Decolonizing Yoga — Because ‘Good Vibes Only’ Isn’t Going to Cut It

Yoga is at a crossroads and so are the people who teach it.

Across the world, classes are full, studios are thriving, and Instagram is overflowing with inspiration, yet something essential has been quietly slipping through our fingers. The yoga we inherited has been shaped by colonization, commercialization, and convenience, leaving many teachers unknowingly repeating narratives that were never part of the practice.
This conversation is not about blame. It is about returning yoga to truth. It is about every teacher, healer, and facilitator reclaiming the depth, lineage, and liberation that the Sutras have always pointed toward. When we choose to teach yoga, we also choose responsibility. And the world does not need more choreography. It needs conscious educators willing to look deeper, unlearn bravely, and teach with integrity.

Quiet the Noise. Hear the Truth.

योगश् चित्त-वृत्ति-निरोधः

Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ — Yoga stills the fluctuations of the mind.

Every yoga teacher knows this Sutra.
Few ever consider what noise we’re actually quieting.

Because beneath the playlists and pranayama, beneath the sun salutations and the soft lighting, there are stories we were taught — and stories we were not taught.

Stories shaped by colonization.
Stories shaped by erasure.
Stories shaped by the wellness industry, not by the wisdom of the Sutras.

When the mind truly becomes still, we start hearing the truths modern yoga has been trying to drown out.

Yoga teachers… ready to hear what your TT skipped?

This is where the real conversation begins.

The Kleshas We Don’t Talk About

अविद्या अस्मिता राग द्वेष अभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः

Avidyā asmitā rāga dveṣa abhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ — The root afflictions.

Patanjali didn’t just describe inner suffering.
He described the psychological architecture of every system that distorts truth — including colonization.

Avidyā — forgetting the roots.
Asmita — attaching to the identity of “teacher” or “expert.”
Raga — clinging to Western aesthetics.
Dveṣa — avoiding uncomfortable truths.
Abhiniveśa — fear of losing what the system gave us.

These kleshas live not only in individuals, but in yoga culture itself.

This is the part where things get uncomfortable — and where transformation starts to taste real.

Don’t worry — we’re unlearning together. No gold stars needed.

This work isn’t about blame or shame.
It’s about clarity. Integrity. Return.

The Heat, The Honesty, The Humility

तपः स्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः

Tapaḥ svādhyāyēśvara-praṇidhānāni kriyā-yogaḥ — The path of action.

Tapas — the fire.
Svadhyaya — the mirror.
Ishvara pranidhana — the surrender.

This is the yoga that cracks you open.
Not performance. Not aesthetics. Not the curated “yogi identity.”

This is the yoga that asks:

Who am I when the narratives fall away?
What am I carrying that isn’t mine?
What am I teaching that isn’t true?

This is where teachers become students again.
Where practice becomes honesty.
Where lineage becomes living.

Spoiler: this work is spicier than your favourite vinyasa.

But oh, what freedom it brings.

Why This Matters Now

Because yoga has become global — but not always in ways that honour its roots.
Because silent harm is still harm.
Because teachers shape culture, and culture shapes consciousness.
And because yoga deserves better than “good vibes only.”

If we want yoga to remain a path of liberation,
we must be willing to liberate our own teaching first.

This is the moment.
This is the work.
This is the return.

Work With Me

If this stirred something in you — a spark, a cringe, a curiosity — then:

✨ Invite me to your studio or retreat to host this conscious conversation.
✨ Book a one-on-one private session to unlearn, heal, and deepen your understanding.
✨ Bring me into your YTT to teach the decolonial foundations your trainees won’t get anywhere else.

Yoga teachers, healers, facilitators…
Ready to teach beyond the buzzwords?

Let’s talk.