But here, as we flowed through sun salutation, something shifted. Surrounded by other LGBTQs, I felt seen and uplifted in a way I’d never been in yoga class. As connections are made explicit in yoga classes, participants can return to them at home. As Morgan says, yoga “causes one to look inward and to find a quiet place of peace in the mind and body. Once a person learns this skill, it can be applied in any situation in life that is challenging.” Do you like coupling nature with luxury? Wine with yoga? Relationship strengthening with fun activities? Morgan, who trained in Phoenix Rising yoga, notes that specific styles of yoga may work better for healing trauma. In her work with trauma survivors, Morgan avoids hands-on corrections (which may be unwanted) in favor of clear directions that avoid “yoga jargon.” Rather than gendered cues — common in traditional yoga classes — LGBTQ-affirming cues are open-ended, so participants can decide how to adjust their bodies. A huge struggle that my trans clients face is being able to feel safe in their own skin without the world judging them,” says Bernard Charles, an LGBTQ lifestyle coach who uses meditation to heal LGBTQ body image issues.

Talk about a trip of a lifetime! You will find extreme joy in learning how to calm your nervous system and build your healing resilience in a spiritual paradise. To all the wonderful cities of the world? London, Paris, Rome, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego? One could certainly enjoy an adventurous and fun lesbian holiday, even a major romantic getaway on that itinerary. The amazingly done body paint made Sarah and Maria appears wearing innocent leggings and workout bras. It’s so realistic that some unsuspecting people didn’t even noticed the difference.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that lesbian, bi, and queer-identified women are exempt from pressure to be thin, as the assumption is women only attempt to be thin to adhere to the tastes of straight men; however, some studies suggest that with greater acceptance of LGBTQs comes increased pressure to conform to heteronormative beauty standards . Morgan structures yoga classes to lower anxiety, increase relaxation, and remain sensitive to trauma in her students’ pasts. Says Morgan, “We…spend nearly all of the class on the floor as a way to help people feel more supported literally and emotionally….I use cues such as ‘Where is there dark in your life?, Where is there light in your life?, What is the message from the dark?, What is the message from the light?’….Sometimes this look inward prompts journal entries, which can further foster healing.” It hit during savasana — THIS was what yoga was all about. It was about feeling connected to my body and to my community. And if all this happened during one class, what else could an LGBTQ-affirming yoga practice heal?

Did you know that the happiest, healthiest, and most successful couples are ones that explore, play, and grow together? There was no default to gendered language, something mainstream yoga teachers used without a second thought. I’d become accustomed to these cues and developed my own workaround: Rather than take the recommended hand position for men or women, I would switch my grip midway through the pose. It was my way of coping with a system that used hand positions, pose recommendations, and different terms for male and female yogis to center, without space for fluidity, the gender binary. Two brave girls went to a gym wearing almost nothing but body paint in an attempt to see whether other gym-goers would even notice.They provide that rare opportunity to get away, relax, practice mindfulness, and release the stress we accumulate in daily life.

When children grow up hearing transphobic and homophobic slurs, their body image suffers and they internalize shame . Long after coming out, LGBTQs bear the scars of stigma. This 3 day retreat in the United Kingdom with a focus on meditation is a perfect example. It takes place in lovely Snowdonia National Park in North Wales under the guidance of David Johnson , International Buddhist MeditationTeacher, Author & Retreat Leader, and Manuel Orozco Jimenez, Accredited Yoga Teacher & RetreatCoordinator. With regular practice, yoga changes fascia, tones muscle, and increases balance. As it becomes easier to move, people feel better in their bodies. These concepts weren’t new to me, but here, surrounded by queer and trans folks, I made a new connection to them. I appreciated this teacher’s brief explanation of her own yoga journey. She began practicing yoga as rehabilitation of an old injury. She felt relatable. She couldn’t do yoga perfectly, either. These stressors carry lifelong consequences. Almost half of transgender adults report depression or anxiety, compared with 6.7 percent and 18 percent of the general U.S. population, respectively.How about going to the tropical and deeply healing energetic vortex that is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, staying in luxurious treehouse villas with ocean and jungle views?