Culture, Power, and Modern Yoga (Part 3): How Ableism Shapes Modern Yoga
by Anjali Rao and Lorien Neargarder Changing American yoga culture is an act of love. Relationships take work. In the early years of Lorien's marriage, she and her husband would have what they called, "State of the Union" discussions. The talks grew out of the wish to be better partners, so these talks were more of an act of love than condemning some action, although they made sure to name what needed improving because to skip over the ugly bits and ignore the feelings of ang
Culture, Power, and Modern Yoga (Part 2): How Capitalism Shapes Modern Yoga
by Anjali Rao and Lorien Neargarder
This article was originally published on the Accessible Yoga blog Look up "benefits of yoga" online and you'll see pages of search results that claim everything from physical to mental/emotional improvements, some with click-bait statements such as, "With just one practice!" A favorite is the claim that back-bends and other postures that stretch the area of the upper chest will "open" your heart emotionally. This implied contract––that I wi
Culture, Power, and Modern Yoga: Insights from the East and West (Part 1)
by Anjali Rao and Lorien Neargarder
This article was originally published on the Accessible Yoga blog Yoga is a practice that liberates, transforms, is a path toward unity, and is inclusive of all humanity. As practitioners of yoga, we have all heard variations of this statement, but this is not accurate for many Americans, a reality we need to change. We are two yoga teachers from different backgrounds––Anjali Rao, an Indian American immigrant, and Lorien Neargarder, a natur
