Founded on the virtues of INCLUSION and ACCESSIBILITY, TheraPLAYoga is changing the SHAPE and VIBE of yoga in Lansing.
A specialized practice and studio space for kids, teens, and adults; TheraPLAYoga is, TRULY, for every body, brain and ability.
A Care & Wellness Modality
Yoga isn’t about contorting your body into graduated poses to- one day- be good enough to register for an advanced class.
Guess what! Moving is only a fraction of the practice; you don’t have to move AT ALL… or maybe you struggle with stillness. Movement and stillness is my option to you; you take what works.
It’s not about being thin, White, able-bodied, or having a brand-name mat, and wearing spandex pants. But you wouldn’t know all this by what’s dominantly portrayed by yoga teachers, studios, and social media.
Yoga is a complex mind-body practice of inquiry, exploration, and engagement; with physical and mental health benefits, supported by scientific research and 5,000 years.
Very basically- Yoga connects the mind, body, and spirit through physical movements and stillness, breathing practices, meditation, and ethical philosophy. There are different lineages, often referred to as styles of yoga.
What style is TheraPLAYoga?
Specialty Yoga
Yoga for children and youth is a yoga study and practice; within developmentally appropriate parameters, typically measured by ableist standards.
Adaptive yoga is practiced using props and modified physical movements to support diverse groups including people with physical disabilities, injuries, limitations, and/or new-to-yoga.
Therapeutic yoga is practiced with an intention to prevent, reduce, or alleviate mental and physical pain and suffering; and improve overall physical and mental health.
However, if you or your child experience disabilities, neurodivergence, trauma, or anxiety – then you’ve likely felt unseen, unheard or unsafe, and excluded.
THAT’S WHERE I SLIDE IN.
NOT NEARLY AS SMOOTH AS TOM CRUISE IN RISKY BUSINESS.
I make difficult yoga poses, confusing yoga philosophy, the science of yoga, embodied self-care, and engagement radically inclusive and truly accessible to diverse bodies, brains, and abilities within a space that is accepting and affirming to all identities and experiences.
Therapeutic Playful Yoga
Through a trauma-sensitive and anti-ableist lens, TheraPLAYoga is a therapeutic, playful yoga practice; which uses:
- lots of supportive props
- conscious cue phrasing and affirming language
- playful and creative tools
- sensory-integrated, therapeutic modifications with awareness to contraindications, conditions, and limitations.
A Few Things Supported by TheraPLAYoga :
- Sensory Integration & Regulation
- Confidence & Positive Self-Image
- Self & Social Awareness
- Self-Determination & Agency
- Sense of Community & Belonging
- Interoceptive Awareness
- Concentration, Memory, & Focus
- Fine & Gross Motor Improvement
- Increased Strength, Mobility, Balance & Coordination
- Emotional Regulation & Positive Behavior
- Decreasing Anxiety, Stress, Pain
- Healthy Digestion & Respiration
- Improved Circulation
- Reduced Fatigue & Tension
- Burnout Recovery
- Speech & Communication Support
- Sleep & Mood Improvement
- Expanded Capacity & Resilience
Therapeutic Yoga Teacher

Hello. I’m Gloria (she/her).
I help children, teens, and adults learn somatic supports so they can, safely and with agency, connect to their bodies, explore their interoceptive experience, transform their relationship with their minds, and engage more [play]fully in their relationships.
I specialize in teaching trauma-sensitive, sensory integrated, adaptive yoga as a resource for physical, mental, and emotional wellness and engagement to children, teens, and adults with complex needs,
… including: physical and intellectual disabilities, neurodivergence, health conditions and pregnancy, neuromuscular conditions, sensory challenges, trauma, anxiety, depression, pain and limitations.
I take a different approach than most yoga teachers and studio owners out there:
My lived experiences are my most valuable credentials, despite my gold stickers in education, training, and certifications.
I teach from the path I’ve walked.
I don’t segregate people using an ability-based hierarchy labeled as: beginner, intermediate, advanced, power, or gentle classes.
TheraPLAYoga is anti-ableist.
I reject deficit based and compliant based approaches.
Instead, I offer an accessible practice with affirming focus on agency, ability, and consent.
Adaptive Yoga Studio- Lansing
TheraPLAYoga is a boutique yoga studio within a 100+ year old building; offering space for private sessions and small groups.
Located on the Eastside on Downtown Lansing on the Michigan Avenue Corridor; TheraPLAYoga is the middle child between The Green Door and Everybody Reads Bookstore.
I can make heart shaped Roger Rabbit eyes at Rooted Socialite and Strange Matter from my windows.

GOOD THINGS COMING SOON…
TheraPLAYoga
Adaptive Yoga Studio for Diverse Abilities
2015 E. Michigan Ave.
Lansing, MI 48912
https://TheraPLAYoga.com
I started my business to fill the hole in the local yoga community and holistic wellness programs for
individuals and families who experience the intersectionality of neurodivergence, disabilities, and trauma.
AROUND HERE, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY GO BEYOND OCCASIONS AND EVENTS. TheraPLAYoga is FOUNDED ON THE VIRTUES OF INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY.
Through my words and actions, I seek to disrupt the systems of privilege and power that contribute to and maintain disparities and social inequities in the yoga community and my local community.
Through therapeutic, playful yoga I…
- empower kids teens, and adults in becoming their own best advocates by cultivating self-awareness, regulation, and resilience
- help people safely and effectively manage stress and chronic pain, who experience disabilities, injury, limitations, and health conditions
- coach discerning parents, who live on the edge of chaos and exhaustion, in tending to their needs and building unshakable confidence in parenting with compassion, intention, and respect.
- teach people with diverse bodies and brains, who hold self-limiting beliefs or experience gatekeeping, ways to practice yoga that honors and is compassionate to their body and mind
- offer non-intimidating and accessible tools for explicit compassion, empowerment, and resilience– and share them through group experiences, one on one, written articles, and social platforms.
I partner with non-profit organizations, schools, community-minded businesses, and YOU to uplift individuals and families in the Greater Lansing area, who would benefit from therapeutic, playful yoga.

In short, I’m obsessed with helping caregivers and people (of all ages) with complex needs, diverse abilities, and backgrounds- like you and your beloved (like me and mine)- explore ways of thriving through mind body practices.
I kick it in Eastside Lansing with my pre-teen son and our old man dog. You’re most likely to catch me doin’ mom stuff, yoga things, nature adventures, or riding a shopping cart like a scooter; and plotting to change the world.
And hey, I’m looking for co-conspirators just like YOU. But before we roll out our mats, let us first plot. Ya know, to be sure it’s a Cinderella fit.🪄
I understand and KNOW- first hand- how movement (and stillness), mindfulness, meditation, and play can regulate, empower, heal, and connect us to ourselves and others. I also understand the handful of reasons why you may be hesitant to try yoga- or try yoga again for yourself or your beloved.
Psst… I offer free 15 minute curiosity chats.
Check out the ways we can work together.