JoAnn Lyons has been teaching yoga at Ability Now Bay Area (ANBA) since October, 1996. Her first class was an eye-opener into the world of disability and neither she, nor the other two yoga teachers, had any idea what to do. Here’s what JoAnn says about her experience: “I was in a teacher training program when I was given the opportunity to participate in a new yoga program at The Cerebral Palsy Center, since renamed Ability Now Bay Area. I felt that it would make me a better teacher if I understood how to work with bodies that moved or behaved in unexpected ways. Twenty two years later, teaching people with disabilities has become my life’s work. My students continue to be my most important teachers and I continue to learn and grow. Teaching at ABNA allows me to be comfortable with whoever comes to my other classes. If someone with for instance, MS or Parkinson’s shows up, I feel confident that I can help them access many different poses that at first glance, might seem impossible. Here at ANBA, I discovered that I could make adjustments and modifications to suit anybody, whether ambulatory or a wheelchair user. Teaching here has expanded my knowledge and teaching opportunities in ways that I could not have foreseen.”
To begin your training as a yoga instructor at ANBA, you will be given a tour of the center, which will give you an overview of our program and introduce you to some of our participants. You will also be invited to come to any one of our four weekly yoga classes to participate, as a student, in the class. We prefer that you join us in the class, instead of just “observing”; after all, yoga is not a spectator sport!
If you have taken or are taking yoga teacher training, or are a dedicated practitioner and you are interested teaching with us at ANBA, these are the following requirements:
- Attend the March 15, 16 & 17, 2019 workshop (for more information, go to Piedmont Yoga Community) or set up a private training with JoAnn (at least 17 hours of workshop time, internship available at no extra cost) – cost for either is $395;
- Provide ANBA with a current (within the last year) clear TB test or a letter from your physician stating that you have no active TB;
- Provide proof of liability insurance naming Ability Now Bay Area as “Additional Insured”;
- Obtain Fingerprint clearance (forms provided by ANBA).
All applicants are responsible for the upfront costs for the above. However, ANBA will reimburse 100% of the fingerprinting and TB screening expenses after 20 hours of service. Please note that you will need to keep track of your own hours. An internship or workshop is not considered part of the 20 hours and should not be included in the calculation.
If you find that you are truly interested in teaching yoga at ANBA, please contact JoAnn Lyons at joannlyonsyoga@aol.com.