and really incredibly varied – so it suits all the different ups and downs and twists and turns of life. I can always find loads of classes to suit my mood, energy and fitness levels of any given day. Even though the classes are online, I feel like I know and really respect the teachers and the small core of staff that make the magic happen. It somehow feels like a small, personal business, yet it has huge amount of brilliant content. And there mission genuinely seems to be about making yoga accessible (for all bodies!) and sharing the many and varied benefits of practising yoga. I can’t recommend it enough!
Katie
There’s such a range of great classes to do with some excellent teachers. There’s yoga for every occasion as well as some beautiful meditations to do. I am especially enjoying the Yoga for Menopause series.
Kirsten
MFML has really helped me start and maintain a sustainable yoga practice (who’d have thought?!) and I feel so much better for it in every respect. You never feel alone as MFML have created this wonderful inclusive online community and they reach out regularly to members with messages of support, encouragement and sharing.
Karen
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