Five ways we try to make our sessions accessible and inclusive.

At Body Mind Collective we try to make our sessions as accessible and inclusive as possible. This doesn’t mean that we will teach yoga to every person in Sandwell, but it means that we will do as much as possible to give people the choice if they would like to attend.

Here are five ways that we try to make our yoga accessible and inclusive more inclusive:

Financially. We know that some yoga studios and gyms can be expensive, so we have a sliding pay scale to try and make our sessions a bit kinder on the wallet. All of our community classes are offered on this basis without any questions asked. We just encourage you to pay what you can. Our three tiers are:

Community – This price allows the sessions to be accessible to those that are unable to pay the standard price.

Standard – This is our standard price which allows us to cover our costs and resource the sessions fully.

Supporter – Thank you for paying it forward. This allows the community price to be offered to more people.

As a not-for-profit we also apply for funding to subsidise our programmes and events. This gives us the opportunity to offer some sessions for free and at a lower cost, making yoga available for those that wouldn’t always be able to attend due to costs. 

Venues. Going into a yoga studio, gym, or leisure centre can be an intimidating experience. We try to remove those barriers by meeting you where you are, in your local area. When we choose a venue, we look for not-for-profit organisations or council led spaces that have a similar ethos to our own. We ensure that our venues have step-free access, that there is no buzzer/entry system for those that are hard of hearing, and that they have suitable facilities for our groups such as disabled toilets, and baby changing etc. It is really important to us that you feel comfortable and safe in the venues we choose, and we welcome any feedback on how we can make this better.

Giving options. Not every person is able to attend our classes in-person. That’s why we are starting to offer live online classes, and build an on-demand video library. These sessions are perfect for those that are unable to get out, such as parents and carers, but would like to start a yoga practice. With these online options you will be a valued member of our Collective but without the rush and stress of trying to get to a physical class – and you can even practice in your pyjamas! 

Removing presumptions. Every single body is different. Every single mind is different. We don’t presume to know what might feel good (or not good!) for you. What we do is acknowledge how you are feeling that day, and then we provide props and options that might help you with your yoga practice. This might be by providing chairs if you prefer not to get up and down from the floor, yoga bricks to extend your arms as you reach down towards the floor, or blankets to help support your knees when in kneeling positions.

We also try to use invitational language, rather than restrictive and everything that we do in our sessions is your choice. For example, rather than saying ‘sit on your mat with your legs crossed’ we might say ‘I invite you to take a comfortable and steady seat’; or ‘if it feels ok for you, you might want to close your eyes, or soften your gaze down towards the floor.’ We believe that this shows respect, because it creates an opportunity to explore and experiment with what feels good for you, and build awareness of your body on your terms.

We are also completely hands-off, so whilst we might make suggestions for you to try different versions of a pose, we will always honour your boundaries and will never step into your personal space, onto your mat, or place our hands on your body.

Marketing and branding. We always try to be inclusive with our branding and we will always be honest with our marketing. We choose our words and images carefully when describing our sessions, so that they fully represent the work that we do. Up until recently, we tried to use generic yoga images, but with advance permission from our attendees, we invited local photographer Nikki Hobbs into some of our sessions to take photos. All of the images you see on this website, on our flyers, and on our social media are of real people doing real yoga, but we will never take your photos or use your words without your consent.

If you have any suggestions on how we can make our sessions more open, accessible and inclusive to you or your group we would love to hear from you at hello@bodymindcollective.cc.