Jun 11, 2020
Over the past twenty years, we have seen the yoga world morph and evolve. Yet we are still so far from where we need to be. It’s a shame that it’s taken us this long to recognize the need to support and uplift the black and brown voices in our yoga community.
I invited Shanna Small on this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast to give us actionable steps we can take to make yoga more accessible amidst the Black Lives Matter movement and the powerful cultural shifts we are seeing today.
Shanna has been practicing ashtanga yoga for almost two decades. She started yoga because it seemed like a cute and interesting workout that just so happened to be sprinkled with spiritual teachings. It wasn’t until she heard the yoga sutras for the first time years later that she recognized the true spiritual power of the yoga journey. Today, Shanna teaches accessible ashtanga yoga.
This is something I am personally excited about. I believe in accessible yoga classes that welcome people of all creeds, colors, and walks of life to practice the asanas and explore their own yoga journeys. Yoga class is supposed to be a place where people can come to practice, relax, and enjoy themselves. For people of color, this is rarely the case.
Think about it - when you do a Google Image Search for “yoga”, what do you see? Think about what kind of message this is sending to yoga students and how it is also affecting their and your own yoga journey. If you don’t see yourself in the yoga community, how will you ever truly feel a part of it?
This is what Shanna calls on us to recognize in this episode. The role of yoga right now - and our role as yogis - is long overdue. Remember ahimsa means non-violence, but it’s not just attributed to one group of people. Ahimsa is the idea that, if harm is being done to any of our fellow human beings, then - as a yogi - it is our responsibility to be of service.
Shanna writes in her blog that this concept of Yoga Justice is more than just love, light, hopes, and prayers. Your hopes need legs, and your prayers require action. Right now is not the time to be passive. That’s why we’re sharing actionable steps you can take now as yoga students to start inspiring change. And you don’t have to be confrontational. Be an ally by asking yoga studios - “Why are you so homogenous?” And inspire your friends to take classes with a yoga teacher you know is diverse and supports an accessible approach to yoga.
Change will start with you. This episode is meant to inspire you and equip you with the knowledge you may need to move forward with these changes. We’re at a time now where we need to be spreading the true philosophy and spirituality of yoga - and we’re ready to take it on!
If you’re a practicing yoga student with an inspiring journey, please share a bit of your yoga journey with me and my listeners. Send me an email at info@kinoyoga.com and tell me - what does yoga mean to you? You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast with Kino MacGregor!