Times up! The true democratic potential of yoga must be realized. Yoga began as a political and religious alternative to India’s social conservatism and religious fundamentalism, and though commerce-orientation and bigotry has slowed its evolution, things are changing. We believe we are at the forefront of that movement as a result of our values. For us, along with the physical training, contemplative peace, and philosophical enlightenment our yoga practices foster, what we do on our mats should also translate to us standing up for what’s right and decrying injustice. We can all do that together and at WYC we actually are doing it together. For us, that’s the true measure of yogic advancement. WYC offers a cohesive and supportive community. Our support ranges from the type of classes we have, the conversations we encourage, and the events we create. Political yoga teachers mobilize our local community as powerfully as anything, and we want to do everything we can to make sure that mobilization is inclusive. Our teacher training graduates make up a more diverse alumni than any in western yoga history and we will keep doing better. Some of the organizations that we support include:
We understand that this approach to a yoga community may lose potential students. In fact, we know it will. However, these are issues we feel strongly about and must act in a way that represents our belief and we encourage you to as well.