Do you Perpetuate the Cultural Appropriation of Yoga?
I realize that I cannot control how the intention of this post will land with others. I hope that you realize this is not, however, an invitation to bypass the discomfort, nor is it an invitation to feel shame. Rather it is an opportunity to name what is true and take responsibility for our part. Only then can we start to move towards authenticity and true relationship with one another... ie: Yoga
So, what is Cultural Appropriation?
Taking traditional practices from a marginalized group and turning it into something that benefits the dominant group and therefore erasing the origins and meaning
Yoga practices go back thousands of years but the meaning is being stripped away due to cultural appropriation. While our intentions as yogis is often pure, we can never guarantee how these intentions will land so it is important for us to be aware to insure we are not contributing to harm.
Let's outline a few ways in which you may be perpetuating Cultural Appropriation in yoga. Please note that this list is inspired by Everyday Feminist and I could not agree with their points more. I added my own intel based on my experiences through 10+ years of this work and here is what we get:
Using yoga as a physical practice only: Most lineages of yoga contain a physical aspect but that is a small portion of the practice. There is a spiritual path to yoga. Due to colonial suppression the practice of yoga from a spiritual aspect has been persecuted throughout history by organized and patriarchal religion. Many of the spiritual practices were forced into privacy for fear of violent repercussions. In reality, by viewing yoga as a solely physical practice we are perpetuating that racism. If you don’t want to participate in that, then specify that you are simply doing physical exercises based on yoga practices. This simple change in language can alter the perpetuation of this theft. (Asteya for those of you who have studied the yamas and niyamas.
The practice becoming one of shame and ridicule: Pushing yourself is one thing, but when you push yourself to a place of shame or ridicule because you ‘can't’ do something then it becomes harmful and adds to the ill informed ideal of yoga. I see and hear this happen a lot in the body positive classes that I teach. People no longer want to participate because of the shame and ridicule they hear from instructors about a 'yoga body' or the way things "should" look. This begins to take a toll on your self-worth. As yoga teachers, don't we want to offer classes around compassion instead of ridicule? Again a simple change in language can encourage someone to honor the place that is best for their body... This is yoga.
Neglecting to acknowledge where the practice comes from: Recognize the origins of what you are practicing. For me and the yoga teacher training programs I share, the lineage is that of Krishnamacharya who taught about replacing old behaviors with new and more appropriate ones. By removing the faces and names of where our practice comes from we are perpetuating a system of supremacy that can be manipulated and replicated within its manipulation. Are you supporting a new age trendy business model, or are you supporting a thousands year old history? Humbleness and humility are foundations of a yoga practice. Through interconnectedness you realize this practice is not your own, you show respect to teachers who have come before you and to the people in which they learned from. Are you leading yoga sessions with or without acknowledgement of the people, history, philosophy and regions that yoga truly comes from. If not you are contributing to the destruction of lineage. Consider the places where you practice and where you teach. I talk a lot about lifestyle and ethics in yoga teacher training as well, and how you have to decide if you are going to teach classes for resiliency and healing one day and the next are seen at the local bar and going home with yet another person. Can you willingly let go of those old habits, and replace them with new, more appropriate ones?
Misuse of Sacred Objects: Do your research, know the significance of sacred objects so you are not using them in disrespectful ways. Some use objects to add “flare” to their classes without really knowing what it is about. Anyone can buy an object off of Amazon, World Market or even Walmart… Scriptures, crystals, statues are all meant to be treated with respect. I can personally talk tattoos… I have an om symbol, the symbol for the sound of creation, for me I got it at a time of rebirth in my life. I had found my voice and was beginning a new part in my life after divorce, leaving a job and pursuing life in harmony with yoga.
Speaking Sacred Language: If you are using Sanskrit, then know what you are saying. If you are chanting without knowledge of what you are chanting, don’t. Sound and vibrations of sounds are powerful and without that humility and understanding of what you are saying can cause more harm than good. Sanskrit is caste exclusionary, there could be people in the room who have been affected by the same systems of inequality so the use of the language could be the opposite of healing for some. If you are going to use it, let people know and let them know what you are saying. Shift the intention of using this language as to engage the energy of the subtle body as opposed to creating divide.
White People Ignoring Oppression and Leading a Practice: This is not about getting white people to stop participating in or leading yoga classes, this is about making sure you, as white instructor are not ignoring the complexities that exist of oppression. There are a lot of opportunities for white people, it's been a part of white privilege, to fit into the mainstream image of this industry. This-white-middle class-women… thats the population that gets the funding, the spaces and the respect as leaders and deemed as experts. Oftentimes we find that people who are working to create a more inclusive space face barriers in getting support from a white centered industry. This doesn’t make it wrong to support your white yoga teachers, but take a few breaths and understand how the industry marginalizes those who don’t fit into the mainstream image of westernized yoga. Know that many people in the modern, western yoga are being excluded and white leaders need to recognize why marginalized people don’t feel welcome and commit to doing something about it. Some teachers present themselves as experts and it’s a problematic trend of white supremacy. Remember to always respect and be humble to the practice, to your self and to your community. This is a place to understand and possibly live in two truths, the truth that your whiteness has given you the rank in the yoga community that you love, but also the truth that it may not have been your impeccable ability to teach yoga that put you there. Sit with that.
Treating Yoga Like a Commodity: Yoga is not all about money. Yoga accessories, fashion, big corp, yoga with a goal around making lots of money etc. this is not yoga. Yoga practices are about sustaining ourselves in ways that have nothing to do with materialism. When we start selling, we lose sacred value. Of course there is the law of divine compensation that tells us we must exchange value for value but not at the risk of oppressing others. Cultural Appropriation strips the essence of culture away and reduces it to something that dominant culture can use for profit and entertainment. Does your yoga space treat yoga as the next trendy possession or even accessory? The cute outfits and do-dads maybe calling your name on the sale rack, but it may not be supporting traditional yoga practice and can therefore have a negative impact. You decide if a brand who promotes language such as spiritual gangster, live in the light, good vibes only, is truly a name that is supporting cultures across all lines.
Personal Gain: Do you find yourself only thinking about how you benefit from yoga? Authentic yoga practice helps you grow as your whole self; mind, body and spirit. Embrace your wholeness and know that includes being a part of a beautiful collective of other beings. Think twice before feeling entitled to take from others for your own gain.
A New Radical Truth
Whew! If you stuck with me until the end here, I thank you, and yoga culture thanks you. If you participate in any of these things, which lets be honest we all do in some way, this does not make you a bad person. We are all taught to follow the systems of oppression that dominate our society. With this knowledge now, this list cannot be unseen. We all have to go through the process of decolonizing our thoughts and behaviors, but by connecting yourself with a group who perpetuates the deep and radical healing of this process, we can get there. By supporting each other in this deep work, and calling each other up with compassion then we open ourselves up, as a collective, to true wellness.
In order for us to truly practice yoga, union, oneness, we must truly be thoughtful about our impact on the world and the ways in which we contribute to marginalization.
Remember, parts of this list were inspired by Everyday Feminist. I hope you will join the collective as we move away from cultural appropriation within our yoga communities and keep the heat of yoga alive. I'm embracing the places where I have marginalized and taken full advantage of the culture of yoga. Some could even argue that by posting this in a place where there is an exchange of coin would be a way in which yoga is again falling victim to cultural appropriation. I'll say it again, your souls is in your keeping alone. I cannot know how this will land, but I do know that the knowledge needs to be sent out into our modern, western, yoga world.
Namaste,
K