In 2020–2021, with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Stop Asian Hate, and The Farmer’s Strike in India, commercial yoga outfits ‘woke’ to engage with the communities who’s cultural riches they have sold for centuries. Franchises opened their checkbooks like never before to fund the latest trending organization. …

On February 1, 2021, I logged online to the Yoga Alliance Digital program to present to 630 people practices that are nearest and dearest to my heart. My nervousness easily dissipated as we all tapped into techniques that felt sweet and nourishing as nectar. Prāṇāyāma practice usually entails observing inhalation…

Recently Jivana Heyman of the Accessible Yoga organization posed the question on FB: “Re: Cultural appropriation, how do you honor your teacher if they are/were abusive”, naming the Sivananda organization. I haven’t felt compelled to write about it until this moment, but now I do. *trigger warning: rape, assault, abuse…

by Anjali Sunita Many people shy away from Ayurveda because it classifies substances and people into basic categories or bio-energies called the doshas; classification of people in general bares warranted suspicion. As we have seen in Westernized Yoga communities, half-baked information can lead to stereotyping and a diluted understanding of…

EMBRACING THE COOL KAPHA SEASON

*Trigger warning, assault, stalking, domestic violence, and rape are briefly mentioned in this piece. Today I walked home alone in the dark, and I felt fine. In a small town of 7,500 people on the North Island of New Zealand, I walked in the dark for more than a mile. …

by: Anjali Sunita Kitchari, a simple mixture of rice, lentil, vegetables, and spices has become all the rage as Ayurveda enters the consciousness of mainstream yoga practitioners. “Kitchari” just means mixture. Whether for the high protein and nutritional content, ease of digestion, better sleep, or to meet your mood or…

When working or playing outside in the hot sun, a heat radiates from the core outward to the pores. Digestive power lessens. Bodies sweat and skin feels oilier. Summer time is pitta season. A deep breath of hot humid air can feel like breathing in liquid lava. There is an…