Therapeutic Playful Yoga for Diverse Abilities

Founded on the virtues of inclusion and accessibility, TheraPLAYoga is changing the shape and vibe of yoga in Lansing with therapeutic playful yoga.

Through trauma-sensitive, body-positive adaptive movements; social consciousness, and creating affirming, anti-ableist spaces where people of all ages with complex needs, diverse abilities, and backgrounds can safely and autonomously explore the mind-body benefits of therapeutic, playful yoga.

A Care and Wellness Modality

Yoga isn’t about contorting your body into graduated poses to, one day, be “good enough” to register for an “advanced” class.  It’s not about being thin, White, able-bodied, or having a brand-name mat, and wearing spandex pants.  But you wouldn’t know that by what’s dominantly portrayed by yoga teachers, studios, and social media.

If you or your child experience disabilities, neurodivergence, trauma, chronic pain, illness, limitations, or are People of Color- then you’ve likely experienced the disconnect when you know you aren’t included, feel unsafe, unseen, and unheard.

THAT’S WHERE I SLIDE IN: DISABLED, NEURODIVERSE, MIXED RACE, CHRONICALLY ILL, AND STRESSED WITH A HIGH SCORE IN ADVERSE EXPERIENCES.
NOT NEARLY AS SMOOTH AS TOM CRUISE IN RISKY BUSINESS.

TheraPLAYoga is Lansing’s Premier Radically Inclusive and Truly Accessible Yoga Studio for Children, Youth, Adults, and Caregivers with Complex Needs, Diverse Abilities, and Backgrounds.  Located in Eastside Lansing; offering therapeutic, playful yoga as a modality of self-care, community care, and complementary care in private and group environments.

Yoga Studio in Eastside Lansing for Diverse Bodies and Brains

Lansing’s first and only yoga studio optimized for children and youth, who experience autism and other neuro-diversities, physical, mental, and developmental disabilities, sensory processing disorder, health conditions, and trauma; to safely and autonomously explore awareness, regulation, social-emotional resilience, and compassion.

TheraPLAYoga supports people of all shapes and sizes, adults with disabilities, and limitations due to pregnancy, pain, and health conditions.  As well as support overwhelmed and stressed caregivers in tending to their nervous systems and exploring a peaceful pathway to parenting with compassion, intention, and respect.

Group and private practice can include: aromatherapy, sensory integration, therapeutics, somatics, breathing, meditation, relaxation, anatomy, yoga philosophy, chakras, mudras, and poses- with a focus on the functionality of the form that feels best in your body.

Hello! I’m Gloria.

RADICALLY INCLUSIVE, TRULY ACCESSIBLE YOGA that facilitates PERSONAL GROWTH and SOCIAL CHANGE.

Different is just my cuppa tea…

I started my business when I realized the practice I shared with my son was our transformation. Then realized there was a hole in the yoga community and in local therapeutic programs for families like mine.

AROUND HERE, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY AREN’T JUST 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.

I take a different approach than most yoga teachers and studio owners out there:

Adaptive yoga is my thang!  That’s why you’re here, right?

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.

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.