A letter from Tara & Zeyah
Movement: the way our muscles and bones and fat dance together in space. The rise and fall of the breath. Movement as action. A collective shift - in consciousness, in how we relate to one another… toward balance, liberation, and justice.
As so many aspects of our world shift and change, so does yoga. We (you, me, this community, and others) are part of a yoga movement. In this movement, yoga is for healing all individuals, all beings, and our collective. For community and relationship-building. It is a movement to wrestle yoga teachings away from the grips of money-motivated institutions that capitalize on image obsession and ideals of thinness, of whiteness, of able-bodied-ness, of gender conforming.
Movement to reclaim and know the roots of these ancestral teachings.
Movement to be in relationship with each other and with the earth.
Movement to practice all of yoga, not just postures, not gymnastics, but energy work, meditation, and ways of being.
Movement to understand yoga as an every day, every moment practice.
Movement to make yoga welcoming, inviting, accessible, for everyone.
And sometimes, we start to think we are doing something totally new here - that we’re part of this new wave in the yoga world. And then we realize. This is not totally new. In so many ways, these core principles are a return. A remembrance of the ancient and original teachings, adapted to our current, changed, contexts.
In this remembrance there is imperfection and plenty of un-knowing. We hold and are constantly reminded of the truth that not one person or yoga space or institution has all of the answers or the right way. That we’re part of something here that was already happening before us and will continue after us. That to really engage with this exploration of how to be in integrity with the roots of yoga and the goal of healing for all beings, we have to, we get to, explore together.
The tantric lineages of yoga, sacred lineages that come from the Himalayas, have so much to offer us here (quick plug - you can learn more about these through Khushi’s Malhotra’s upcoming workshop). Tantra, in Sanskrit meaning to weave, acknowledges the web of connection that exists between all beings, the way that every action I take impacts other beings, the way that as you move through the world there is a web of support around you that you can call on. This community, your teachers, fellow students, can be part of that web.
And you are also impacting each of us as you move through the web of our community - whether you’re taking classes online or in-person, contributing what you can to our BIPOC scholarship fundraiser, or simply reading this blog post and bringing what resonates into your day. As lifelong students, we - as stewards of the space, as teachers - are constantly exploring and learning what it means to hold the remembrance of these teachings in ways that support you and our healing, individually and collectively. Considering this, we hold tightly to the words of a wise ancestor, bell hooks, who said “To me, the classroom continues to be a place where paradise can be realized, a place of passion and possibility; a place where spirit matters, where all that we learn and all that we know leads us into greater connection, into greater understanding of life lived in community.”
May we move through each day, and each moment, each relationship, and yoga practice with this spirit of learning, remembering, and acting, in community.
We are so glad you’re here.
