Reverent Intention: Resources for Yoga Activists

Yoga and social justice are inextricably connected.

If we hold it to be true that each of us is an interconnected piece of a larger whole, that we are yoked to one another as the Sanskrit word 'yoga' implies, then we have the opportunity to begin exploring our responsibility to one another, to the planet we share, and to the cultures we co-create. Every decision we make is inherently political, from who we vote for, to how we resist harm, to whether and how we move or care for our bodies. We can try to resist this truth, OR we can truly start to live into our values and to honor the greatness of the unique, individual role in collective transformation and liberation that each of us has to play.

Below, yoga teacher and activist Anjali Rao shares some of her top resources for those working - or desiring to work - with reverent intention at the intersection of yoga and social justice.

Top 5 Books on Anti-Racism/Colonization

• The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity, Amartya Sen

•  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson

•  We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice, adrienne maree brown

•  How to Be an Antiracist, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

•  Discourse on Colonialism, Aimé Césaire

Top 5 Books on Yoga & Social Justice

• Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Susanna Barkataki
• A Queer Dharma: Yoga & Meditations for Liberation, Jacoby Ballard
• Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion, Jivana Heyman
• Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World, Michelle Cassandra Johnson
• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathways to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, Resmaa Menakem

Top 5 Articles

• "White Supremacy Culture," Tema Okun
• "Mapping Our Roles in Social Change Ecosystems," Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0, Attribution: Deepa Iyer, SolidarityIs, and Building Movement Project
• "Decolonization is not a metaphor," Eve Tuck & K. Wayne Yang
• "The Four Parts of Accountability: How To Give A Genuine Apology Part 1," Mia Mingus
• "Transformative Justice: A Brief Description," Mia Mingus

About Anjali

Anjali Rao is a yoga teacher, social justice activist, multi-cultural training specialist and a cancer survivor. She is an Indian American immigrant from Bangalore, India. Her work explores yoga philosophy and history integrating marginalized voices using story- telling, imagery and poetry. She teaches intensives integrating social justice and yoga, is a part of teacher training faculty, conducts workshops and is a speaker at wellness conferences .

Being diagnosed at 37 for early-stage Breast cancer, and recovery for multiple surgeries brought her to her first Yoga-Asana class. She knew by the end of the first class that this practice would change her life in big ways. Her passion is to share this alchemical practice and philosophy with people across ages, genders and abilities.

Anjali serves on the Board for Accessible Yoga, an international non-profit and grassroots organization dedicated to sharing the teachings of Yoga with everyone. She also serves on the Board of HERS Breast Cancer Foundation, a non-profit that helps survivors and those going through treatment regardless of financial status.

Interested in going deeper?

Join Anjali for her upcoming course, Yoga & Activism: A Blueprint for Collective Transformation. This program integrates tenets of yoga philosophy, along with concepts from sociology, taking an action-oriented approach to co-creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities. 

In this virtual offering, you will:

• Gain deeper understanding of key classical yoga philosophy concepts as it relates to social justice work.

• Learn about culture, power and positionality.

• Explore self-care strategies and practices for activists.

• Cultivate individual discernment into where we have agency and our role as yoga activists.

• Co-create a culture of inclusion and equity by designing a sustainable and authentic blueprint that can be implemented in one’s community of choice.

• And more!

Fridays, April 8, 15, 22 & 29
3-6pm Pacific (Los Angeles)
6-9pm Eastern (New York)
 

Recordings will be available for those who register but are unable to attend live! Scholarships and payments plans available.

Learn More & Register Now