5. Cultural appropriation of yoga - a starting point with Madhura Bhagawat

In this episode, we chat about a topic dear to my heart - Cultural appropriation of yoga with my guest, Madhura Bhagawat. Being born & raised in India, this topic is close to my heart. (I bet you've seen my campaigns on Instagram) & a couple of months ago, I met Madhura online. She's a force of nature, working tirelessly to shed light on what yoga is truly about. I knew with her deep understanding of yoga, politics & law she would shed so much light on this topic. She's honest & tells it like it is! This episode is the start of many such conversations to come about yoga in the western world. But think of this as a starting point for yoga teachers & studio owners. HIGHLIGHTS>>> What is cultural appropriation? How is it different from appreciation? Why Indian yoga teachers are often left out of mainstream western yoga? The yoga scene in Scotland (where Madhura is currently based) What does decolonizing yoga mean? Appropriation we see in modern yoga studios...including use of the word yogi, namaste, using music in class, mala beads as a fashion statement, use of deities and sacred symbols as decor and so much more... We talk about tokenism for Indian yoga teachers & hiring more Indian and South Asian teachers in studios and teacher trainings Is yoga a religion? Lastly, we talk about how some yoga teachers are sensationalizing and using the BLM movement & other social causes to create controversy and connect Indian politics to the BLM and taking things out of context. How yoga teachers need to be cautious of what they understand from social media? How Instagram is not the place for yoga education and more... Madhura's Instagram is here ... Show notes here ... Let's connect on Instagram Join our Facebook community More good stuff on the website ... If you like this episode, please rate and leave us a review so more yoga teachers & students can find this podcast! Waitlist for the Online 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (launching January) Sequence Smarter – The Living Body of Asana For teachers living in India, reach out to Janessa at admin@ahamyoga.com for special local pricing Join our mailing list Find all the resources mentioned in this episode Connect with us on Instagram