Using the Yamas & Niyamas Toward Real Peace
The Yamas and Niyamas of yoga were created to raise our individual and collective prana.
Once called a “gentle general,” Jacoby teaches the philosophies of yoga and Buddhism on the mat and on the cushion in daily classes, workshops, and retreats. He has a knack for working with students who often feel unwelcome or unanticipated in the yoga classroom and is committed to supporting the skillbase and leadership arising from marginalized communities.
UPCOMING 2024-2025 RETREATS
January 9-11, 2026. Sanctuary: Spiritual Grounding for Queer & Trans Folks. @Kripalu in Stockbridge, MA.
February 20-22, 2026: Settle: A Meditation Retreat, in Teasdale, Utah with Kim Dastrup
by Jacoby Ballard
“Deeply vulnerable and deeply moving, A Queer Dharma offers lessons from Ballard’s personal journey to the heart of the dharma, bringing the whole body and loving the whole self. This book is for anyone who has a body, and seeks to love courageously with an open heart.”
Autumn Brown, Host of How to Survive the End of the World
The Yamas and Niyamas of yoga were created to raise our individual and collective prana.
By Jacoby Ballard This article was originally written for the Birthing Mama Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training in Amherst, MA. Please do not reproduce or share
This was first delivered as a keynote address for the 2025 Queer Spectra Arts festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve memorized by Jalaluddin Rumi’s