Dear readers,

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I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge my own whiteness and privilege and how that impacts my yoga practice, as well as how I teach yoga. As a white person who is not of South Asian descent, I am not entitled to teach yoga. Being able to teach is not something I should take for granted. I don't get to just teach and not acknowledge the risk of appropriating another culture, especially one that is marginalized in so many contexts. I know that I'm using a sacred practice that is not from my own culture, so I have the responsibility to be as critical of my own practice as I possibly can. I want to make sure I'm not harming anyone with my practice or my teaching of yoga. 

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"Should I be teaching yoga?" is not a question that came up for me when I started my yoga teacher training over five years ago. I have a degree in Religious Studies and focused my attention specifically to Hinduism, and I studied abroad in India, so for me it just felt like a great idea to start teaching yoga - but I never questioned whether it was mine to teach. I've only started asking myself this question in the past three years and it's something I ask myself every time I teach. There's a fine line between honoring a culture and appropriating it.

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Yoga came into my life during a very difficult time when I was finally figuring out my gender and who I truly am. Yoga carried me through my most challenging days and I knew I wanted to share my discoveries with other people who have similar identities and experiences to my own. Most of my teaching has been centered around teaching folks who are queer, trans, low-income, and have other intersecting marginalized identities. Yoga has taught me to be vulnerable and confront my fears, as well as confront the systems of oppression that keep certain groups of people marginalized.

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Back to the question of whether I should be teaching yoga - for now, the answer is "yes." However, if I receive feedback from someone of South Asian descent that I shouldn't be teaching yoga, then that answer will change. For now, as long as I center my teaching around people with marginalized identities, and as long as I'm honoring the culture yoga comes from, I will continue teaching. I will continue to be an enthusiastic learner and continue fighting for social justice through yoga. 

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If you have feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out to me. 

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With love and respect,

Felix