052. Yoga & Self-Care for Women of Color with Maya Breuer

In episode 52, Amber interviews Maya Breuer, yoga teacher, community activist, and Yoga Alliance’s Vice President of Cross-Cultural Advancement. She shares about the work Yoga Alliance is doing for teachers working in marginalized communities as well as her important projects like the Yoga Retreat For Women of Color, Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, and more. Maya talks about the importance of self-care for Black women and how the yoga practice has kept her grounded during challenging times.

In this episode...

• Maya introduces herself and talks about the work she does with Yoga Alliance as Vice President of Cross-Cultural Advancement
• Maya shares about Yoga Alliance Foundation’s Teaching for Equity program which offers stipends for yoga teachers working in marginalized communities
• She talks about the origins of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color, which has been held since 1999 at Kripalu, as well as what you can expect if you come to the retreat
• Maya tells her yoga origin story from the 1970s and how rediscovering yoga in the 1980s helped her heal herself and find peace
• Maya talks about her teachers and how she came to study to become a yoga teacher, followed by how the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance came to be
• Maya discusses the importance of self-care for Black women as well as how the pandemic has been for her and her practice
• Maya shares her go-to breathing practice for grounding herself as well as some things that are lighting her up these days

Resources:

• Teaching for Equity program
• Yoga Retreat for Women of Color
• Kripalu
• Amrit Desai 
• Beryl Binder Berch
• Tom Gilette
• Judith Lasater
• Stephen Cope
• Lakulish school in India
• Black Yoga Teachers Alliance