Imagine joining a meditation group where the host burns incense and you spend the 30 minutes with a building migraine. Or you want to take a yoga class but you can’t get on the floor to do it on a mat. Popular as they are, mindfulness practices don’t always leave room for everyone.
If you need to accommodate yourself in your practice, modifications can help you stick with it. Likewise, if you’re a teacher running a class, understanding your students’ needs and offering modified practices creates a more welcoming, safe environment. No matter your situation, being open to mindfulness modifications creates a more accessible, inclusive practice that supports your overall wellness.
Is Mindfulness as We Know It Really for Everyone?
Yoga, meditation, journaling, body scans, mindful eating…It all sounds good on paper. But for disabled and neurodivergent people, the typical practices and routines might not work as intended. Likewise, many marginalized groups face barriers to reaping the benefits of these practices.
Most people can practice mindfulness in some capacity, but it comes down to creating an accessible, individual routine that works for them. That may not look like meditation, and instead you connect with yourself more through movement. Or it might require some modifications to help you join a popular practice.
You’ve probably heard about how healing is uncomfortable, and yeah, that’s true. But it doesn’t have to cause you pain or discomfort on purpose. There’s no shame in making things easier for yourself while you do the hard work.
What Stands in the Way of Mindfulness?
Here’s the thing: None of the barriers to mindfulness will apply to every disabled, neurodivergent, or otherwise marginalized person. That’s why it’s important to explore different accommodation options. And whether you’re considering accessibility for yourself or others, here are just a few things you may need to think about:
- Some disabilities or mobility limitations make it difficult or impossible to hold positions in lengthy yoga sessions or practice on floor mats.
- Certain positions or practices can aggravate vertigo and leave you feeling worse than when you entered the session.
- Sensory issues can prevent people from immersing or tolerating an environment.
- Socioeconomic factors may prevent people from joining mindfulness-centered classes or communities.
- A lack of inclusivity in the space (for example, non-inclusive language or having only binary gendered restrooms available) can cause discomfort or even safety issues for some people.
People don’t have cookie cutter minds and bodies, so using the same mindfulness practices across the board won’t work. Sometimes, this can be remedied with simple modifications. Other times, it requires more systemic reworking.
Make Mindfulness Easier for Yourself (and Others)
Making your mindfulness practice accessible can be as simple as noticing what’s holding you back and making a small change. Other times, especially if you’re a teacher or coach in the mindfulness space, you might need to adjust some of your systems to accommodate more people.
Here are some ideas for how you can work with yourself and others for a better mindfulness experience:
- Run shorter sessions
- Provide seated alternatives
- Create low or no fragrance spaces
- Lower sound levels
- Be mindful of class pricing
- Practice inclusivity in your space
Run Shorter Sessions
Doing a full routine for 30 minutes or more can be hard on the body. Sometimes, it’s not about your experience level but about your body’s overall ability. Maybe you have trouble sitting for meditations over five or 10 minutes, or you can only meditate for a few minutes before you lose focus.
Even if you don’t plan to build up your session length, you’re allowed to start small. Do five-minute yoga or meditation sessions. Give yourself breaks if you want to do a longer session, so you have a chance to move around freely and let your mind wander.
Provide Seated Options
Seated yoga, body scans, and somatic exercises can be helpful for wheelchair users, people who can’t stand for long periods, or those who have trouble with balance or vertigo. These options help you modify your exercises to accommodate your range of movement. Even if you have a smaller range of movement—for example, if you have chronic pain—you can still get some benefit by visualizing the exercise.
Create No or Low Fragrance Spaces
It’s hard to immerse yourself in meditation when you get a migraine or asthma attack from incense, scented candles, or even strong perfumes. You might be able to avoid these things when you practice alone, but if you teach a class, consider making it a low or no fragrance space, so everyone can fully enjoy the session.
Lower Sound Levels
If you find it hard to focus—or just don’t have much space to yourself—it might help to use noise canceling headphones during your practice. That way, you can concentrate on listening to relaxing music or directions for a guided practice. If you run a class, you might even consider offering this option to your students for a more inclusive experience.
Be Mindful of Class Pricing
If you’re a teacher or coach, you deserve to earn a fair rate for your services. At the same time, cost often makes mindfulness and community inaccessible for many people.
Consider offering sliding scale pricing or needs-based discounts or scholarships. These options can help more people from marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled people participate in your classes and learn about mindfulness with lower cost barriers.
Practice Inclusivity in Your Space
If you want everyone to feel welcome in your space, you need to make them feel safe there. That means using inclusive language (like gender-neutral terms), providing accessible buildings, having gender-neutral and accessible bathrooms, and being informed about cultural differences. You might even want to offer a digital option for mindfulness training.
These may not be the first things you think of when practicing mindfulness. Still, they go a long way in making room for people to adapt their practice and go into your class or course with the right mindset.
What if Mindfulness Still Doesn’t Work?
Here’s one last secret: Some people just don’t vibe with mindfulness practices. They don’t work for everyone, and some people report negative effects from them. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to keep up with it, whether you incorporate accommodations or not.
There are a lot of alternative and unconventional ways to connect with your body, mind, and spirit without having to label it. Experiment to see what works for you!
You Deserve to Meet Your Mindfulness Needs
Your identity, body, and background shouldn’t exclude you from mindfulness practices, if you want to do them. By creating accommodations and accessible options, more people can benefit from mindfulness. And, if you’re working to create a more inclusive space for others, you may even discover new methods and practices for yourself!
Author
Eli Wood (they/them) is a content writer and content strategist for health and wellness businesses and organizations. As a queer and genderqueer person assigned female at birth, it’s important to them to help people of all genders feel more comfortable talking about uncomfortable topics (like menopause), especially within the LGBTQ+ community. They write about sexual health and wellness and create strategic, LGBTQ+ inclusive content and craft content strategies to help businesses reach their ideal audiences. You can find more about Eli and their work on their website.
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