The Flip-Chip offers a discreet way for students to say when they want a hands-on assist, and when they'd prefer to be left in peace. It's all about creating a consent-based studio culture -- our mission since 2012.
"Consent-based yoga" is going mainstream. Yoga Alliance encourages the use of language and tools that support consent-based yoga to promote safe student-teacher relationships, advance inclusivity and trauma sensitivity in yoga, and foster empowered self-inquiry for all yoga students.
From February of next year, Yoga Alliance will be asking all RYT's - new and renewing - to make a shared ethical commitment to increase equity in yoga. The Flip-Chip is a simple and effective way to help you reach this goal.
Flip-Chips are made in the USA from premium Moso bamboo and will give you a lifetime of service. Enjoy!
Namaste,
Nina
Yoga teacher, physical therapist & founder, Yogaflipchip
***FEATURED TEACHER*** Brendan Plunkett RYT 200
CONSENT. It’s important people, definitely in yoga class. In case ya didn’t know, physically assisting students is a big discussion in the yoga teaching community right now. That’s a great thing. Some teachers say just don’t. Some say almost always ok. My opinion, I’ll leave it up to you. I do offer a lot of different physical & verbal assists in my classes. If I do ever physically assist you in class it’s because I want to guide you to a position that feels supported by strength & feels spacious & healthy. Regardless of my intentions though, every student has their own story in the yoga practice. I promise to always give you a choice. There will always be Yoga Flip Chips in my classes because the decision to be physically touched should ALWAYS be up to you. Love physical assists? Great. Never been into them? Great. Just not feeling it today? Great. Changed your mind halfway through class? Great. @yogaflipchip provides a discreet, explanation-free, & simple way for me to respect you & your practice. I’m not sponsored, I don’t work for this awesome company. I just genuinely believe in their product. It’s been revolutionary for my classes. I have more confidence assisting students because they directly communicate with me about what they need/want. I don’t worry about whether they’ve changed their mind since the beginning of class. I don’t panic because I forgot to ask the class about physical assists in the beginning (I’m human). You don’t need to explain anything to me, unless you want to. I see your choice & I respect it. Philly yoga practitioners, you’ll get familiar with these little chips soon...
@yogaflipchip on ınstagram
Melanie Park
E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®
"What if you had the power of choice without feeling vulnerable in a yoga class? Sometimes it’s nice to have a gentle assist to remind us where we should safely be in a posture. Then there are other days or even weeks we would crumble and fall apart at the mere thought of someone assisting us. In the classes I teach you will always be offered a choice. You may choose to be assisted or not and can change your mind at anytime during the class. My goal is for you to feel safe on your mat and the class environment while you practice. I teach through a Trauma Informed lens. It is always your choice, always your body, always your breath. You may join us or take a position of comfort. First and foremost the breath connection is a priority. The physicality is merely a bonus. I work with men and women of all ages but I primarily work with pre- and post-natal women. I have been a Respiratory Therapist for 22 years now and work with the neonatal and labor and delivery population currently. I feel deeply connected to helping women safely connect to their own bodies both physically and mentally. The Yoga Flip-Chip is a fantastic tool that puts the choice of touch in the students hands."
Vanessa Blair
Yoga Instructor
"I believe that it is not only my goal, but also my duty as an instructor to create a safe space for my students. Giving students the ability to consent to hands-on adjustments and have the power to change their mind at anytime is a critical part of my teaching style. Whether everyone in my class is a trauma survivor, or no one is, I believe reminding people that they have a choice in what happens in their personal space is imperative. Yoga helped me work through my own trauma, and I became a yoga instructor to share this beautiful practice with others. It is not just a physical practice, but a means of learning so much about oneself, that gives us the ability to heal."
Gianna
E-RYT, YACEP
"I teach Yoga in my studio, as well as at a local Children's Hospital, where I guide young patients in a Trauma-Sensitive Yoga class. Therefore, it was very important to me to find a product specifically for their needs, allowing them (or any of my students) to give their consent for touch or to decline the same...without having to summon up the courage to speak aloud in class, as that can be a very difficult thing for someone to do. I discovered Yoga Flip-Chips when searching online, and immediately placed an order for the 25 Yogamat Flip-Chips. The order was placed late in the week, but I was going to need the product before Monday morning. Long story short, I contacted the company, Giles replied and, to my complete surprise, made arrangements for the product to be shipped to me on Saturday, the extra cost of shipping covered by them. The order arrived on Saturday and in time for my Monday class. The product was exactly what I was searching for! I could not have been more grateful for both their compassionate customer service and their mindful product. My appreciation is beyond measure. Thank you!"
TAMAR
Immersive Flow
“I’ve been using the Flip-Chips for several months in yoga classes and on yoga retreats. Both the students and I feel empowered! I’ve noticed that the Flip-Chips inspire practitioners to be more thoughtful and sensitive to their own needs, to consider themselves afresh each time they practice. Flip-Chips give me the confidence to know that my assists are welcome.”
immersiveflow.org
ELIZABETH HABERER
LCSW, CGP, RYT
"Thank you for asking” were the powerful words gifted to me by a student when I offered flip-chips in my class this week. As a psychotherapist and yoga teacher, I find it immensely important to refrain from making assumptions, even well-intentioned ones about the needs of our students. Instead, we have the capacity to help our students heal by assisting them to develop and utilize their own voice as practitioners and human beings. Flip-chips are an easy and accessible way to fulfill that mission."
MOLLY BOEDER HARRIS
THE BREATHE NETWORK
"Thank you for your innovation. My dream is that ALL yoga studios will have a stack of these one day! You are starting a necessary revolution in yoga studios that will make attendance safe as well as fully allow students to be present during class and not distracted with anxiety or worry or fear about a teacher coming over and adjusting them - if they don't want that!"
The Breathe Network
DR. NICOLE FAVA
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
"I would not consider holding a yoga class or designing a trauma-informed yoga program that did not require the use of the flip-chips. They deliver the message: you are welcomed, accepted, and respected just as you are—a message everyone deserves to hear, especially before stepping onto their mat."
Dr. Fava profile
YOGA BRENT
“As a teacher, I really like the non-invasive, yet immediate answer I have when I look at the Yoga Flip-Chip. I think in a few years we’ll all look back and wonder: how did we do that before?”
YOGA BRENT