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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