Decolonizing Yoga

Since 2015 I’ve run a decolonizing yoga group - with permission from an authentic Hindu elder - to address the cultural appropriation of yoga.

“The yoga industrial complex is a desecration of yoga that harms Hindus who are already suffering genocide every day.”

— Zarna Joshi, 2021

Learn how

To “decolonize” means to give the land back.

To decolonize yoga means to give the practice of yoga back to its authentic lineages. You are not entitled to yoga just because you like it, or it’s fashionable, or it “helps you”. If you are not part of an authentic yoga lineage and if you don’t have permission from your own authentic yoga lineage to learn or teach and and if you don’t behave accountably towards that lineage, you have no right to yoga because it does not belong to you. Therefore, you must give it back.

Anything that does not give the practice of yoga back to the authentic lineages of yoga is not “decolonizing yoga”.

To join this collective, we have a vetting process.

All are asked to be accountable to this group and to me by reading and signing an integrity pledge (scroll down to sign the pledge).
All must fill out a questionnaire (you will be linked to it immediately after signing the pledge).
All must attend my Hindu Colonial Trauma course (you will be emailed details after filling out the questionnaire). There may be an equity charge to attend the course depending on your financial situation that we will mutually agree on.
All must attend my Imperialism course (you will be emailed details after filling out the questionnaire). There may be an equity charge depending on your financial situation that we will mutually agree on.
After these steps, depending upon your answers, you will either qualify or not to join Decolonizing Yoga. I will let you know via email.
All of these steps are mandatory.
Adherence to the DY integrity pledge is mandatory for continued membership of the group.
This vetting process is to ensure that all the people in this space are accountable to my ancestors and feel compassion for living Hindus.

We have this vetting process because of Hinduphobic violence I have personally experienced and witnessed.

This vetting process is non-negotiable.

I relate yoga’s ancient teachings to what is happening right now.

Right now yoga and Hindus are being colonized and that needs to stop.

We’ve done sessions all over Turtle Island*.

You can invite me to do an introductory session in your community. All sessions are podcasted and members of the group have access to the podcasted sessions so no one misses out no matter where the last session is.

Entry to an introductory session is by signing the integrity pledge.

*Turtle Island is the Indigenous name of North America for First Nations in the Northwest region of the USA.

Other First Nations in other regions may have different names for the continent.

Invite me