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