7 places said "no"...but the 8th "yes" changed everything!
- Claire
- Aug 6
- 4 min read
Hi there!
I trust you're having a lovely week! I'm loving the winter here in Sydney - it's been so beautiful and sunny, and if you know me, you know I love my winter sun!
This week I want to share with you a little story about belonging…
Years ago, after I injured my shoulder, I wanted to go to a Yoga class at the studio near to me. I was really looking forward to getting back into my practice, but when I explained my injury, I was told I couldn't come because I wouldn't be able to do both sides of my body the same.
I remember thinking...what? I knew how to adapt for myself (even if he didn't!) and I also knew there are benefits to working one side of the body while the other is recovering. It just didn't make sense to me.
He didn't say it to be unkind. I think he just didn't know what to do with someone whose body didn't fit neatly into the class they were teaching. But I still remember how it felt. For a moment, I felt like I didn't belong in Yoga because I couldn’t do it “properly”
Not long after that, a beautiful lady named Jessica contacted me asked if she could come to one of my Zumba classes at the community centre where I was teaching. She lives with a disability and in a wheelchair. She didn’t have use of her legs but wanted to do something where she could do some exercise and move the rest of her body.
Of course I said yes right away. Then, she told me she'd already asked seven other places before me…and not one of them said yes.
Seven.
Can you imagine the resilience you would need to keep asking? To have to ask 8 different times just to find somewhere you might be welcome? :(
So, Jessica came along to class and became part of our Zumba group and afterwards, our Chair Yoga community too. We had a lot of fun together over the years.
When I think about her story, I know this isn't just about Zumba. I know it happens in Yoga too. My own story is proof of that. If I was turned away because of a shoulder injury, what would have happened if I'd arrived in a wheelchair?
I wonder how many people stop asking after the third "no" and just think they’ll never be able to practice yoga because their body isn’t good enough to do Yoga. Oh that makes me want to cry writing about it...it's not the same, but on some level I also felt this about my own body for so long...
The truth is...someone’s disability, injury, body shape, flexibility, height, head size or whatever…was never the problem. The problem is that we are still learning how to make Yoga accessible for everyBODY. How to create spaces that are welcoming for everyBODY. How to be able to confidently say YES to everyBODY if they ask us if they can come to a class.
That's one of the things I love most about Chair Yoga. It naturally removes so many of the barriers that stop people from experiencing Yoga in the first place. There are so many options available on the chair that there is literally no reason why anyone should feel left out, or turned away.
You don't have to get down onto the floor, be flexible or move exactly like everyone else. You don't have to look a certain way, or move a certain way,. You just have to arrive, and be YOU.
I think somewhere along the way we've forgotten something really important. Yoga was never meant to be only for the people whose bodies already fit the practice. The practice was meant to fit the person.
When we start there, everything changes. People relax and stop apologising for their bodies.They stop trying to keep up with everyone else and begin trusting themselves again.
And maybe that's one of the greatest gifts we can give another human being. Not a perfect class or a perfect pose...but the perfect Yoga practice for them. A place where they don't have to try to fit in - because they already belong.
It's one of the reasons I love teaching Chair Yoga teachers so much. Yes, I teach poses, sequencing, anatomy and all the practical things. But underneath all of that, I'm really teaching people how to create spaces where someone walks through the door and immediately feels..."I'm safe here, I don't have to pretend, I belong."
Imagine how different the world would feel if more people experienced that.
Love Claire x
P.S. If there's one thing I'd love you to take away from this email, it's this...the world has enough closed doors. Let's be the people who open the door for someone. Let's be the people who say "yes, you are welcome here". Let’s make this world a better place, where everyone belongs!
If you're a Yoga teacher who would love to learn how to confidently adapt Yoga so more people feel welcome, I'd love to teach you. It really is one of the greatest joys of my life, and together we can help make sure even more people find a place to practice Yoga that really is for everyBODY.
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