Te acher zone
Teacher’s Tales:
I
read a thought-provoking quote about diversity in the arts:
“Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked
to dance.” This feels apt for the yoga world as it currently
stands too. For the most part, it seems only one type of
person is being ‘asked to dance’.
Yoga is relevant regardless of culture, age, ability, size or
economic status, but is there much point in saying that ‘yoga is for
everybody’ if that’s not what is shown?
So many people tell me that yoga is not for them and the media
image of yoga is constantly stated as a significant reason. As the
yoga industry grows more lucrative, following the route of the
fashion world in promoting one body type as the ideal, the more
prevalent it has become. It is everywhere – on magazine covers, in
TV advertisements selling things that are nothing to do with yoga,
the yoga clothing companies who think a size ‘L’ is a size 14...
Diversity is more than race or size. (And let’s not forget
class.) I mention size specifically here because as the body
positive movement becomes more mainstream (and profitable),
commandeered away from its original roots, a usual way to show
a nod to diversity has been to include an acceptably curvy (i.e.We are all worthy of being seen. By Paula Hines
hourglass-shaped) woman somewhere in the mix.
Asking for visible diversity in yoga, from yoga companies, in yoga
advertising, is not an attack on the people who are currently being
predominantly represented. We are all worthy and we all deserve to
be seen. Some of us are middle-aged men who have tight hamstrings
and no six-pack, some of us are wheelchair users, some of us are
over the age of 40, some of us are a size 24 – I could go on. These
are all examples of people I have shared yoga with. I myself am a
42-year old, size 16 black woman.
When you don’t see yourself represented it is pretty obvious all
the time. You feel invisible and even if it is not the intention, you
feel excluded. When people tell me they feel unwelcome in certain
yoga spaces, I get it. There are yoga spaces where I feel unwelcome
too. The onus should not always be on the marginalised person to
step-up.
With yoga – of all things – what is wrong with showing people
that no matter how they look, they are worthy?Paula Hines is a London-based yoga teacher and writer
(ucanyoga.com)I see you