116 YOGA JOURNAL
I see you. You’ve experienced deep personal,
emotional, physical, and even spiritual benefi ts
from your yoga practice. It’s a profound gift for
your life and you want to share it with others.
You want to explore more deeply. Perhaps even
visit the source of these wisdom teachings.
I get it. After all, the yoga you’ve experienced
up until now has brought you so much good.
So how can any of this be causing harm, you
wonder?
Self-refl ection is critical for us as yogis.
Part of our practice is to be willing to practice
svadhyaya, or self-study.
As we explore deeper, sometimes
complexities are unearthed in our path of
practice. The topic of cultural appropriation is
one such complexity. As practitioners, we can
pause and refl ect, and instead of turning away,
we can lean in. Inquiring is a great beginning.
We need to be brave enough to do our yoga
and see satya in this context—the truth of our
power and position—and then apply the very
fi rst of the yamas, ahimsa, or non-harming, to
our role in how the context of yoga is taught and
portrayed. This will help us reduce the harm.
For example, if we mostly see a certain type ofTA KE AC T I O N
Steps to help you digest what you just read and practice and teach yoga
with less appropriation.
BY SUSANNA BARKATAKISUSANNA
BARKATAKIis the
founder of Ignite
Yoga and Wellness
Institute. She helps
yoga teachers,
studios, nonprof-
its, and businesses
become leaders in
equity, diversity, and
yogic values so that
they embody thriving
yoga leadership with
integrity and confi -
dence. Learn more
and get the Honor
Yoga Manifesto at
susannabarkataki.com.person practicing yoga at our studio, we can go out of our way to
frequent studios or events put on by folks who are diff erent from
that norm. We can attend classes taught by South Asian teachers
and invite them in as experts to uplift vital voices who are often
left out. On our path to healing, we can seek to practice without
as much appropriation. Here’s how:- FIRST, PAUSE
Come to yoga with humility and openness, and a willingness
to consider whether your actions may be causing harm. If
you are taking parts of yoga (say, the chakra system) without
incorporating the full range of its practice and knowledge, you
may be doing more harm than good. - ASK QUESTIONS
This doesn’t mean cornering any South Asian person and asking
them about yoga. Instead, intentionally platform South Asian
yoga teachers or seek out groups committed to social justice,
such as Showing Up for Racial Justice (showingupforracialjustice.
org), and ask questions of them. - GO BEYOND THE PHYSICAL
Make sure you are practicing and sharing yoga beyond just
asana. Include as many of the limbs as possible. For example,
according to my main teacher, in Bihar, India, the practice
of yoga is to bring one’s mind, body, and spirit into unity.
He encourages the study of sacred texts and japa practice to
harness the mind, asana practice to strengthen the body, and
meditation practice to unify all three. Finally, he encourages an
engagement with the world, where we bring mind, body, and
spirit together into action to further the liberation of all. - LEARN ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS ROOTS
AND WISDOM OF THE PRACTICE
Read the sutras and cite sources of these wisdom teachings.
Respectfully learn and practice using Sanskrit. - BE RESPECTFUL OF SYMBOLS
AND ICONOGRAPHY
For many Indians, Ganesh does not belong on shoes. The Om
symbol is a sacred sound, not a cute tattoo. - BE COMMITTED TO YOUR STUDENTSHIP
This path is unending. Embody reverence for and devotion
to your yoga path. This ancient practice in its entirety has
so much hope to off er us now and for the future. When we
honor, rather than appropriate, and practice unity, we preserve
the tradition.