Black History & Yoga

In honor of U.S. Black History Month, delving into the intersection of Black History and Yoga is important. As yogis we have a responsibility as citizens of the ecosystem around us to learn about and celebrate all cultures. This action, opens up our awareness as the yoga journey within deepens our understanding, not only of ourselves, but also the world at large.

I ran across an online article describing seven famous black female yogis ((Jeffries, 2021). What I noticed about their commonalities with their relationships to yoga was the practice of the niyama (observance) called santosha (contentment).

Santosha: Contentment

The second of the eight branches of yoga, the niyama (observances of self-care), we find santosha. Santosha is an inward approach to finding calmness at the center. It is there that we find stability to weather all the outer storms. "Contentment can only be found in acceptance and appreciation of what is in the moment." (Adele, 2017)

Black Women in Yoga

The seven history-making highly visible black women have used yoga to find inner peace and balance to keep themselves steady in a chaotic world (Jeffries, 2021). What I noticed about these women was that they keep their calm during the storms around. That is they lived and practice the definition of santosha.

Two of these special women were pivotal in the civil rights movement. Yoga practitioner Rosa Parks who famously protested segregation on public buses practiced yoga for 30 years.

Dr. Angela Davis while she was imprisoned for months because of her civil rights activism, used yoga while she was locked up. She used this practice to keep her inner peace during the storm outside.

These women found within themselves the calmness of going within so that they could maintain their courage and bravery when they had to fight a chaotic outside world. A content inner world helps to keep one's balance when faced with the disarray and cognitive dissonance of the outside world.

Yoga and Young Black girls

The yoga community is an ever-expanding one. Currently, there is a push on for young black girls to participate in yoga. There is academic evidence to back this up. In a study Cameron (2019) found that a black, yoga-centered, female-focused social media posting helped to create a) a culture of equality, b) affirmation of Black female individuality, c) context for dialog that is based on Black culture and yogic principles. The research discusses five findings in total and if you have interest is worth reading.

Resources & Further Readings

Adele, Deborah. (2017). The Yamas & Niyamas. On-Word Bound Books. Kindle Edition.

Cameron, S. J. (2019). Be Still, Be Present: Black Girl Yoga and Digital Counter Spaces. Race and Yoga, 4(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/R341042908.

Evans, S.Y. (2021). Black women's yoga history. State University of New York Press.

Jeffries, T.Y. (2021). This Yoga History Book Chronicles Black Women’s Journey to Inner Peace published in Yoga Journal.

Seiberling, C. (2018). Yoga's yamas and niyamas 10 principles for peace & purpose. Kindle Edition.