Creating an Inclusive and Diverse Yoga Environment for Underrepresented Participants of Yoga.
This program is designed to consist of three separate learning encounters, separated by time, to allow for participants to digest and have the freedom to process the information and any thoughts or feelings that may arise. The hope is to allow each participant to feel safe to explore their own implicit and explicit bias using the lens of ahimsa and satiya and then transitioning to actively using that lens while exploring the concepts of inclusivity and diversity. Once we have changed our perspectives to see life through the eyes of others, our hope is that we can be more intentional about creating welcoming spaces and aware of areas that are opportunities for growth.
Learning Encounter 1: Exploring.
During the first learning encounter, we set boundaries and guidelines that allow each of us to feel safe in the space and we focus on introduction of terms and examining our own implicit bias. Through meditation and journalling, we start to put ourselves into situations where we are able to understand how our own bias, which every single solitary human has, can negatively affect others.
Learning Encounter 2: Seeing.
Learning Encounter 2 focuses on taking what we have learned about ourselves and with that information, trying to see the world from the perspective of others. Through meditation case studies we will try to feel empathy with situations that others frequently have when entering traditional yoga studios. We will broaden our perspectives and become aware of how other see and experience our yoga world.
Learning Encounter 3: Creating.
The last learning encounter focuses on taking what we have learned in the first two and applying it to what we see. We will use vignettes, meditative case studies, journaling, small and large group shares to try and use our collective mind to create ways that we can each go back to our home studio and make changes that we can build on over time, to create a diverse and inclusive space that welcomes all.