About us
Through 40 years of operations, rehabilitation, and medication my focus was only on managing my disease.
As a result of learning to walk again, multiple times over, I had become very aware of my body in space.
I needed to protect it. Falling would mean more time in hospital. I became so in tune with my body, even, to the point of craving food which would help reduce my inflammation.
I thought I knew my body inside and out - until I discovered adaptive yoga. At the age of 42, I realized my ‘relationship’ with my body, had only just begun!
My name is Miranda
I am the Founder of Adaptive Yoga LIVE and someone who has lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of two.
It's an autoimmune disease that causes an overproduction of synovial fluid around the joints, which causes the joints to swell, causing pain.
The inflammation in the joint damages the tendons, cartilage, and the bone ends. This damage results in deformities and eventual destruction of the joint.
My first surgery was at age 11 to fuse all the bones together in my right ankle. It had so much damage from inflammation that I could no longer walk.
I was the youngest recipient of bi-lateral hip replacement surgery in the United States at age 14 (that means they replace both hips at the same time).
Doctors waited as long as they could (as I was still growing) but when one of my hips dislocated on the dancefloor at my high school winter formal - I knew it was time!
I've gone on to have many more surgeries and have over 30 arthritic joints in my body.
I have lived with chronic pain for a lifetime.
“Before I found Adaptive Yoga I felt constantly at war with my body, my body was attacking me, it was my enemy”
“Yoga shows you a way of re-inhabiting the body, with greater harmony and ease, no matter how painful the body may feel”
They say everyone’s yoga journey is different, some say spiritual, my journey has taught me self-compassion.
Yoga, for me, was about crafting a new healing, accepting, and loving narrative around my own body image.
Yoga taught me to thank my heart for beating, to honour myself for the work I put in to my practice, to be kinder to myself - even as far as to give myself a hug. I gained a new found love for my body and for myself.
I no longer judged myself or compared myself to abled bodied people. For the first time in my life, I started openly talking about my disability, and felt proud to refer to myself as disabled.
Yoga is a Sanskrit word which, simply put, means “union.” Yoga helped unite me with my disability.
“We are so lucky to have such a dedicated, qualified, and passionate team at AYL”
Meet the Team
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Karen Russell (Director)
Has made helping people to live a fitter, healthier, lifestyle her passion for more than 25 years. After a long career as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer, Karen qualified as a Fitness Instructor and worked as a Personal Trainer. She qualified as a yoga teacher in 2005 - long after discovering yoga’s ability to re-address imbalances in her body. “I am learning from my adaptive yoga students in every class I teach. It is a truly wonderful and enlightening experience.
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Paige Murray
Paige, an adaptive yoga specialist, began practicing yoga in October 2019 to explore a non-competitive, inclusive approach to movement. As a disabled person with a neurological condition, she sought to redefine what yoga could look like for her, discovering newfound peace and freedom. Inspired by her experience, Paige completed her 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training online in February 2022. She now teaches at the Matt Hampson Foundation’s Get Busy Living Centre, supporting individuals with serious sporting injuries. Committed to inclusivity, Paige continues her education through adaptive yoga workshops and is also a certified Oxygen Advantage breathwork coach.
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Paulo Concepcion
Is an expert yoga teacher. He has completed the 500-hour yoga teacher training with Yoga Alliance to become 500RYT Yoga Teacher Certified. He has studied Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga, Tapasya Hot Yoga, and is specially trained in Adaptive Yoga. He believes yoga is a personal journey. “My philosophy is to share the joy of yoga so that the student can explore, experience and empower both themselves and others through yoga practice.”
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Lin Leong
Qualifying as a Physiotherapist in 1998, Lin specialized in Neurology, and Rehabilitation. Working with a wide range of neurological conditions, in both acute and community settings, she has over 25 years’ experience as a Physiotherapist within both the UK’s National Health System and private practice. She completed her two-year Yoga teaching diploma in 2012 focusing on the therapeutic application of combining Physiotherapy and Yoga for deep and profound benefits to health and rehabilitation. “Seeing people be empowered to manage their own health is a great joy to me and I am passionate that everyone can find a way to live in optimal health and wellbeing.”
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Basma Gale
Left a career in Physiotherapy to retrain in Complementary Therapies after the debilitating effects of post-viral fatigue in 2003. At this point she discovered yoga, finally completing her teacher training in London, in 2017. Basma aims to make classes fun and accessible - to reconnect students to their true nature of ease and peace. “I want to demonstrate that yoga is truly for everybody. I love seeing students embrace their uniqueness and find freedom in acceptance and self-compassion".”
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Paola Merlassino
Trained in India where she discovered a love for Akhanda yoga, a form of yoga that focuses on sound, vibration, and meditation practices. Paola has just completed accessible yoga training with Jivana Heyman out of San Francisco. She also specialises in teaching yoga to children and young adults in primary and secondary schools. Paola’s class is suitable for people looking for a slower pace of yoga that focuses on the inward journey rather than the physical accomplishments of yoga.
“We don’t use our body to get into a pose, we use the pose to get into our body” -Bernie Clark
Our Journey
Adaptive Yoga LIVE was a direct response to the urgent need to support the more vulnerable and physically challenged people in lockdown during Covid-19. Disabled people face isolation every day - whether it’s through fatigue, inaccessibility to places, or social exclusion. If this pandemic has taught us anything - it’s that isolation is soul-destroying. I launched free online adaptive yoga classes to help unite the Disabled community, in a shared experience, during these difficult times.
All of our teachers, who are specially trained in adaptive yoga, are passionate to prove that yoga is for every BODY. They understand the importance of releasing our conditioning about bodies, ability, and accessibility and are committed to exploring ways to expand access to the practices of yoga - for all people.
Friends, family, and donors who have contributed financially to our goal, of brining Adaptive Yoga LIVE to the people who need it most, we sincerely thank you for your generosity and support.
We were thrilled to be recognized by the British Prime Minister with the Points of Light Award and everyone involved should feel immensely proud of their efforts.
I believe Adaptive Yoga LIVE is just part of a bigger step-change needed to make the world a more compassionate, and more inclusive, place for Disabled people. I hope you will join us on this journey to empower Disabled people everywhere.
Miranda is proud to be a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals
