18. The Gift of Purpose as an Adaptive Yoga Teacher with Rodrigo Souza

"One thing that I like about teaching Yoga is that it's something that I give and receive at the same time, teaching Yoga supports me, it makes me feel connected to a deep sense of purpose." –Rodrigo Souza Rodrigo Souza (he/him) is an Adaptive & Accessible Yoga teacher with experience in teaching yoga to folks who have gone through Trauma & Disability. He sustained a spinal cord injury after a fall accident. Through direct personal experience with traumatic injury and chronic pain he took charge of his recovery and decided to optimize his long-term well-being by deepening his yoga practice. He also teaches for several Non-profits, community centers and newly injured folks in an Active Rehabilitation Center in Sweden. He is focused on creating a supportive community for those who have experienced trauma, loss & and disability through Adaptive & Accessible Yoga. Eventually, he decided to become a Yoga teacher and teach from his own experience, creating Allihopa Accessible & Adaptive Virtual Yoga Studio, where he teaches folks with a diverse range of abilities from all over the world. In this conversation Anjali and Rodrigo discuss:Rodrigo’s journey being paraplegic and reconnecting to the bodyFinding purpose through teaching adaptive yogaRodrigo’s inspirations as a yoga teacherHis unforgettable moments as a teacher Learning through teachingWays in which people with disabilities can be supported in Yoga spacesPractices of nurturing and self careCheck out Rodrigo's work on his website and be sure to follow him on Instagram!For those new to Anjali, you can learn more about her work via her website and you’ll find her on Instagram as well.Free Resources for TeachersWe are grateful for the support of our podcast partner OfferingTree — an all-in-one, easy to use business platform for classes, courses, memberships and more. Check it out at www.offeringtree.com/accessibleyoga.Read Transcript