Yoga describes a living, breathing practice rooted in a system of liberation that contains two, main, lateral rhizomes: power and spiritual connection. The rhizomes of power and spirituality intersect with harmful, complex systems of imperial and European-settler colonization that originated in India and then transplanted (appropriated) to the United States. Through a decolonial and feminist lens, the rhizomes can be traced back to examine how these systems have morphed from a spiritual and philosophical practice to a health focus, a science-based practice, and a lifestyle.
My scholarship at Prescott College led me to examine the lifestyle of yoga that I felt and experienced in yoga spaces. Particularly, how mainstream media'a portrayal of a "practice" for slender, able-bodied, financially privileged, white women; a space where I could participate in, but a community in which I did not belong.
To learn more about my research on yoga and colonization, please click below for a pdf.
