Celebrating Black History in Your Yoga Practice

Celebrating black history in your yoga practice and teachings is an important consideration. It's beautiful that we dedicate the month of February to honoring black history, but it is equally important to remember, acknowledge and honor the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans every day.   Black history is American history, and there are many ways that everyone can join the celebration in yoga.  Honoring Black yogis is only one of the ways.

7 Ways to Celebrate Black History in Your Yoga Practice and Teachings

1.  Educate Yourself on Black History and Yoga

If you're a yoga practitioner and/or yoga teacher, you probably want to learn about the history of Black Americans and yoga in the United States.  Historically, yoga has sadly been a privilege in most parts of America.  It used to be very uncommon to find yoga classes in every community in the United States.  Yoga classes were expensive and yoga studio memberships were expensive.  As a result, many people of color didn't have access to yoga and those who did may not have always felt welcome in yoga spaces. 

While there have been many strides in the right direction, the problem is not completely alleviated.  I've talked with many people who have been met with unpleasant experiences when showing up to take a yoga class.  Even well-intending yoga teachers can say things that are tone-deaf, and some people have experienced outright racism.  These experiences are discouraging and hurtful, and each of us who practices and teaches yoga has a duty not to harm others which is why it is important to understand the history of yoga and Black Americans.

Black Yoga Teachers Alliance shared this beautiful documentary called "The Uncommon Yogi" about the history of Black people and yoga in the United States.

2.  Join Black Yoga Teachers Alliance

If you're a yoga teacher, you might consider joining Black Yoga Teachers Alliance.  BYTA is a "collective of yoga teachers who share the peace and power of yoga to support better physical and emotional health and well-being for all."   It was founded in 2009 by yoga teachers Maya Breuer and Jana Long.  

I've been a member of Black Yoga Teachers Alliance for the past five years, and I enjoy reading the blog posts and tapping into the resources that they share. 

3.  Support Black Yoga Teachers and Black Businesses 

One of the most important ways that you can celebrate Black history in your yoga practice is by supporting Black yoga teachers and Black-owned wellness businesses.  Coming from an authentic place that is free of performative intentions, take a yoga class from a Black yoga teacher if that's something you haven't done.  If you're looking for a new continuing education yoga course, maybe you choose one that is led by a Black yoga teacher.   

If you haven't learned from a Black yoga teacher before, that might be something to sit with and explore.  Maybe you ponder why you haven't taken a class from a Black yoga instructor.  Perhaps there aren't any at your studio or in your community, which circles us back to the conversation on yoga being accessible to all people and how many yoga spaces ended up being less than inclusive environments.  Maybe you tend to choose yoga classes from people who are familiar or who remind you of yourself.  Learning from a perspective that is different from your own is part of growth.  That's how we expand and add on to ourselves.  Perhaps there is space to push your own personal boundaries and expose yourself to something or someone new and unfamiliar.

Chances are that if you're reading this article, you're probably interested in wellness and you probably support wellness-related businesses as part of your daily or weekly routine.  If you aren't regularly patronizing Black-owned wellness businesses, that's something you can add on as you celebrate Black history in your yoga practice and teachings.

4.  Read Yoga Books by Black Authors

Another way to get involved and pull Black history celebrations into your yoga routines is to read yoga books by Black authors.  Here are some that I recommend:

• Yoga for Everyone: 50 Yoga Poses for Every Type of Body by Dianne Bondy
• Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love Your Body by Jessamyn Stanley
• The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee
• Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma by Dr. Gail Parker
• Meditations On Intentions and Being: Daily Reflections on the Practices of Yoga, Mindfulness and Healthy Living by Rolf Gates

5.    Create Inclusive Environments and Offer Affordable Yoga

The easiest way to create an inclusive environment is through self-study, or as we say in yoga Svadhyaya.  Study your yoga philosophy and set an intention to infuse your life with your yamas, niyamas and other yogic concepts.  Search yourself without judgment to discover any biases that you may harbor from past experiences or learned behaviors. 

Through meditation, heart chakra balancing and devotion to yogic living, you can work to remove these biases.  If it's true that the mouth is the fountain and the heart is the reservoir, then your words and behaviors reflect what lives within.  By purifying ourselves internally we are able to generate kind words and compassionate behaviors externally.  This is really the first step in creating inclusive environments in your yoga spaces so that every person feels welcome.

Another thing that you can do as a yoga teacher to increase accessibility for your yoga classes is to offer affordable yoga.  One of the reasons we offer the most affordable yoga teacher training online is because it is our mission to make yoga accessible and affordable for everyone while keeping it authentic.  Yoga shouldn't be so expensive that the cost to attend becomes a barrier for people who want to practice.  We never want money to stop someone from learning the practice of yoga.

6.  Quote Black People and Read Poems From Black Authors in Your Yoga Classes

It is very common that yoga teachers read quotes at the beginning of yoga classes or the end of yoga classes.  Sometimes we even weave quotes throughout the middle of our yoga classes.  If you're interested in incorporating Black history into your yoga classes, one of the things you can do is to find quotes from Black people that fit your yoga class theme.  There are thousands of profound quotes from Black people so you have plenty to choose from.

If you're the yoga teacher who enjoys reading poems during your yoga classes, you can also find poems from Black authors that you can read to your students.  This is a way to highlight the contributions of Black people and honor Black history.  

7.  Learn More About Kemetic Yoga

We are all familiar with yoga coming from India, and we know that it is a practice that has been around for thousands of years.  What is less well-known is that yoga researchers discovered that there are yogic roots in Egypt also.   It's known as Kemetic Yoga and it emphasizes moving energy throughout the body to connect with a higher power or a higher version of yourself.  Learning about African influence on yoga and practicing some Kemetic yoga poses is a beautiful way to pull Black history into your yoga practice.