Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Yoga Teacher & Social Justice Advocate Susanna Barkataki. Today’s mainstream yoga culture is steeped in capitalism, exclusivity, and cultural appropriation.
How did we get here, and how can we protect the wholeness of the practice for future generations? In this episode we discuss the nuances of yoga’s history, accountability for yoga professionals, and decolonization in practice.
00:00 - Intro
01:25 - What Yoga Means to Us
03:17 - Interconnectedness in Yoga and Daily Life
05:58 - Moving Beyond the Mat: Everyday Practice of Yoga
07:14 - Harmful Norms in Modern/Postural Yoga
10:00 - How Oppressive Systems Show Up in Yoga Spaces
13:07 - Hierarchy in Yoga Studios
15:04 - Yoga’s Resilience and Power Despite Appropriation
16:03 - The “At Least They’re Moving” Narrative
20:07 - Teachers' Responsibility to Go Deeper
25:04 - Internalised Oppression
27:06 - Desire to Learn and Practice with Respect
29:00 - The Emotional Toll of Appropriation
31:01 - Capitalism and Commercialisation in Yoga
34:59 - Historical Context of Yoga
37:02 - Modern-Day Capitalist Exploitation in Yoga
40:00 - Teachers Navigating Capitalism with Integrity
42:27 - Representation, Reparations, and Platform Inequity
48:03 - Mutual Support vs. Competition
52:23 - Humanizing the Experience: Healing Through Yoga
55:11 - Importance of Internal Validation
56:56 - How to Begin the Work of Decolonizing Yoga
58:59 - Move Slowly and Consistently with the Work
01:00:03 - Building Relationships with Stewards
01:03:04 - Ask Hard Questions to Institutions
01:05:47 - Reflections on Slowing Down
01:08:05 - Be Yoga, Not Just Do Yoga
01:10:01 - Uplifting Each Other
01:12:39 - Outro
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Thank you for watching this video and checking out the channel. My practice is rooted in my spiritual background of Sikhism and Buddhism and ancestral roots in Panjab, India - this informs my desire to teach yoga authentically as a spiritual practice. To learn more, please find all of our resources below.
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