Practicing Yoga and Social Justice

  We live in a time of rising authoritarianism around the globe, and the movements that characterize it put an exclusive version of nationalism at the center of their agenda. You see it here in the US – the Trump administration violates every norm and practice of democracy; uses its power to steal public resources to enrich its own members and friends; and secures public support to do this with a racist and anti-immigrant agenda that declares America is for white people.   This is part of a movement around the world – you have the rise of neo-nazi parties in France, Austria and Northern Europe. Anti-democratic government now leads Hungary. And other versions of nationalist authoritarianism in Brazil and the Philippines.   India’s Prime Minister Modi and the ruling party – the BJP – are part of this same trend. In India, that particular form of nationalist authoritarianism is expressed as Hindu fundamentalism (Hindutva). The BJP arose in the western Indian state of Gujarat...

Trigger warning : slavery, economic exploitation of Black communities Resources The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates Movement for Black Lives Reparations Platform Reparations resources & reading list Brookings Institution on Reparations Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee overview of HR 40 Coverage of the fight for reparations at Georgetown University Vocabulary   Sometimes I use African-American, sometimes BIPOC, sometimes Black. These terms are both descriptive and political. I try to be specific about why I use one instead of the other in any particular context - if you have questions about that, ask me. Caveat I am one person. I am not THE expert and I am not even AN expert. I am writing these blogs as an introduction to provide a way into your own learning. I can't cover all the relevant topics - this is just meant as an orientation that can help you decide how you will further your own understanding. Send me questions or comments and I'll do...

Trigger warning : slavery, lynching, torture/killing of Black people Resources The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander The New Jim Crow Reading Guide (currently free, order a copy) Documentary film 13 th by Ava Duvernay and available on Netflix The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson The New Yorker Coverage of Kalief Browder Here and here Learn about Ida B. Wells , anti-lynching activist and journalist (linking to Wikipedia here b/c I don’t have a better reference; if you know of a good biography or history of her work, send it to me and I’ll replace this with something better). NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet Black Lives Matter Founder Alicia Garza explains the Defund the Police Agenda (I don’t like this media outlet, but I do like video of Alicia Garza speaking directly about the agenda vs. major media outlets trying to explain it) John Oliver Explanation of Defund the Police Vocabulary   I am using the term BIPOC here which stands for Black,...

Trigger Warning: White supremacist ideas and policies. Resources Me and white supremacy workbook (specifically written for people who do spiritual work like yoga & meditation) Layla Saed White Fragility  Robin Diangelo So You Want To Talk About Race  Ijeoma Oluo Stamped From The Beginning  Ibram Kendi How To Be An Anti-Racist  Ibram Kendi Honor Don’t Appropriate Yoga Summit   Yoga is Dead Podcast – listen to all the episodes, especially White Women Killed Yoga (wherever you listen to podcasts) Vocabulary   I am using the term BIPOC here which stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Here's a great explanation of that term, and why I tend to use it the most, though sometimes I just say Black or people of color.  Caveat I am one person, I am not THE expert and I am not even AN expert. I am writing these blogs as an introduction to provide a way into your own learning. I can't cover all the relevant topics - th...

I’m a white person, and I consider one of my roles in the social justice and racial justice work is to help other white people find their way into this work. So with that in mind, this is an open letter to white people in IYNAUS and on the IYNAUS board. I’ve been struggling with my feelings about the IYNAUS statement regarding the uprising. I have been thinking about how to respond in a way that calls my friends in and lovingly invites you into a learning process. I love this community and I’m so glad you made an effort to be part of this moment. And I have wanted the yoga world to get more involved in the fight for justice – that’s why I joined together with friends and colleagues to help stage a session on social justice at last year’s IYNAUS convention. I'm struggling with my frustration about the people who did not take the invitation we offered at that session. I don't want to go too easy on you and make this comfortable. But ultimately, I want to thank you for being ...