Young Women Advocating For Change

Resistance shows up in almost every attempt to acquire a new skill or explore a new experience. Resistance is part of the learning process, and yoga offers us many practices for cultivating the skills needed to learn to listen to our bodies as we move through the practice. In anti-racism work, resistance and rigidity by white people arises as a manifestation of white supremacy when folks actively deny the truth of what we can all see and feel in our bodies. It is a privilege and a luxury that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are not afforded. What can we do to understand this dynamic more clearly, and how can we all learn to respond more skillfully in times of tumult and upheaval? This 1-hr practice is an invitation to learn to reconnect and resource in times when challenged by outside voices, circumstances, systemic oppression, and even our own inner programming, leading to feelings of disconnect and isolation, making us perhaps want to shut down, rather than skillfully respond. Through gentle movement, breathwork, and thoughtful reflection, participants will learn to source from within and stabilize their foundation so that they can deepen the connection to the fierce and loving current alive within them. This is a practice of yoga, literally a useful connection, made to help folks discover their own inner anchors, inner-knowing, and deep wisdom so that they can have what they need to name and stand up for what is right, while supporting those struggling for their very lives.

This 2-hour workshop will engage participants in an active reflection on race and racism through embodied practice based on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. Through collective brainstorming and image analysis, participants will reflect on individual actions that they can make to bring positive change to their lives and communities. This interactive workshop honors each individual’s lived experience, using image creation to unleash our body-knowledge in order to synthesize solutions that live within our collective imagination. In this workshop we will learn from ourselves as well as the rest of the participants and the facilitator, leading to powerful reflections and community building.