As yoga teachers or students studying to hold space for others and teach the sacred practice of yoga, we have a responsibility to understand how to bring the larger cultural context into our teaching and practice. Many are wondering how to respond to the collective trauma caused by Covid-19, white supremacy and racism and all forms of superiority and oppression. Many are wondering how to make space for their grief and liberation amid social isolation and distancing. Dominant culture wants us to continue to disassociate from ourselves and others, divide and conquer, maintain the status quo and turn away from heartbreak we may be feeling at this time. While we have questions about how to respond and be in this moment, I believe that we must respond with steadfastness and courageous hearts to the urgent concerns of this time. Spiritual practice invites us to lean into discomfort and truth, move through and with our emotions and grief, better understand the nature and causes of suffering and transform in service of the collective good. Spiritual practice including meditation and yoga, allow us to work with sensation, toxic thought patterns, grief, cultural conditioning, overwhelm, and anxiety through mindfulness and thoughtful care.

Skill in Action is a workshop designed to explore systems of power and oppression, the intersection of social justice and yoga, external and internalized patterns of oppression, power and privilege, and how we can respond to the current cultural and political challenges through practices of self-study, movement, pranayama, contemplation and collective action. Through these teachings you will learn more about both how to create more inclusive spaces for healing and teaching as well as how to infuse your teachings with content centered on social justice. Throughout our time together we will practice asana (postures), meditation, mindfulness, pranayama (breathing), holding space together and mantra work to sharpen our goals and visions for our work to change the world.

Some of what will be explored:

• Meditation

• Embodied practice and asana

• Creating culture: Agreements and assumptions

• Social location

• Privilege, Power and Oppression

• Racism, Internalizations and intersectionality

• Cultural Trauma and Collective Grief

• Spiritual Bypassing and Cultural Appropriation

• Dharma and Duty to intervene, disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression

• Meeting the Political and Cultural Moment with Spiritual Practice

• Infusing Your Teaching with Social Justice Principles

Wear comfortable clothing, have a journal and any other sacred objects nearby.