Jessica Parsons is happy to begin her “Inclusive Yoga for All” classes at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara again in 2023. Join her Wednesdays, starting January 25th at 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Jessica has been receiving lots of publicity as the first person with Down Syndrome to become a yoga teacher. Her inclusive classes are meant to provide equal opportunities to those who may have physical or intellectual disabilities and their staff, family and friends. If you have never attended such a diverse class, we highly recommend it for everyone. We know you will have a great time, practice a variety of yoga poses and leave smiling!

A note from Jessica: “I have so much fun teaching this class! It feels good to stretch with my friends. Everyone is welcome! I make sure everyone feels good in every pose and that we have fun every time. Yoga poses make us all stronger, which I like. If you have tried yoga before in this class or are brand new, please come try it out!”

 

An excerpt on Jessica’s class from Yoga Journal:

Jessica Parsons: “I said, ‘I can teach class!’ I have been teaching ever since.”

I first started yoga when I was a younger kid at homeschool. I also went to yoga class with my helper, Molly. It was a Down syndrome group. One day, Molly was sick. She couldn’t teach, and then suddenly I said, “I can teach class!” I remembered all the poses and I have been teaching ever since.

I teach at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara. The name of my class is Inclusive Yoga for All. That’s because it’s for everybody! I use yoga props in class because they help people get into the poses. Some people who are in wheelchairs can’t do all of the poses, but they can use their arms. Everybody in my class has a helper if they need one. The helpers do the class, too. My class is inclusive for everybody. Everybody can do something. My favorite poses are Down Dog and Triangle because they feel very good (and my service dog does Down Dog with me!). I do not like Plank and Side Plank. I do them because they make me stronger.

In our opening meditation, we close our eyes and inhale and exhale, and I tell [students] to think of their favorite color or something they are grateful for. And then right after that, we do one “Om” and then everybody says what they’re grateful for. Everybody can share in my class.

I’m grateful for my family, my friends, my sisters, and myself. And my dog, Kenny! I love teaching yoga to my friends and to new people. If you want to teach, you have to practice a lot and write down the poses. Then you can teach it to a friend or someone in your family. You can teach yoga to everybody!