Yoga, Diversity, and Embracing Who We Are

Check out the June 2015 Issue of Yoga Journal featuring Chelsea Jackson as cover model and Home Practice Teacher! Be sure to check out her FULL INTERVIEW about Yoga, Diversity, and Embracing Who We Are . “Privilege is something that can make the unfamiliar invisible. Privilege doesn’t make you a bad person; however, denying the voices and experiences of those affected by your privilege is damaging. Privilege is relative and can change from setting to setting. In the case of some of the communities with whom I work, I have to check my privilege as well. Although, I may not have privileges in some spaces because of my gender or race, my education and “able” body has afforded me privileges in other spaces. The more I acknowledge my privilege, the more empathy and openness I have to learning from others. And it’s important that we remember as yoga teachers that even though yoga may have “worked” for us, it may not always have the same resonance with other people. I see yoga as a tool to dismantle structural oppression. It can help us interrogate systems that are constantly putting us in boxes or marginalizing us.” – Chelsea Jackson, Ph.D., Yoga Journal Magazine