Build Equity and Inclusion On and Off the Mat
Yoga principles guide us to build more equity and inclusion in our practice and in the world. Dr. Stacie Graham encourages yoga practitioners and professionals to take action, aligning their practice with the powerful work of social justice.
Stacie Graham is a sought-after expert on leadership, equity and inclusion. Dr. Graham is the author of the book Yoga As Resistance: Equity and Inclusion On and Off the Mat. Stacie is also the founder of OYA: Body-Mind-Spirit Retreats, which offers holistic wellness experiences for Black women and women of color in the UK and beyond. She is also the co-founder of Radical Darshan, a 300 hour yoga teacher training school that helps students unlearn and disrupt normalized systems through critical thinking as well as compassion. She is a qualified life coach, certified mindfulness instructor, and registered with Yoga Alliance as an experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT 500).
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Stacie Graham’s main work is teaching hatha yoga and she is very steeped in the spiritual teachings of Yoga and brought that practice to this conversation and to her book, Yoga as Resistance. Dr. Trujillo’s question about how she brought these two words, yoga and resistance, which seem the opposite of each other, for the title of her book was an important insight for me. Her understanding of the word equity means that all people have the access to the programs and teachings without barriers, perceived or not.
This is a great program for those who run a yoga studio, yoga teachers, for students of hatha yoga and also for students of yoga philosophy.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: In both our conversation and in her book Dr. Graham has a lovely way of guiding us to look at the inconsistencies between yoga philosophy and how yoga is often practiced in the Western world. I appreciate her focus on yoga as a profound wisdom tradition that has much to offer in bringing more equity and inclusion to our world. I particularly appreciated looking at how the yoga practices of harmlessness (Ahimsa), non-stealing (Asteya) and truthfulness (Satya), can guide our actions as we move toward a more inclusive future.