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Where I come from yoga is its own religion. Lululemon, the world’s largest yoga apparel company, started there, and a large proportion of Vancouverites, the majority of whom are white and wealthy, regularly partake in the world of yoga. For a long time I avoided the whole scene, as I was disturbed at the way in which this sacred spiritual practice, created by ancient Indian communities, was becoming a cash cow for the white, rich, and powerful. I was finally reacquainted when a good friend started teaching and let me guest her classes for free (cuz shit was expensive!). I was reminded of the origins of the practice, its great power to aid us in overcoming adversities, and the ways it can serve as a vehicle for much-needed change. Years later, I signed up for yoga teacher training as a means to bring this potent practice to Black women+ and other marginalized communities. At the time my only option was to take this training from a white woman. It certainly wasn’t my first choice, but she was the longtime partner of someone I knew, so I chose to give it a go. Big. Mistake.
It began with an energetic inkling, as these things usually do. Though the teacher and I had some rapport, something still felt off. As the only Black person in the class, I thought it was just in my head (as internalized oppression had taught me to do), but then the aggressions began. When I asked questions during lessons on the origins of yoga, the teacher promptly shut me down. There was no sense of being a lifelong learner of the practice or culture herself, instead I was not to challenge her know-how in any way. Then she told me that my energy was overbearing. That I needed to be wary of intimidating my future students. I was regularly criticized for the way I held and took up space, so much so that I began to question myself and whether I was actually aware of my environment and impact on others, both on and off the mat. I had some strong feelings about the way I was being treated, but those feelings weren’t “spiritual,” so I spiraled into self-doubt, which then turned into self-attack. Maybe this isn’t what I think it is? Maybe she just doesn’t like me? Am I a bad person for thinking this is fucked up? During the last few days of training, all the students led one another through sequences. The teacher carefully curated groups of twos and threes, and on every occasion I was matched with the loudest and most space-consuming cis white man in our class.
Is this because I can handle his shit? Or is this because she’s telling me we’re aligned energetically? I could barely focus, not only because he was constantly in my fucking face, but because the overall message I was being sent throughout the training was that I was too much. That I wasn’t cut out to teach and my way of being would cause my students harm. I was ostracized for being who I am. My Black, bubbly, and boisterous self wasn’t the right fit for yoga. At least not according to the white woman who was teaching me about it. The training left me so dubious and depleted I barely had any desire to teach yoga asanas at all. I still don’t.
I wish my story was unique, but it’s not. The white-washing of wellness has resulted in white supremacist standards as the norm, and it is causing BI&WoC, LGBTTQIA+ folx, and others mad harm. Below are some of the specific ways the spiritual and wellness industry both exclude and cause harm to BI&WoC (as well as many other marginalized folx).
#1—Profit over People
Many wealth and hellness offerings are made by and for the white and wealthy, so they ain’t cheap. There are an array of wellness spaces charging upward of $30 per class! I will never say that BI&WoC can’t or don’t have money, because of course we can and we do, but there are systemic and institutional obstacles in place that result in many BI&WoC earning far less than men+ and white women+ for the same work, especially Black and Indigenous women+. As well as Latinx women+. Charging major chunks of change means we are being excluded from the opportunity to participate or are forced to sacrifice more in order to do so. It also means that if and when we do partake, we are likely to be only one of a few BI&WoC in the space. When I was a spin instructor (a few lives ago), our classes were pricey and I was left teaching rooms full of white folx, so even as an instructor I was the outsider. It was isolating—not to mention exhausting. I mean, you try teaching an all-white class how to ride on beat in unison. Way above my pay grade!
BI&WoC are also frequently priced out of things like retreats, courses, and nutritional wellness. Buying organic or going vegan is great in theory, but it is not a practical or financial reality for many who are otherwise oppressed and then shamed for their inability to afford the lifestyle choices proclaimed “healthy” by whiteness. Most wellness spaces are also entirely inaccessible to disabled folx, be it physically or otherwise. Minor changes could foster massive inclusion, but these spaces remain inept and exclusive. When wellness is devised within the racist, ableist, capitalist, heteropatriarchal status quo, it prioritizes profits over people and denigrates the sacred practices created to bring unity, not division.
#2—Cultural Appropriation*
Many things we place under the “wellness” umbrella today are practices and offerings created by and for communities of color that have been co-opted and appropriated by whiteness. Cultural appropriation refers to a particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture steal intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and/or informational wealth from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group. With respect to race relations, this means white folx who steal cultural elements from any BI&PoC community are appropriating, and because of universal oppression against Black and Indigenous folx, any person who steals from Black or Indigenous communities is appropriating. As with any form of theft, it is inherently harmful. I’m not saying white folx can’t practice offerings from BI&PoC cultures (or non-Black folx from Black culture), but very often when they do it lacks any connection with the community of color that created it and is thus appropriative. In some cases, it even goes so far as being an assault on what the original practice actually is, the origins of that practice, and the community that created it. For example, a roomful of white women+ practicing “hip-hop yoga” is offensive in all kinds of ways. First, it’s not yoga. It’s movement that has benefits, but it is not linked to the tradition of yoga. Call it something else. To honor the roots of yoga is to honor the eight limbs of yoga (seven of which are non-physical). It also requires honoring the ancient Indians who created the practice Westerners are most familiar with today, and the ancient Egyptians (i.e—Africans) whose Kemetic yoga practice is said to predate yoga from ancient India.4 Second, hip-hop is a specific art form created by Black Americans as a means to navigate the pain of anti-Blackness most predominantly caused by, guess who? White folx! To appropriate a sacred Indian and African spiritual practice while listening to Black American music created for Black folx’ survival is a hell no. Listening to our music requires first listening to and addressing the ways you oppress us. Most white folx who partake in those kinds of classes do so without any understanding of the roots of yoga or of Black music and are doing diddly-squat to support, uplift, or give back to Indian, African, or Black American communities or combat the oppression we regularly face as a result of the white supremacy these same white folx are perpetuating. Given that white supremacy is the status quo, it is safe to say that most white yoga instructors are appropriating, causing harm, and should likely stop. ASAP. The same holds true for engaging with other spiritual practices, cultural and spiritual relics used on altars or otherwise, clothing, food, music, art, plant medicine, etc. originating from communities of color.
Cultural appreciation*, which involves a respect for the roots of the practice or item while acknowledging, honoring, uplifting, and giving back to (financially or otherwise) the communities from which it originates is all good.5 Still, as professor and author Brittney Cooper asserts, “White people don’t share. They take over.”6 Things like yoga, meditation, and breathwork became acceptable only when white people started doing them, and then white people became the leaders in the space even though the practices derived from communities of color. White people extract, use, and ab
use. As a result, BI&PoC aren’t leading the charge for those practices, nor is there an honoring of what the roots of those sacred practices are. Many of the things white people practice as “wellness” now were specifically prohibited by white people in the past. It was one of the white colonizers’ many weapons of cultural destruction. Yoga being banned by Brits when they invaded India is one example.7 Colonizers restricting the burning of sage by Indigenous tribes in North America is another.8 As a Black woman, appropriation causes me harm because it is yet another form of colonialism. Of whiteness stealing from communities of color for its own spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial gain. It means BI&WoC are not welcomed in wellness spaces, and it creates cultures where BI&WoC are socialized to believe we don’t have the right to pursue wellness. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to heal and be free?” when the world tells us we are not allowed. On the contrary, we have every right to our own awakening. BI&WoC’s healing, especially that of queer and trans Black and Indigenous women+, has and will lead the racial justice revolution.
#3—Exploiting Communities of Color
Wellness, like any other industry, prioritizes the comfort, well-being, and bottom line of white folx first, and this often results in the outright exploitation of communities of color. For example, crystals have become a hot commodity. I love me some crystals and have had a collection since I was a girl, but I’ve come to learn that most of these beautiful, healing gems are frequently mined in a manner that oppresses the African, Asian, Indigenous, and other communities of color they come from.9 The person who is extracting that crystal might be enslaved or an indentured laborer earning pennies per hour. Having the energetic benefits of the crystal is not a comprehensive element of wellness if the person who extracted that crystal for you is being oppressed, because their oppression is linked to your oppression. Same goes for sacred plants like white sage and palo santo, which have been cultivated and used by Indigenous North and South American communities for centuries and now face extinction, a huge threat to the spiritual practices of these communities, due to white demand.10 We also need to be more cognizant of how we treat the limited resources from the earth and the ways in which our degradation of the environment, even in the name of “wellness,” disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous people. All of this leads to a hierarchy of wellness, with white folx, their wellness and well-being, reigning supreme.
This is also true in terms of global access to wellness and cultural offerings. Pre-COVID-19, the wellness tourism was valued at nearly $650 billion and increasing at double the rate of regular tourism. The largest growing wellness destination is Asia, in countries comprising communities of color like India and Indonesia, where predominantly white wellness tourists go to extract sacred healing for pennies on the dollar.11 I was recently in Bali and had an intensely disturbing experience. I saw the ways in which it was being pillaged by whiteness. The resources are being extracted and the land is being overdeveloped for predominantly white foreigners, who extract the elements of Balinese culture, healing, and land that work for them so they can rejuvenate, get rich, or both. At the expense of the Balinese. Talking to the locals, who are often at the behest of white tourists and bosses, it was clear that this system was serving white interests first.
All of this leads to a hierarchy of healing happening in our local communities, cities, nations, and across the globe. I don’t believe it’s my right to oppress other communities for my own healing, nor should it be necessary. We need to be more integral; we need to follow the traces of these things that we call wellness down to their source and figure out whose wellness they’re for, whom they oppress, and how we can promote global wellness from the beginning of the extraction of whatever the offering or item is, up until our use of it. If we find that those offerings aren’t actually promoting global wellness for everyone, then they shouldn’t be considered tools of wellness at all.
#4—Stealing BI&PoC’s Language
Words matter. Language is a critical part of racial justice and we have a responsibility to be discerning in the words we use because words cause harm. It has become a trend for white-owned wellness businesses to steal, and thus appropriate, words from communities of color. For example, “tribe” is a common description for our close peoples—“your vibe attracts your tribe” and all that. But Indigenous (including Indigenous African) folx all over the world have been oppressed for centuries, and continue to be, as a result of belonging to a tribe, so this is not a simple word that should be used to describe some people who want to support one another while they become “spiritually awakened.” As Chris Lowe writes in his article “The Trouble with Tribe,” “tribe” was a concept used by European colonizers to subjugate Africans, and “for the most part [‘tribe’] does not convey truths but myths, stereotypes and prejudices.”12 There are better words to use that do not cause harm, so use them!
Similarly, spirit animals* are constantly appropriated out of their Indigenous context. Only specific Indigenous nations have something akin to a spirit animal, and for those that do, it serves a sacred function. To call your pet or favorite sweater your spirit animal is an assault to those tribes and their beliefs.
In this same vein, all non-Black folx need to stop using African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Immediately! It was created by Black Americans, predominantly from the queer and trans community, as a means to navigate and survive anti-Blackness and white supremacy. The use of “woke,” “slay,” “preach,” “yaaas,” “honey,” “dope,” “queen,” “sis,” etc. are not up for grabs (pretty much every other word from Queer Eye star JVN’s mouth… love them, but hard NO). Stop using it to sell your classes and products. It ain’t for you, and your use of it is appropriative and violent. So long as Black communities the world over are oppressed by the anti-Black systems you benefit from (especially for using the exact same terms)—keep our language outta your mouth. You are not a “spiritual gangster,” you cannot “namaslay,” and if you’re using “woke” you’re anything but. Similarly, using Sanskrit words like “namaste” without an understanding of their meaning and cultural history, as well as the ways whiteness sought to stamp them out, is a no from me.
You’re not entitled to use whatever words you want to however you wish. White supremacy has afforded white and white-passing folx the privilege of believing they can and should use whatever language they choose, but co-opting words from the marginalized is oppressive. When I witness wellness spaces appropriating language from communities of color it tells me they are not doing their work. They do not understand the ongoing harm this causes and how it enforces their power and privilege at my and other BI&PoC’s expense. There are so many other ways to express your point, and if you know or even suspect the words you use have the potential to cause the most oppressed harm and you refuse to change them, you are prioritizing your comfort and that of the oppressor.
#5—Colonial Offerings
Many modern-day spiritual teachings are rooted in white supremacy and are thus inherently oppressive. Teachings like the law of attraction and books like The Secret or A Return to Love claim you can improve your health, wealth, and personal relationships solely through the power of love or positive thought, but they fail to take into account the very real systemic obstacles BI&PoC face as a result of white supremacy. Being in spaces that blame me for supposed weaknesses that are actually attributable to racism, sexism, patriarchy, capitalism, and other globally oppressive forces is to subject myself to violence. This is made all the worse when the space I entered was intended to be one of reprieve for my healing.
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Everything. Is. Political. The personal and the spiritual, meaning wellness is no exception. If you consider yourself to be in wellness, especially if you are leading these spaces or practices, then it’s imperative you do your racial justice work and create offerings that are inclusive, accessible, and welcoming. To all. Not just a select few. So long as we equate wellness with whiteness, BI&PoC will always lose. It is
vital to practice an intersectional form of spirituality, otherwise your practice is causing harm.
Intersectional spirituality creates conscientious wellness. It means no longer having a hierarchy of healing. Wellness won’t be created by and for a mere few to the detriment and exclusion of all who are already marginalized. I want to observe connected thought and intention around what wellness is and whose wellness we’re prioritizing. I want wellness to understand that centering Black women and femmes healing is a form of collective care. And I want more of us to tap into our own ancestral healing wisdom. We all have ancestral practices and know-how from our own races, ethnicities, and cultures. What would it mean for white folx to tap into their own lineage and healing first, as opposed to exploiting healing practices and modalities that don’t belong to them and have been actively oppressed by their ancestors? I want wellness to prioritize the needs, comfort, and well-being of the most marginalized communities because to date wellness has done the opposite.
A huge part of this practice is learning to appreciate rather than appropriate. Good thing I have some tangible ways to better welcome BI&PoC and other oppressed folx and commit to intersectional spirituality. Your calls to action are below!
Spiritual Soulcare Offering/Call to Action
Observation Exercise
REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING:
Do Better Page 16