A Weight Lifted:
The Diet-Free Diabetes
Yoga Community
Nearly all of the support that's offered for diabetes management is centered around diet and weight loss. But that hasn’t worked for you.
You want a space where you can learn how to manage your diabetes in a sustainable, supportive way, where you won't be judged or triggered by diet culture bullshit. You want a space where you can talk about your experience with other people who understand what it's like.
You have a long history of dieting and a complex relationship with your body and food. You've never been able to keep the weight off and you're scared and desperate for a way to manage your diabetes that is supportive to you and actually sustainable.
You think that you need to just buck up and figure out how to follow the rules that are set out for you. You think you need to master the best diet for diabetes, perfectly perform the best diabetes workout plan, and achieve permanent weight loss in order to have healthy glucose levels.
But it's not working because you have trauma from living in and suffering at the hands of diet culture and all of these rules are triggering. It's not just a matter of having the right information and the willpower to use it. Your physiological and emotional histories are complex and make everything so much more complicated and difficult. The whole thing leaves you feeling helpless and defeated.
But what if there was a way to care for yourself and improve your blood sugar that had nothing to do with food? An approach you could take to your self-care that would leave you feeling empowered rather than defeated, and that would help you manage your triggers and leave you feeling like you could actually handle living with diabetes?
A Weight Lifted: The Diet-Free Diabetes Yoga Community is for people who are ready to release the pressure to lose weight and welcome a new approach to managing their diabetes. You will get the education, community, and individual support you need to make real, sustainable changes in your life. This program is designed to hold you in a space free of triggering diet talk as you do the work to develop new patterns in your self-care practices over a period of three months. Your job is to keep showing up. You'll need to make the choice to prioritize your well-being, but if you do, the benefits you experience will be life changing.
What’s Included
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Community
Connect with a group of likeminded people who understand what you’re going through and share your values. Discover the healing benefits of community as you meet weekly to share with one another, and build lifelong connections.
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Education
Six group learning sessions where you’ll learn about various yoga practices, Yoga philosophy, and Ayurveda, and how they can help lower blood sugar and improve health and fitness. You’ll leave each class with a plan for integration.
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Yoga Practice
Choose between a variety of live virtual yoga classes each week. You will be able to practice at a level and pace that’s appropriate for you and each class will include breathwork and relaxation. Discover firsthand the benefits that yoga can bring for diabetes management.
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1:1 Support
Four one-on-one coaching/yoga therapy sessions with me. We’ll create an individualized protocol just for you and work together to help you overcome the obstacles and challenges getting in the way of your well-being.
What People Are Saying…
“Yoga for Diabetes with Naomi was life-changing. I had been through a 6 week “reverse diabetes” program using a medical / lifestyle medicine model. Yoga and mindfulness were given about 10 minutes total. The rest was on food intake and equivalencies. I hated it and learned nothing new, certainly nothing that would change my already negative attitude about this new diagnosis. Naomi changed all that. Not only was her facilitation expert (I’m a teacher, I should know) and gentle, but the content was relevant and well-researched. It stayed away from food intake and talked more about how Yoga and Ayurveda philosophies and practices could literally impact my blood glucose. I was amazed, inspired, and finally felt I could manage my diagnosis. Yoga for Diabetes made a huge impact on my lifestyle outlook. Naomi is a true gift.”
~ Sarah J. Duncan, Surrey, BC, Canada
“Naomi is able to craft a setting for those with a wide range of yoga experiences that is inclusive, thoughtful, and above all safe. I really appreciated the focus on adaptations, and the freedom to be viewed or not viewed for the remote sessions, as well as patience and encouragement while we worked our way through the positions. I learned far more than I expected, and it came at a time when I was feeling some peak distress about my T2 diabetes. I left feeling empowered to use yoga for helping with my T2, and more importantly, with a sense of increased peace and positive regard for my body.”
~ Leann M., Oregon
“I signed up for Naomi's Yoga for Diabetes Workshop not knowing quite what to expect. I got so much out of it. I have practiced Yoga for several years and had diabetes for several years and in my mind never linked the two in a more holistic view of my emotional and physical health. Naomi created a wonderful space to share ideas, struggles, and breakthroughs in supporting our overall health. I would not hesitate to take a workshop from Naomi again and I wish everyone with diabetes could take this type of workshop, which is so missing from traditional medical management.”
~ AF, Anchorage, Alaska
4 one-on-one sessions with me
Your first two one-on-one sessions will be scheduled for the first and second weeks of September, before the group sessions begin. You will fill out an intake form ahead of time and in our first session, we’ll meet for an hour and a half so that I can do a thorough yoga yherapy intake with you. We’ll go over your form together and I’ll get as complete a picture of you as possible so that I can create an individualized protocol for you, which I’ll share in our second session. From there, together we’ll help you decide which yoga classes are right for you and discuss other ideas to help you get the most out of your experience. To learn more about the intake process and yoga therapy in general, you can watch the video beneath this white text box.
Choose from 5 yoga classes each week.*
A beginner-friendly class on Mondays 6:15-7:15pm CT (recommended for those new to yoga or with limited experience)
Two dynamic classes on Sundays from 10:30-11:45am CT and Tuesdays from 6:15-7:15pm CT (available to those with more experience and familiarity with the practice. These classes are accessible to folks with a variety of abilities)
Alternating Gentle Yoga class and Chair Yoga class on Thursdays from 7:30-8:30pm CT (available to all)
Alternating Yoga Nidra and Restorative Yoga on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30pm CT (available to all)
*I will help you figure out which classes are right for you in our one-on-one sessions! All yoga classes will be recorded and available to you for the duration of the program.
Weekly Community sessions
We’ll meet for an hour once a week to connect as a community. This is your chance to support one another and talk about your experiences integrating what you’re learning. I’ll provide some conversation prompts each week related to the topic of the most recent learning session or something else that is relevant to the group.
Community sessions will take place on Thursdays from 6:15-7:15pm CT.
6 Learning sessions on some Sundays after yoga
Learning sessions are 1-1.5 hours long, depending on the topic, and will take place on six Sunday afternoons, spread out over the three months. Learn more about how and why yoga is such a powerful practice, diving into the physiology and neuroscience that supports what yogis have understood for thousands of years, including how yoga can support diabetes management. We’ll also discuss Yoga philosophy to equip you with more tools and practices for your lifelong journey with your body.
Access to my 19-video Introductory Yoga Video Series for the duration of the program.
This series is perfect for practicing on your own or for getting a refresher on the details about how to do various aspects of the practice. It’s like having me in your back pocket to remind you why we do things a certain way or the gentler way of doing that one pose.
Details
What is Yoga Therapy?
Cost and Payment
I am offering five different payment tiers for this program in order to make it as accessible as possible. You will indicate which tier is appropriate for you when you fill out the registration form and I’ll follow up with the payment link. If the tier you choose is no longer available, I will put you on the waiting list (and will let you know that I did).
You will be charged three times - once upon registration, once after the first four weeks, and again after the second four weeks. If you need your payment to be spread out further than that, I can work with you.
Thank you for choosing the tier that is most appropriate for your financial situation. When each person pays to their full ability, it creates more equity. Also remember that when you invest appropriately for your situation, it often inspires you to get the most out of the experience.
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$3000 total
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$2,325 total
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$1650 total
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$1,050 total
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Monthly cost determined by you
FAQ
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I am currently on hiatus from teaching group programs. I will reach out to those who have joined the interest list when I’m ready to put another one on the schedule.
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None! I have experience teaching mixed classes, with newbies and seasoned practitioners alike, where each person practices according to where they are at in their yoga journey. Since I’ll be doing an intake with each participant, I’ll have a strong sense of each person’s needs. You can also choose between a beginner class and classes for those who are more comfortable with Yoga. We will discuss what’s best for you in our one-on-one sessions.
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The content of this program is appropriate for folks with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
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All sessions will be recorded and available to you for the duration of the program, so if you have to miss a few sessions, you’ll be able to catch up at your convenience. I do recommend that you do your absolute best to attend live as much as possible in order to reap the most benefits.
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I’ve been teaching yoga since 2009 and finished my 2-year Yoga Therapy certification in January 2022. I’m a certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT). I learned about the benefits of yoga for diabetes during my studies and furthered my education through books in preparation for a weekend workshop in January 2022. This will be the second cohort of A Weight Lifted - I taught the first in the fall of 2022.
I’m also a licensed Be Body Positive Facilitator and have been working with the non-profit The Body Positive since 2014. I have 20 hours of trauma-informed yoga training and am deeply engaged in my own process of self-discovery and practice, which serves me well in supporting others. This includes examining my privilege and biases, so that I can strive to create spaces that are comfortable for people who are different from me.
Finally, I’m a certified Health and Wellbeing coach, so I understand how to support people in setting and reaching their wellness goals.
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Your wishes, desires, and goals are yours, I respect them, and I’m not here to try and convert anyone to my philosophy. However, there are many diabetes programs out there that offer weight loss and dieting support. Those types of programs are often triggering and therefore inaccessible for people who have a history of disordered eating. This program was designed with those people in mind, so I am fully committed to ensuring that conversations around intentional weight loss and dieting are kept at bay. If getting support around weight loss and dieting is something that’s important to you, this is not the program for you.
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I have experience teaching people with a range of disabilities. If you are concerned that I may not be able to accommodate you, please fill out the registration form and we can schedule a call to discuss your needs. If we decide to move forward together, I will be able to get a good sense of your abilities during our intake session, which will allow me to specify my instructions and make all of the classes accessible to you.
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You have up until 21 days before start of the program to receive a full or partial refund. For the full refund policy click here.
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Nope! While many people who choose to work with me are women identified or non-binary, I enthusiastically welcome people of all genders to join.
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I’m keeping this group small so that I can be sure to meet everyone’s needs on an ongoing basis. I want to get to know you over the course of the three months so that I can tailor the classes to you and support you to progress as much as possible. I also want to facilitate an intimate setting where people will feel comfortable being open.
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If you have an active, diagnosed eating disorder, you must be regularly attending therapy, and I ask that you allow me to be in communication with your therapist. I have a form for you to provide your consent for this purpose. If you have a history of an eating disorder but it is no longer active, or you have general disordered eating behaviors but not an actual eating disorder, you do not need to put me in touch with a therapist. If you suspect you have an eating disorder but are not in therapy, I hope to be able to welcome you in a future iteration of this program once you are getting the support you need.
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The best yoga education you can receive is the education gained through personal experience. When you practice consistently over a significant period of time, you learn an incredible amount about yourself and about the practices and you experience benefits that you would never otherwise experience. The self-awareness gained is particularly powerful when dealing with a condition like diabetes, with requires a high level of self-management. After three months of regular practice, your new habits will be solidly ingrained, leaving you in a strong position to continue them on your own.
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I am passionate about helping people pursue health and wellness outside of the weight loss paradigm and although I don’t have diabetes myself, I understand how triggering most diabetes support programs must be. When I learned about how yoga can help lower blood sugar without relying on diet, I knew that it would be an extremely powerful offering for those who are looking for HAES-informed, body positive care. I also know how incredibly healing it is to be in community with likeminded people who share common experiences. I have offered a weekend workshop on this topic as well as the full 3-month program in the fall of 2022.
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Please contact me and we will discuss options!
