by NappyStock
Yoga started 5000 years ago in India, yet, when you look up yoga online, it seems like it’s always images of thin white women stretching while wearing expensive leggings. Ironically, a practice that has its roots in Brown people seems to exclude them in photos and/or videos in media. Moments like these contribute to millions of stories of Black and Brown women receiving unwelcoming looks in yoga studios.
“Being called out in a space that was supposed to be inclusive was so disheartening.” — Jasmine Bacon (Founder of OM + Essence app—a yoga directory that helps Black women find Black-owned yoga studios and Black yoga instructors. The ultimate goal for this app is to connect Black women with inclusive wellness resources that allow them to feel empowered.)
According to Rina Deshpande, an RYT-500 certified, Indian-American yoga teacher, "Yoga is for everyone, no matter what you look like. But yoga is also far more than a trendy physical practice. Yet much of the marketing around yoga unfairly favors and glamorizes these components to the point that the entire practice is often misunderstood." Because when you Google “yoga stock photos” there aren’t many people that look like us. We put together the “Breathe, Stretch, Shake” collection— A collection for all the underrepresented yogis out there.
It’s time for everyone to flow into their vinyasas.
bodybendyoga
alyssasieb
Jenna_Walker
NappyStock
