What is yoga?

Yoga is an umbrella term for countless traditions, lineages, and practices that originated in South Asia thousands of years ago. We’re not even sure how many thousands of years old it is, because it existed as an oral tradition in a time before written history. Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning to “yoke,” or “connect." Depending on the context, yoga might describe a state of being, a technique, or the goal of practice.

Yoga is for everyone.

It’s crucial to understand the cultural context in which we are practicing yoga, and how society has influenced the way yoga is presented. Especially if you live in the U.S. or another colonized region (the West) and have been exposed to yoga through popular media, you may have been shown an incomplete or distorted version of yoga. Decolonization of yoga, in part, is a movement to honor the roots of yoga while practicing in our current, but evolving, global environment.

Yoga has origins as a spiritual practice intended to prepare the mind-body for union with Spirit (or true Self, God, etc.), but yoga is not a religion, and each person has the freedom to bring their own personal beliefs into their practice. The teacher's role in yoga is to share the teachings, and guide each person to have their own experience.

Yoga is much more than “asana,” the Sanskrit term for physical postures and shapes, which tend to be overrepresented in mainstream yoga classes and taught in ways that are inaccessible for many people. Yoga addresses our wellness as human beings from all perspectives, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. There are numerous paths that a practitioner of yoga can take that involve physical, mental, and spiritual development. The eight (8) limbs of Yoga from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali refer to the many different ways we can practice yoga in our daily lives, including study of spiritual texts, concentration practices, ethics, self-discipline, non-judgmental self-observation, radical acceptance, and deep experiences of awareness and connection that can evoke feelings of profound awe and joy. 

To me, yoga is a practice of remembering our True Nature; that we are whole and complete, just as we are. Everything in our universe exists in relationship, and it's rather wondrous to me that this can all be explored through yoga techniques, many of which are simple, accessible, and offer real health benefits.

If you are a living, breathing human being, then yoga is for you, too! The practice of yoga does not require anything beyond what you were born with. While comfortable clothing and props can be helpful, you don’t need a mat, stretchy pants, access to a yoga studio, or any specific abilities.

P.S. Check out the Resources page for some of my favorite neurodivergent-friendly and accessible online yoga teachers and studios.

What is Neurodiversity?

In this section, Neuro means “pertaining to the nervous system,” which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and all of the nerves that run through your body.

The concept of neurodiversity was developed in the 1990s within Autistic communities on the internet (Botha et al., 2024) as a way to describe the neurological diversity of human beings. In short, all human brains & nervous systems are different; we all think, feel, move, and connect with the world around us in our own ways. The idea that there is a "normal" way of being is a social construct that results in the marginalization of people with nervous systems that significantly diverge.

​Neurodiversity intersects with disability when a person is excluded from full participation in society because of their differences. Sometimes disability is due to a medical concern, but oftentimes it's better explained by the fact that environments and systems in schools, workplaces, healthcare centers, etc. (and yes, even yoga studios!) have been designed with "neurotypical" humans in mind, and without consideration for Universal Design from a neurodiversity lens. 

​There are a lot of unique terms and labels associated with neurodiversity. Some may be helpful in certain contexts, but not others. However, they provide a place for us to develop a common vocabulary and help give voice to a community that is being marginalized and politicized. Here are a few you might come across...

​Who is Neurotypical (NT), Neuromajority, or Neurodominant?

Neurotypical (NT for short) refers to individuals whose brains and nervous systems receive and process information in the most commonly understood ways, and meet the dominant societal expectations for how a person should think, feel, move, and interact with the world. While a slim majority of human beings might be considered neurotypical, anyone can have neurodivergent traits.

Some people use the more nuanced terms "neuromajority" or "neurodominant" instead of neurotypical:

Neuromajority refers to people whose nervous systems function relatively similarly to the majority of others.

Neurodominant refers to people whose nervous systems function in ways that align with dominant societal and cultural expectations and values.

NT individuals are all different from one another when comparing their individual traits, but the degree of difference between two NT people is less significant than between a neurotypical and a neurodivergent person. Neurotypical people also share traits with neurodivergent people; it's the particular combination of traits and how they manifest that determines whether or not someone might identify as neurodivergent.

What is Neurodivergent* (ND)?

Neurodivergent (ND for short) refers to individuals whose brains & nervous systems work in ways that are very different from most other people, and who fall outside of dominant societal expectations for how a person "should" think, feel, move, and interact with the world.

Innately neurodivergent people (who are born different and develop atypically) may receive medicalized labels related to diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Down syndrome, and learning disabilities, etc. Neurodivergence can also be acquired through lived experience, including trauma and mental illness.

​Neurodivergent is a sociopolitical term, not a diagnosis or disorder. Neurodivergence is inherently neutral; there is nothing wrong with being different, but many of us are suffering because we live in a world that isn't designed with neurodiversity in mind.

​Many people self-identify as Neurodivergent without receiving a formal diagnosis of any kind. Others receive a formal diagnosis somewhere along the way, whether early in childhood, or late in adulthood. Some ND folks also use identity-first labels related to their specific neurotype, such as "autistic" or "schizophrenic" or "dyslexic." Others prefer person-first language like "person with autism" or "person with schizophrenia." There is no right or wrong way to identify; it is up to the individual to decide what fits.

If you come to realize that you align with the experiences of neurodivergent folks more so than neurotypical people, you can choose to identify as neurodivergent. Like being queer, sometimes you just know, and maybe you didn't have word for it before.

P.S. There is an ever-growing library of other terms that folks have coined to better identify their experiences and account for intersectionality. Check out a list of alternatives to Neurodivergent here.

*The term Neurodivergent was coined by multiply-neurodivergent activist Kassiane Asasumasu (Sibley) circa 2000.

​What is the Neurodiversity Movement?

​The Neurodiversity Movement is a social justice movement that seeks civil rights, equality, respect, and full societal inclusion for the neurodivergent (Walker, 2022).

​Neurodivergent people aren't broken and in need of fixing; we're struggling in a world not designed for us, and in need of acceptance and support. Neurodivergent human beings have always existed on our planet, and neurodiversity is as critical to the survival of the human race as biodiversity is necessary for the survival of an ecosystem. Neurodivergence is not a deficit just because it relates to disability, and each person deserves to decide how they feel about their differences.

Advocacy work by proponents of neurodiversity include efforts to remove value judgments and stigma from expressions of neurodiversity and promote inclusion. Support is prioritized through cultivating environments and approaches that are accepting and attuned to diverse needs. Because all nervous systems are different and neurodiversity is intersectional, embracing neurodiversity helps everyone.

​So, what is Yoga for Neurodiversity?

“Yoga for neurodiversity” is just yoga.

Yoga is for everyone and encompasses the entire being, so saying “yoga for this or that” is a bit misleading. It’s the approach or intention that makes a yoga practice “for something.” You can practice yoga with the intent to move the body, manage pain, to calm the nervous system, to promote digestion, or to improve concentration.

That said, my mission with the Yoga for Neurodiversity project is to help fellow humans approach the practice of yoga with an awareness of the differences in our own bodies and brains. We all think, feel, move, and connect with the world in different ways; we might not know how to name and communicate the ways we differ, but our experiences are real. Neurodivergent ways of being deserve to be affirmed, celebrated, and supported so that the benefits of yoga can be made accessible to all of us.

​Yoga is a lifelong practice; there is no "end" and the journey looks different for each person, but you always can start exactly where you are each day. Practicing yoga over time can result in subtle and not-so-subtle changes in the way we feel about who we are, regardless of how we may look to other people. Yoga does not cure anything, nor does it take the place of professional medical and mental health care when we are ill, but it helps create an environment within the physical, mental, and spiritual body that promotes health and healing through connection.

Balanced health looks different for each person, and yoga practice looks different for each person. By practicing in ways that embrace our differences and honor our needs, we have an opportunity to gradually change the relationship we have with ourselves, and by extension, our environment, including the other people in it. When we feel safe and our needs are met, it's easier to regulate our nervous system so that we can show up in the world in the ways that feel authentic and purposeful.

We can learn to accommodate differences in sensory experience, and strengthen our mind and body. We can change the relationship with have with our thoughts, get to know our true Self, and embrace our different ways of being in the world. By getting to know ourselves more intimately on a physical, mental, and spiritual level, we can learn to more easily identify and name our needs so that we can ask for support and self-advocate confidently.

​A neurodiversity-affirming approach to yoga helps everyone. Regardless of the way we identify, we all benefit from a practicing in a way that embraces our differences and our needs. When our needs are met and we feel safe, we can experience the joy of being ourselves, and express the magic of connection through our whole beings, even if just for a moment. The practice of yoga provides opportunities for self-study and exploration of connection that are expansive and deep, so no matter how many lifetimes you practice, you will never stop learning and discovering. Start small, go slow, and be really kind to yourself along the way!