2019-05-01_Yoga_Journal

YOGAJOURNAL.COM 107

PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER DOUGHERTY; HAIR: THERESA BULLOCK; MAKEUP: BETH WALKER; CLOTHING: MODEL'S OWN

From self-realization centers and asana apps to T-shirts featuring

Ganesh or puns on namaste, the Western world is full of yoga

consumerism. We have a lot to gain from this ancient practice,

but we also risk losing sight of, and appropriating, the culture

and tradition yoga comes from. Here, five teachers, researchers,

scholars, and activists weigh in on modern yoga and how we

might practice and teach with more integrity and respect. The

answers—and even the questions—aren’t always straightforward

or easy, but as Honor (Don’t Appropriate) Yoga Summit creator

Susanna Barkataki advises, lean in: “As you read the stories that

follow, you may experience many emotions. You’ll hear various

powerful perspectives from folks with Indian heritage and the

impacts these issues have on their lives, families, culture, practice,

pasts, and futures. Read these stories with an open heart and mind.

Your yoga practice has prepared you for this by teaching you how

to hold tension, breathe, and then break through. As you read, pay

attention to your breath, body, and heart.” Then keep reading for

suggestions on how we can address these issues together.

HONORING

THE

ROOTS

OF YOGA