Yoga is the pursuit of who we are. It's a path where we organize our inner world and outer actions. Yoga is the direction that leads us further into knowing who we are and what we can do. As Maya Angelou had said, It’s time to do better.

"When you know better, do better."

It’s time to do better.

There is so much to learn - about each other and ourselves - and like no other time our willingness to listen and to learn is most critical. We are all wrestling with the reckoning of inequalities and injustices and, I too, have been reflecting on my own insights and actions on the topic of racism.

I have paused. I have been sitting with my thoughts and emotions from what I was listening to, watching and reading. I have begun to get present and clear with my true feelings and understanding of racism and injustice and also questioning my own behaviour, beliefs and thought patterns. I know there is a long road ahead of many roars to come, but big change starts from the small, meaningful and integral steps. It starts with changing our own beliefs and understandings and we must also take actions.

This is a moment to stand for justice, and to open our eyes to the atrocious violence happening in front of us. Among many examples, racism is the eight minutes and forty-six seconds of an innocent black man, George Floyd, being murdered by someone who was supposed to protect him. How can it be 2020 and we are all wondering if, this time again, murder will go unpunished?

It's time to bring the past forward to heal and to give our attention to the teachings of black, brown and indigenous people of color. As a white woman, now is the time for me to make a stand, donate, sign petitions, and educate. It's time to shift the conversation and to take action for real change.

I know I have more work to do. I am listening. I welcome your feedback.

I have found this link very helpful and if this resonates with you, please explore the various ways to learn, support and act below.

Organizations to Support

Black Lives Matter
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Color of Change
The Bail Project
Reclaim the Block
The Minnesota Freedom Fund
The George Floyd Memorial Fund

Books to Read

Skill in Action by Michelle Johnson

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

Uprooting Racism by Paul Kivel

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon