by Lara Land | Oct 24, 2022 | COACHING, LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, Self Improvement
In 2011 I opened Land Yoga, a yoga studio in Harlem a historically black community which I was living in. Then a few years later I formed nonprofit Three and a half acres Yoga to help me bring the practice of yoga to folks in the Harlem community who wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable coming to my yoga studio. We’ve been training yoga teachers in trauma sensitivity and placing them in partnerships all over Harlem, Upper Manhattan, and the Washington D.C. area since 2015. Recently I was invited to Louisville, Kentucky to train yoga teachers there in trauma sensitive yoga and share my experience bringing yoga to trauma survivors. Here’s some of what I had to say at that training:
Very well-meaning white yoga teachers often want to bring yoga to folks they perceive as “under-resourced” and suffering from trauma, aka low-income black-bodied people. They come to me asking how to do so and/or why they don’t get folks turning out for their trauma-sensitive yoga classes when they are offered.
Here are some reasons why and some things you can do about it.
- You are not safe. White women have a long history of and still are causing harm to black bodied people. Trauma sensitive yoga is about reminding people of their agency but there is no experience of agency when one doesn’t first experience safety. You can’t bring a feeling of safety in a white body, maybe ever and definitely without a ton of work.
If black neighborhoods are really where you really want to bring yoga, start first by living in, working in, and serving in those neighborhoods in other ways. Build relationships, prove your consistency and dedication and listen and learn about what’s really needed and how you might be most helpful.
Don’t become a yoga missionary!
- It’s hard to hear as yoga lovers and teachers, but yoga may not be someone’s first or second or third priority. Yes, we know the practice can change lives, but so can job opportunities, access to healthy food, and resources schools. You are not necessarily what’s needed first or at this time, but you may be able to partner with community organizations offering those kind of resources to see how yoga, breath work, meditation and mindfulness practices might help them to achieve their goals and perhaps even keep their team from burn out.
Back the people already doing great work!
If I could go back in time, I’d take this lesson with me because it’s so true and valuable. There are probably folks already offering yoga in the communities you wish to reach. How can you support them? Back them? Throw resources behind them, and learn from them about what is needed. That’s true helping.
- Deal with white trauma. White bodies carry trauma from surviving traumatic events and from participating in the oppression of black and brown bodied people. Consider where in your own white neighborhoods yoga could be a helpful tool for waking people up to the ways they are causing harm. Could you get access to political spaces and decision makers and help them make better decisions? Could you do what we did with Three and a Half Acres yoga and get yoga to the police?
This avenue of using trauma-sensitive yoga to make systematic change, open eyes, and build white folks’ capacity for being in conversation about race, is where yoga is needed. White people need to be bringing the conversation and experience of yoga to a place that helps us release our need for power over, teaches us about security and enoughness, and guides us to share resources so we can all have a more equitable future.
If you are a yoga interested in learning more about how you can do this, check out the next trauma-sensitive yoga teachers training at Three and a Half Acres Yoga where applications are now open. Non teachers can help support our work with any level of donation!
by Lara Land | Oct 17, 2022 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, Self Improvement
How a new kind of affirmation made a difference for D’Angela.
*Trigger Warning
D’Angela Albery was born into the cycle of trauma. As a child she witnessed and was the victim of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that began while she was in the womb. Never experiencing anything else, abuse was normal to her and she didn’t know that there could be another way. Yet, despite a campaign to make her feel worthless and trapped something inside of her told her to escape.
The story of D’Angela’s flee from her childhood home and subsequent detachment from her abusive partner is detailed in the latest episode of The Beyond Trauma Podcast. She shares the people and techniques which allowed her to understand her worth and break the cycle of trauma for her three small children.
One of those is using “What If” affirmations. When as a trauma survivor, speaking an affirmation was too much for D’Angela to believe in, she added the words “what if” to the beginning and she could start to imagine a different life.
Try it now:
What if I am smart?
What if I am worthy?
What if I am enough?
D’Angela is not just a trauma survivor. She is now a speaker, a coach, a trauma-sensitive yoga teacher and the program director at Three and a Half Acres Yoga. She is a true inspiration to all trauma survivors. Listen to her full story on iTunes or Spotify and get trained like her to be a trauma-sensitive yoga teacher this December at Three and a Half Acres trauma-sensitive yoga teacher training!
Highlight- trauma, trauma survivor, trauma-sensitive yoga, trauma-sensitive yoga teacher training, affirmations
by Lara Land | Oct 10, 2022 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, Self Improvement
Three and a Half Acres Yoga is a nonprofit I founded in 2015. We broaden access to yoga, breathing and mindfulness techniques, focusing on communities who have experienced trauma. Our classes and training support individuals and teachers alike in recognizing their power for positive change. We believe every yoga teacher needs training in trauma sensitivity and that everyone deserves access to a yoga experience, free of harm, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability or class.
Our 20-hour virtual Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher Training (TIYTT), designed for 200+ hours certified yoga teachers, is back this December featuring Lara Land, Nikki Walker, and Jaime Brown, along with two NEW instructors who are experts in their fields, Ali Seidenstein and Tristan Katz.
We cover:
- How to define and look for trauma
- What happens to the mind/body system during and after a traumatic event
- The ways in which yoga can regulate the nervous system
- Specific practices for grounding, awakening awareness, and centering
- Common trauma triggers and how to avoid them
- Ways to reframe your teaching to increase accessibility
- How to teach yoga from a chair
- Room set up and teaching in unconventional yoga spaces
- Mindfulness and self care for the trauma informed yoga teacher and why that is important
- Self knowledge and awareness and privilege in the yoga room
We are so proud of this amazing lineup of instructors which is why we’re offering a full overview on each instructor as well as what you can expect from their sessions below:
Our 20-hour virtual Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher Training (TIYTT), designed for 200+ hours certified yoga teachers, is back this December featuring Lara Land, Nikki Walker, and Jaime Brown, along with two NEW instructors who are experts in their fields, Ali Seidenstein and Tristan Katz.
We are so proud of this amazing lineup of instructors which is why we’re offering a full overview on each instructor as well as what you can expect from their sessions below:
Lara Land
Lara Land is the Founder and Executive Director at Three and a Half Acres Yoga (THAY) and a Level 2 authorized Ashtanga Yoga teacher with 2 decades of yoga experience. She has worked all over the world teaching yoga and mindful living and developing programs to heal and empower.
In 2008-2009, Lara spent three months in post-genocide Rwanda bringing yoga as healing to survivors and from there went to India where she worked with HIV positive children bringing yoga and meditation to their treatment room. In June 2011, Lara opened Land Yoga, a ground floor Yoga, Arts, & Wellness Center in the heart of Harlem. Through Land, she developed programs such as Harlem Earth Day, SOULFest NYC, and Women Who Wow, landing her recognition in The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News, and on Fox5.
About Lara’s Session
Lara is the Lead Instructor of THAY’s TIYTT Program. In this training she delves into the causes of trauma and its impact on our bodies, the brain science around physiological regulation, and how we can soften the influence of trauma through embodied practices. Lara helps yoga teachers consider their definition of yoga and how they can share it with others in a safer way starting with room set up and continuing through savasana and everything in between. Lara will also talk about self care for yoga teachers, mindfulness and how to avoid burn out.
Follow Lara on Instagram
@laralandyoga.
Nikki Walker
Nikki Walker has been a THAY Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher since June 2018 and is also certified in Kundalini Yoga. Nikki, spiritual name Charan Kavita Kaur teaches at The Bridge, TOP Goddard Riverside, New Beginnings, and Thrive for Life. Teaching trauma sensitive yoga always inspires and deepens her love for yoga.
About Nikki’s Session
Description of Healing with Naad & Laughter: Healing with Naad and Laughter introduces yogis to some healing teachings of Naad (sound current from everyone’s divine body) and the healing power of laughter. Nikki believes that bringing the power of the mind, body, and the breath can truly change the world, especially if you’re ready for the journey.
Follow Nikki on Instagram
@nikkiwalker8277.
Jaime Brown
Jaime Brown (she/her/hers) is a lifelong learner, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) practitioner, and wellness advocate. Choosing to focus on her physical wellness, Jaime became a Registered Yoga Teacher in August 2019. Jaime has 300+ hours of yoga training, ranging from yoga sculpt to trauma-informed practices. Jaime completed the THAY training virtually in May 2020. Outside of yoga, Jaime works as a DEI Lead in NC local government and is an Adjunct Instructor at Georgetown University. She is also a new mother of a baby boy born in January 2022 and an MBA student.
About Jaime’s Session
Participants should expect to learn Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) fundamentals and how to incorporate inclusive practices as well as balance, energy, and vibes.
Follow Jaime on Instagram
@withjaime_.
Ali Seidenstein
Ali Seidenstein is a yoga teacher with almost 20 years of experience. She brings with her an abundance of knowledge through both her MD and PhD studies as well as her time living and studying in India for 3 years.
Previously, Ali was a faculty at NYU in the Biomolecular Engineering program where she remains a premedical advisor. Ali’s PhD thesis with Dr. Brad Aouizerat at the Bluestone Clinic at NYU focuses on epigenetics, particular gene expression changes in response to trauma and PTSD. She is currently applying for residency in Orthopaedic Surgery. Ali holds a BS in neuroscience, an MS in molecular biology, and is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Kids Who Care, Inc., wielding over 20 years experience in advocacy and leadership.
About Ali’s Session
Ali’s lecture focuses on epigenetics and how our experiences can change our physiology. The session discusses the role that trauma and PTSD can have on a cellular and neurological level. Additionally, how through understanding these changes we can start to take action to positively influence these aspects. Utilizing these resources we will explore practices that when done even five minutes at a time can facilitate our ability to return to our body.
Follow Ali on Instagram
@ahseidenstein
Tristan Katz
Tristan Katz (they/them) is a writer, digital strategist, and equity-inclusion facilitator who specializes in education and consulting centered around queer identity and trans awareness with an anti-oppression and intersectional lens, along with justice-focused marketing programs for yoga and wellness professionals.
Tristan was named one of Yoga Journal’s 2021 Game Changers and they were awarded the Reclamation Ventures grant in Spring 2021 to expand their offerings and dedicate time to writing their first book, title forthcoming. Through their podcast, articles, digital resources, and workshops, Tristan supports those who seek to grow their work while staying aligned with the practices of equity, justice, and inclusivity.
About Tristan’s Session
In this workshop, we’ll explore awareness around 2SLGBTQIA (and especially trans) identity and language as a vital component for creating safer spaces, why our individual and collective healing is tied to breaking down cis-hetero norms, and how yoga teachers and space-holders can practice inclusivity and allyship with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This session will include an exploration of terminology, pronoun considerations, what to do when you mess up, and more.
Follow Tristan on Instagram
@tristankatzcreative
Join us on Saturday, December 3, 2022 and Sunday, December 4, 2022.
Yoga teachers who graduate from our program gain access to our network of over 140 trauma-informed trained yoga instructors, volunteerships and potential for paid yoga teacher positions at THAY’s notable partner organizations and nonprofits, and educational and professional development opportunities including subscription to THAY’s graduate membership program.
We are also offering a limited amount of scholarships to teachers who need financial assistance. Eligible yoga teachers would gain full access to this training at no cost.
*Scholarship applications are due on Friday, November 4, 2022.
Our scholarship opportunities are made possible thanks to our generous funders including the West Harlem Development Corporation and lululemon Here to Be. you can expect from their sessions below:
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to join our community.
by Lara Land | Oct 3, 2022 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, Self Improvement
There’s been a lot of controversy in recent years over the role of the teacher in yoga and in other wellness modalities, and rightfully so. Too often we give ourselves over to a guru, eager to release ourselves from having to do the hard work of designing and committing to our own path to healing. With all our many responsibilities in modern life, it can feel great to surrender.
We have seen, however, the dangers that come with that kind of surrender, especially for trauma survivors, who need perhaps more than any of us to establish their own path to healing and be supported and affirmed in it. What is their route then? Can they or any of us take a teacher?
The truth is that teachers, guides, counselors, and maybe even gurus play strong roles along our path. Sometimes, as in the case with, Lama Rod Owens, my latest guest on the Beyond Trauma Podcast, just being in their presence is enough to make us feel calm. Other times, it’s their knowledge, charisma, or life experience that draws us to them. There are so many things that others have to teach us.
It’s the teachings, Lama Rod reminds us, that we should take refuge in and surrender to, not the fallible human!
The teacher is there to translate the teachings for us and, if they are truly in practice and living them, to show us that it is possible. They do not make it possible to skip the work of dealing with our own traumas and reactions as trauma survivors or however we identify as students and ever-growing humans.
That there is really hard work to do to liberate ourselves from conditioning and that it can be done are some of the core teachings I received from being in this conversation and some of the messages I also convey to my students.
In my life coaching, with folks, trauma survivors or not, for instance, I am always careful to be clear about what I can and can not do for my clients:
- I can ask questions that may point you towards inner knowledge and openings.
- I can not tell you what to do or make you do the things you need to do to make your life fuller.
- I can share my experiences, make suggestions, and reveal patterns of human nature.
- I can’t promise what works for me will always work for you.
I can’t promise anything really, because we don’t fit a single mode, but I have seen that in small groups, the sharing of common blocks and patterns can really allow realizations to occur for each member of the group. That’s why I love group coaching with small, confidential groups. We learn from each other, not just from me, and so many similarities are present.
My next group life coaching series starts Wednesday, October 12th, and runs online for six weeks from 7-8:15 pm. I’d love for you to be a part of it!
And to catch all the wise teachings I got to experience with Lama Rod, make sure to take a listen to the latest Beyond Trauma Podcast now available on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts!
by Lara Land | Sep 26, 2022 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, SELF-IMPROVEMENT
When I was six I wanted to be a Pediatrician.
My parents got such a kick out of me saying the word, that I knew it must be important and to keep saying it. Plus, I loved my doctor. Kids have lots of career goals at age six from the imaginal: mermaids, princesses, and superheroes, to the understandable: mom or dad or mom and dad, to (if you’re my kid) pilot (she calls it plane flier) or astronaut (which she calls rocket ship flier) and sometimes singer or dancer or “can’t I be it all, mom?!”
“When I’m older can I ___?” is our current favorite question.
What does what we wanted to be when we were young teach us about our current career goals? This can range from a little to a lot. We don’t really know much about ourselves when we are young, nor about the job opportunities we see, and even less about how realistic our ideas are based on the education needed, the job market, and other limiting factors. On the other hand, this native can be a tool for exploration and expansion of possibilities. Exploration into what we dreamed of and desired as a child can, for some, be eye-opening and while it may not point directly to a career that makes sense now, it can teach us about the qualities of the things we like to do or would like to do if given a chance either as a job or as a joyful hobby in our lives.
Hobbies, my friend are fantastic!
It’s not my most popular advice but it is important to remember that just like one person can’t fill all our needs, neither can one activity. Our careers can be fulfilling while not filling every box. In those cases what you might really be seeking is a hobby, sport, side gig, or project that you do for the love of it and not for money in return. Consider if you do turn your passion into entrepreneurship that you will likely be handling sales, management, and vision, not actually working on your passion.
Another great way to find fulfillment is getting more involved in nonprofit and volunteerism. This has so many benefits both for self and for others and there is no lack of need. There are also plenty of clubs, activity groups, and other outlets for self-development out there that a simple search can find.
If you have considered all those possibilities, and career-boosting is what you find you truly want and need, it’s time to take a look at a few things: your talents, skills, and experience, the opportunities out there, and where those align or need some help aligning.
Giving some time to explore these three categories is going to clarify a ton for you. You can explore through reading, informational interviews, imagining, and trying out before you jump in at full risk. A life-coach or counselor can be really helpful here. They can see talents in you that you might be missing and often know of career paths that are more interesting and hidden. They can also give you an honest sense of what kinds of classes, courses, or other continuing education you should pursue to land that job of your dreams.
If you’ve been struggling with career issues, my six-week life-coaching workshop will Wednesdays Oct 12 – Nov 16 7-8:15 pm will address this from all levels, your non-negotiables and wiggle room, and everything you need to know to have a fulfilling life! Check out also how tools like this one could help you learn more about yourself and what you like to do!
by Lara Land | Sep 19, 2022 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Those of you who have been following my trajectory know that nature immersion has become a central component of my yoga, wellness, healing routine. The healing powers of the outdoors have been obvious to me for some time as they apply to each of us regardless of our trauma. Getting to understand why from a scientific lens and how to maximize these benefits for myself and others has been an insightful and creative process that I am still in and hope to remain in for sometime. It’s been affirming to see, as I pursue my masters, that the therapeutic aspects of being outdoors are endorsed, though still in their early stages, in the counseling field.
During this time of expanded knowledge seeking in the living non human world I have taken on a few teachers and a few fundamental practices.
I’ve studied with Mark Coleman, author of Awake in the Wild, Marguerite Ulmann-Bower of Plant Pioneers, and Micah Mortali, author of Rewilding and Director of the School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership at Kripalu. Each of these teachers has contributed to my deepening relationship with the land, all the living beings on the earth and with myself. I merge their practices with my 2+ decades of yoga, breathwork, mindfulness, and coaching to invite healing, acceptance, and growth into the lives of my students most notably on retreats here in the Great Catskill Mountains.
Today, I feel so grateful to have Micah Mortali on the Beyond Trauma Podcast. In his episode, we discuss the impact of just a short time outdoors on the nervous system and the power of reconnecting with our natural home, the outdoors. I share some personal experiences allowing the earth to take my stress and the great joy of working with Micah to learn more about outdoor skills, survival skills, ancestral skills, and healing trauma in nature.
I so hope you enjoy this episode which you can listen to on iTunes, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
You can expect much more from me on this topic in the coming years and join me this October in upstate NY for a taste of what we talk about today. Details HERE.
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