Upcoming Programs from our friends at Satya Yoga

Note from our sister, Lakshmi Nair, founder of Satya Yoga:   Have you heard about or listened to Yoga is Dead yet?  In just 7 months and 6 game-changing episodes, Yoga is Dead has taken the yoga and wellness industry by storm. Since launching in June 2019, we’ve had over 200,000 downloads and created an audience of 14.6K Instagram followers. Their goal was to spark conversation and they certainly have and they have been featured in a dozen other podcasts and in several magazines like Yoga International, Outside Magazine and Om Yoga & Lifestyle.

Jesal Parikh, one of the co-hosts of this revolutionary podcast is going to be visiting Denver at the end of this month and I am so excitied to spark these long overdue conversations in the Denver/Boulder yoga communities and would like to personally invite you and your community to join us some intentional conversations around race, equity, and appropriation in yoga.  Learn more about Jesal and her work at Yogawalla.comand the Accessible Yoga Blog.

My name is Lakshmi Nair and I am the founder of Satya Yoga Co-op, the nation’s first and only POC owned and operated yoga co-op that is based right here in Denver.  In 6 years since I began this work, I have trained over 40 teachers of color, we launched a co-op, and offer donation based yoga classes 7 days a week.  I started Satya Yoga Co-op in response to the many experiences of exclusion I had as an Indian-American yoga teacher.  You can learn more about my work atwww.satyayogacooperative.com

Together, Jesal and I are doing two events. The first one, which is open to all, especially those who are interested in learning about allyship,  is called We’re all one…BUT ARE WE REALLY. Though yoga means union, when you walk into most yoga spaces, Google images for yoga or look on social media, we don’t usually see a lot of diversity. Why are so many people seemingly missing from mainstream yoga? And how can we change the yoga industry in order to be more inclusive?

Come hear the perspectives of 2 Indian American yoga teachers as they discuss these questions, talk about their experiences, and about issues like diversity, inclusivity, appropriation, spiritual by-passing and much more through the lens of yoga philosophy.  We are in a moment when these discussions are finally taking place throughout the Yoga world and we would like to invite those in the Denver Metro area yoga community interested in exploring the intersections of yoga and social justice and how to bring our spiritual ideals of Oneness into material reality to join us for this important conversation. The event takes place on February 24th.

For more information and for ticket purchase, please visit:

https://www.yogawallanyc.com/events

Our second event, Upwards Facing, is for BIPOC folks who want to:

• Build connection, understanding and solidarity with each other as BIPOC
• Share with each other ways in which and tools we use to continually show up for ourselves and each other
• Discuss the complexity of appropriation in yoga
• Practice vulnerability and deep listening as a part of ongoing healing
• Create space for rest and joy!

This event takes place on Feb 25th. Details for this pay-what-you-can event can be found at: https://www.yogawallanyc.com/events

AND…Jesal’s visit follows on the heels of a powerful one day workshop on Sunday, Feb. 23rd, in which I will also be presenting.

Seeds of Change presented by Guided By Humanity is a foundational workshop for yoga professionals rooted in social justice conversations, which will feature thought leaders and community members who are from and teach to people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ, body-positive communities, and trauma survivors,  who will share with us personal stories and insights for making our yoga communities more welcoming and aligned with our stated values.

We believe these are really important conversations that need to happen in the Colorado yoga community and well beyond.  If you agree, we’d also appreciate if you could help spread the word of this event to your community either in person, on social media, in your newsletter or in whatever other ways you connect with folks who are interested in embodying the principles of yoga off the mat and in the real world.

Thank you for engaging in this work with us. And we hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Lakshmi and Jesal