Yoga Is Disrupting Racism

We all have our own experiences when it comes to ethnic identity and cultural identity. As the yoga community consistently becomes more and more diverse, it’s important that yoga practices, such as restorative yoga, take into consideration the impact of racial stressors - especially with the brutal reality of a world infected by social injustice and discrimination.

Yoga communities have the ability to dramatically heal the wounds of racial distress by bringing happiness, joy and also teaching us to be more reflective of ourselves, our actions and the world around us. Spiritual practices help us recognize the world we live and bring us inspiration for change.

Yoga is a practice that connects, and so it should strive to be thoughtful and aware of the different needs of all races, genders, body types and backgrounds. Yoga is about raising our consciousness—and that is the first step to justice and equality in society. These communities have a responsibility to be involved in one another’s worlds now more than ever to listen, lend support and fight for inclusivity.

Yoga instructors and dear friends to the Newswirefm & Healthwirefm networks, Eddie Stern and Anna de Pahlen (pictured above), are beautiful examples of practitioners who consciously curate restorative yoga practices that focus on personal relationship and closeness, aiming to build life-long connections and transformation. The approach is to combine honoring the healing power of yoga and disrupting the unconscious patterns of racism in our communities and individual selves.

Learn more about the ongoing study of yoga, science and the ability to heal racial wounds in this short lecture with psychologist and certified yoga therapist, Dr. Gail Parker on Healthwirefm.

Tags: YogaAndScience.com

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