Radical Dharma

Last night I attended a free yoga event sponsored by LuluLemon. The event was an effort to unite people in cities across the U.S. to promote peace and community healing in the midst of this divisive and divided time.

The event was beautiful; mats were lined from wall to wall and the room was filled with young tattooed couples, old yogis, art students, and the like.

On one hand, it was really healing for me to sit among strangers-- breathing, moving and praying together.

On the other hand, I could not ignore the air of white privilege in the room.

As we sat there in lotus pose, channeling our most “enlightened” selves, I was struck over and over by the lack of diversity present.

I often wonder how yoga-- a practice that serves to unite oneself with humanity-- has served to extend systems of privilege and exclusivity under the guise of spirituality.

I often wonder if many of we “yogis” have disillusioned ourselves into thinking we are not contributing to the problem.

I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with this paradox of unity and exclusion that stems from a general lack of awareness.

This post is not meant to be personal or place blame on anyone in particular. If anything, I hope this reflection inspires a larger conversation around how to make yoga a more inclusive and accessible practice.

In my heart, I believe in the power of yoga to heal and transform our collective wounds, but first it is our collective responsibility to deeply consider the forces that keep many U.S. people of color away from these spaces.