Jeannine Marron

We would love to hear your story. Please share your journey on what inspired you to do the work you are doing and anything you've learned along the way.

As a violence intervention and prevention nonprofit executive for over 20 years, yoga was one of the ways I managed compassion fatigue, and the stress of being the parent of a child with special needs and medical complexity. However, I often felt uncomfortable or out of place in yoga class. As I looked around the room, or at the instructor, I felt as if I did not belong. Rarely was there ever anyone else built like me, have my color skin, or had a visible spine issue. Many times, the instructor failed to offer any alternatives or suggestions for each pose, for those of us (me) who couldn’t “bend that way.”

Around the same time that I found a yoga studio I loved, I came across an article explaining the benefits of yoga for children with autism. Since my eldest child is on the spectrum, I felt taking a children’s yoga teacher training would be a win-win, not just for my personal practice, but also as a fun type of therapy for him. I followed that training, with a 200HR Adult Yoga Teacher training, because I simply wanted to learn the science behind it all - with no intention of teaching anyone other than my two children. Fast-forward seven years later, not only am I a registered yoga instructor for children and adults with over a thousand hours of teaching experience in gyms, assisted living centers, schools, senior centers, recreation departments, nonprofits, and at yoga studios in central Connecticut, I am also a yoga continuing education provider, an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, member of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

After five years of teaching yoga part time, I decided to make a full-time career out of it and open my own studio. Peaceful Chaos Yoga (PCY) was opened to offer a non-judgmental, welcoming, accessible, and supportive place for people to practice yoga.

With staff trained to guide classes for those with cognitive, emotional, physical, and psychological challenges, we hold expertise in sharing yoga practices for individuals who experience or have experienced PTS, cancer, sexual assault, neurodivergence, anxiety, larger bodies, limb differences, osteoporosis, and injury rehabilitation. At PCY we offer not just a variety of classes, but a variety of yoga lineages. We teach to who is in the room at any given time – meaning we can tailor each class to the beginner, the advanced practitioner, the person who would rather use a chair for their practice, and the person who prefers to remain on the floor.

I also know, as a parent of a child with neurodivergence, including motor processing challenges, I have often felt more comfortable attending an event that was specifically created for our population. Sometimes participating in an activity that is labeled feels safer – thus, PCY also offer classes, workshops, and series which are labeled to build community. No secret head nod or handshake required.

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How has having a physical wellness space impacted your wellbeing and/or your community's wellbeing?

I opened Peaceful Chaos Yoga in January of 2020. Ten short weeks later we were shut down for 12 weeks due to the pandemic, and then limited to 25% capacity for another nine months. To quote one of my clients concerned about the pandemic’s impact on my business, “this studio must exist!” Why, because in an area where most yoga studios are vinyasa based, on a second floor with no elevator, or have rather homogenous clientele, Peaceful Chaos Yoga is the only studio in central Connecticut focused on accessibility and inclusion.

To be respectful of clients’ sensory needs we have dimmable lights, a soft color scheme, minimal (yet not barren) décor, and plethora of props available, including chairs rated to 600 lbs. Even during the height of the pandemic, I did not remove props as many other studios were. Instead, I did more laundry. Gladly, because it meant people were still desiring a sense of community, and when safe, were not isolating themselves. As hard as it has been to keep the doors open in the current climate, my client’s testimonials, thank- yous, hugs, and sometimes cries of relief because they found a place where they felt welcome, free, and not judged, are what has kept me going.

Most recently, a client emailed me after her first class to say, “I was actually really impressed at your commitment to having an accessible studio. I've been away from my practice for a while, but have been to a number of places and can't think of one outside of my college that was actually physically accessible. Thank you for being a real person!”

Creating a yoga environment that caters to inclusiveness, not simply tolerates or gives lip service to, is the epitome of ahimsa.

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How can people best support your work?

Flip the script. Often people see accessible accommodations as an afterthought, a possibility, an “extra”. What if we started from the ground up, basing whatever it is – a conversation, a physical space, an event, a yoga class – on accessibility and inclusion? There is a meme which shows a person shoveling snow off steps while a crowd waits, including a person who uses a wheelchair for mobility. The accessible ramp is covered in snow, while the steps are half cleared. The caption conveys, if the snow was shoveled off the ramp first, then EVERYONE could get in.

In terms of guiding yoga practices specifically, allow yourself to accept you may not be able to provide quality service to all populations. That is okay! Share with potential and current clients, a list of resources of where they can find classes better suited for their needs. Be honest with them, and yourself. And if you would like to know more – and maybe explore your own ability to provide accessible yoga, enroll in a training.

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How can people access your space, attend classes or workshops, etc.?

Peaceful Chaos Yoga is located at 323 Main Street, in Cromwell, CT USA. We have parking, including accessible parking, in front of our studio. There is also a public bus stop at the end of our parking lot.

We hold group and private yoga, meditation, and mindfulness classes seven days a week, with many of our classes are also available livestream. In the second half of 2021, we will be adding an on-demand library of classes and meditations to our website. PCY instructors can also travel to you or your organization to provide services. Because we strongly believe yoga is more than just asana, we also offer meditative workshops that are art, craft, journaling, and play-based, for adults and children. We serve all ages and abilities.

In addition to single sessions, class cards, and monthly memberships, we participate in some health insurance wellness reimbursement plans.

Advance registration for all classes and workshops is required, via peacefulchaosyoga.com for schedule and details. For private sessions, or off-site services, please send an inquiry to info@peacefulchaosyoga.com.