Dare to be free, dare to go as far as your thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life.
- Swami Vivekananda
Another month, another long weekend of Radical Darshan yoga teacher training...
Over the last four days, we explored somatics, pranayama, nidra, kriya, and krama. We learned teaching ethics for trans, non-binary, and intersex (TNBI) inclusion and the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and birth. We spent time contemplating the intersection of meditation and identity and took a new look at the yamas and niyamas with a lens of social justice and collective care.
It was a big weekend. And a whole lot more happened in this vessel outside of the above-listed concepts and practices. I like to give space in this newsletter at least once a month for my learnings in this yoga teacher training because it's important work, and it's not necessarily happening in most yoga and wellness circles. But I also don't have much to share right now that feels my own.
It will take time to process, integrate, and embody everything that I'm learning in this program, so I'd like to share with you today ten affirmations inspired by this most recent study of the yamas and niyamas.
The yamas and niyamas are the ethical guideposts within yoga philosophy. They were shared in the Vedas and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali thousands of years ago and have been studied by billions of people around the world since then. While the yamas are the external values that we share with ourselves and others, the niyamas are our personal observances and inner world practices.
These ten ethical rules have different meanings to different people, and their meanings evolve within each of us as we do the same. At the same time, they each hold a universal truth. I hope these affirmations bring you clarity, ease, and strength in your work towards social justice, healing, and self and collective care.
✨ I know that I cannot completely eliminate harm, and at the same time, I will continuously work to reducing harm in my actions, words, and thoughts (ahimsa / non-violence)
✨ My truth is guided by the one divine truth—that we are all born equal—and I will stand up for this truth when it is necessary, kind, beneficial, and timely. (satya / truthfulness)
✨ I have all that I need, I have enough to share, and I am enough exactly as I am. My worth is not informed by how much I have, and I am more worthy than what capitalism deems me to be. (asteya / non-stealing)
✨ I know that revolution is not a one-time event. I am aligned and disciplined in my thoughts, actions, and words, and I am working towards one goal. (brahmacharya / restraint of energy)
✨ I know that I cannot know everything. I am open to learning, listening, taking a step back, and giving space to others to shine. (aparigraha / non-grasping)
✨ I cleanse myself of toxic beliefs, patterns, and behaviors. I am no longer complacent within systems designed to keep us fighting against each other. (saucha / purity)
✨ I am more than the identities I carry, and they are also a part of me. I am at ease with myself because I know who I am better than anyone else. (santosha / acceptance)
✨ I am passionate, courageous, and committed to social justice and equality for all. I know that I am not alone, and I can lean on my community when I need it. (tapas / self-discipline)
✨ I will continue to identify the spaces where I hold power and recognize my own oppressive actions, thoughts, and words so that I may dismantle systems of oppression. (svadhyaya / self-study)
✨ I trust the process. I know that when I am guided by these truths, change will happen. (ishvara pranidhana / surrender)
Thank you to my teachers—and to their teachers and to their teachers going back thousands of years—for this most beautiful practice.
Happy Monday, friends. May you find ease in your week, and may you rest when you need it and speak up when necessary. ✨
Yoga of movement ✨
I'm teaching one more class this week before I go on holiday for ten days. Join me tomorrow!
Tuesday ✨ Rejuvenate 45 (book)
Please try to sign up at least 3 hours before the start of class, and if you can't make it in real-time, you'll get the recording in your email.
I'm also available for private and corporate classes. I'm offering complimentary corporate classes to nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations. Reply to this email if you're interested!
Yoga of action ✨
I'm tithing 10% of my income from my online yoga classes to organizations that fight against white supremacy. Every month, I'll pick a new organization and highlight it below. If these organizations call to you, please consider contributing (no matter how small).
My September donation will go to The Anti-Racism Daily, a free, daily newsletter that reports on current events through an anti-racism lens and provides readers with clear action on what they can do to build a better future for all people. Every week this month, I'll highlight some actions and readings from the newsletter:
Learn about ethical jewelry—Experts believe that more than 3.7 million people have died from conflict in the diamond trade.
Use this guide before buying diamonds.
Read more about the hidden cost of the jewelry industry.
Watch “Blood Diamonds,” a documentary on the impact of the diamond trade on Sierra Leone’s Kono district.
Have a suggested organization? Leave a comment to share.
Yoga of words ✨
Grab a pen, grab your journal. Have a seat somewhere comfortable. Close your eyes, take a breath in, and let it go. Your weekly writing prompt is below.
Think of a time that you said something that might have been hurtful or contentious. Was it true? Was it necessary? Was it beneficial? Was it kind? Write about what you said through these four questions—the Sufi Four Gates of Speech.
Feel free to share what you've written by clicking the link below. Of course, you’re also welcome to keep this practice as just yours.
Other musings ✨
Introverts at parties be like (The New Yorker)
The revolution will not be televised (Instagram)
Black surfers reclaim their place on the waves (The New York Times)
How language classes are moving beyond the gender binary (The New York Times)
There is a dish that I no longer know how to find, and every time I think of it, my heart breaks a little bit (KindRedPacket)
Vague language doesn’t invite good policy. When you create policy on vague definitions, it invites law enforcement discretion. It actually provides ammunition to systems of policing and law enforcement (The Anti-Racism Daily)
On repeat: Krunk by San Night Dynamite (Spotify)
I'm here for you—for class, for advice, for anything that you need or would like to share. Always a phone call/text/DM/reply button away.
LBC ✨
P.S. If you like this newsletter, please share it with your friends! And if someone sent you this newsletter, you can subscribe below!