YOGA AND SAFETY: A BIPOC EXPERIENCE
As I sit on the floor of the hot room
it is quiet, but my ears catch the soft music playing
As I look around
I fail to see myself in others
As we begin in a seated position
And we close our eyes
I notice that my body does not feel safe here
I hear my mother’s fearful voice in my mind
Telling me to stay away from the practice
And I remember
The colonial chains that tie us to white hope
We have so many so-called saviours
Yet we are more lost than we’ve ever been
For 23 years I lived as a brown woman
Detached from her cultural identity
Yoga allowed me to embrace the power I hold within
To embrace the knowledge my ancestry has passed down
Practice honesty with yourself
Before you practice yoga
If you can’t
Then surely,
yoga will gently prompt you to