On Episode 12 of Yoga Revolution, despite a few connection issues along the way, Jivana and De Jur Jones share a moving conversation about teaching yoga in prisons, trauma-informed yoga, generational trauma, and yoga service.

A yoga devotee since 2001, De Jur attended Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga Therapy program and teaches a therapeutic style of yoga suitable for most students. Along with having taught countless mainstream classes, De Jur offers programs to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, unhoused populations, mentally challenged seniors, foster youth, those in recovery, human trafficking victims/survivors, and staff who serve all these groups. De Jur is a contributor to the Yoga Service Council’s best practices book series “Best Practices for Yoga in the Criminal Justice System," an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, and a featured model in “Accessible Yoga, Poses and Practices for Every Body”, “Yoga After 50 For Dummies," and "Embodied Resilience through Yoga: 30 Mindful Essays. De Jur co-chaired at the 2019 International Association of Yoga Therapists Conference and moonlights as a flight attendant. From prison lockdowns to class cancellations to navigating endless streams of bureaucratic red tape, De Jur offers a glimpse into the various difficulties she encounters teaching in prisons, as well as how problematic the (in)justice system is, particularly for folks of color. She also offers pointers around shifting language to be more inclusive and equitable (as well as her hilarious, yet useful phrase and practice of “third eye rolling”).

Learn more about De Jur and her offerings.

Learn more about Yoga Revolution by Jivana Heyman.

Order your copy of Yoga Revolution at Shambala, or wherever books are sold. 

Also by Jivana Heyman:
Accessible Yoga: Poses & Practices for Every Body (2019, Shambala)
The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body (2024)


Connect with Jivana:
www.jivanaheyman.com
@jivanaheyman
facebook.com/jivanaheyman
www.accessibleyogaschool.com
@accessibleyogaschool
facebook.com/accessibleyogaschool