The Ancient Science of Yoga: Unity and Liberation for All
In this time of increased awareness of racial disharmony, how does the study of yoga’s ancient roots invite us into greater empathy? Author and teacher Susanna Barkataki discusses how embracing yoga’s roots supports greater inclusivity and connection with each other and the world. In this program we are discussing Susanna’s book Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice.
Susanna Barkataki, is a Certified Yoga Therapist, teacher, inclusivity promoter, and yoga culture advocate. As an Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, her passion is to help others bridge the gap between yoga as an exercise and yoga as a lifestyle. She is founder of Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute and runs 200/500 Yoga Teacher Training programs. Susanna has an honors degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Education from Cambridge College. She is also a certified diversity, accessibility, inclusivity, and equity educator.
websites: SusannaBarkataki.com Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Susanna shares that yoga is a very deep philosophy that has not been respected due to different reasons, but racism and disrespect for the culture from which it comes are important reasons. Susanna's book focuses on how yoga has been culturally appropriated in the west and the teachers often ignore, sterilize and dilute the actual deeper teachings of yoga without respect to the culture and history from which it comes, in order to make it more "palatable" for the white culture. She says that this violates several of the important teachings of yoga, ahimsa-harmlessness, satya-truthfulness and asteya-non stealing. She uses the example of how the greeting Namaste is misused and disrespected. The goal of the practice of yoga is liberation, liberation for ourselves and for all. She shares these four questions that she uses to guide her life: 1) Is this action causing separation? 2) Am I embracing yoga's roots and my own values? 3) Does this action create connection? 4) Does this action lead to unity and liberation for myself and for all. Does it contribute to human uplift? In this time of greater awareness of racial injustice for so many, I hope to be able to regularly incorporate these useful questions into a framework for my life.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I particularly appreciated Susanna’s focus on defining yoga as that which unites, and non-yoga as that which divides. Her distinction between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation was quite helpful. The four questions she talked about for reflection before taking an action were very useful. (Does this action cause separation? Am I embracing both my and the culture of origin’s roots? Does this action create connection? Does it lead to unity and liberation?)