Modifying Yoga for those with limitations

“My supervisor at the Irish educational agency that employs me to teach subjects such as English to non-nationals and basic computing, is a charming, generous woman, but I reckoned she’d be taken aback and possibly even disapproving to learn that I was beginning to teach Yoga around town. However this anxiety proved groundless. She was delighted, and within a few weeks had even got me a Yoga gig under her auspices. I was a little alarmed when I heard about it, however. It was at St Joseph’s and I’d be teaching Yoga to a group of outpatients at the mental health centre. Of course we couldn’t call what I’d be doing 'Yoga' on my claim form; it would have to be called Personal Enhancement. And of course it is a kind of personal enhancement for all of us.
   I’d only been in the Irish midlands for about a year at that time. I’d done about 4 years of intense training at The Yoga Room in Astoria, Queens, before we’d made the move across the ocean. I knew I wanted to teach Yoga , and was looking for a training programme. I wasn’t having much luck. There weren’t any such programmes going in Ireland that didn’t involve a prohibitive commute. In the meantime I led a 'Yoga workshop,' renting a hall in town, just to see if there was any interest at all. I knew that teaching without YA certification was a bit out of line, but I was confident I could lead a class. Also I’d taken a course with the only other Yoga teacher I could find in town, and she was a sweet lady but offered something that wasn’t exactly what you’d call classical Yoga. In any event a good group showed up, albeit all women – which was surprising to me only because in New York the classes are more gender diverse… However, this class at St Joe’s might be a more challenging matter....
... he took me into his office to have me fill in a form, and that’s when he told me that I’d have a hard time getting them out of their chairs. The words that came into my head should not be repeated here. They were not yogic...”

Written by Ivan Naham, the article continues to describe the adjustments to the normal postures he has learnt to be effective in dealing with those with physical limitations.