100: Yoga, Politics & History: Expert Insights with Firdose Moonda, MA

Many yoga students and teachers feel part of a culture and tradition we don’t fully understand, leading to the necessity for open, honest, and potentially uncomfortable conversations about the wider context our practice exists within – including its long and complicated history and its intersections with culture, commerce, and politics.

Today host Rachel is joined by Firdose Moonda – a journalist, academic, yoga teacher, and researcher – to explore some of these intersecting issues, and offer an introduction to important definitions and common misunderstandings about the practice.

Listen in to learn about the historical and cultural context of yoga and its contributions to our unique and individual in-body experiences.

“It kind of felt like I was being schooled in my own culture by people who really didn’t know anything about my culture.” – Firdose Moonda

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“Acknowledging the impact of capitalism on yoga is important.” – Firdose Moonda

Show Notes:

• Firdose’s early experience with yoga; the drive to deeper study [3:22]
• The inspiration for Firdose’s new Yoga Medicine course [6:40]
• Definition and geographical origins of yoga [9:38]
• Politics and privilege in yoga [12:21]
• Is yoga actually intended to make us feel good? [17:10]
• Is yoga really for everyone? [21:59]
• Chakras, and other concepts we misconstrue as part of yoga tradition [24:52]
• Acknowledging varied individual embodied experiences of yoga [29:11]
• Yoga’s origin and religious association; implications for appropriation [36:47]
• Valuing ongoing education for its own sake [41:19]
• Yoga’s relationship to colonization [47:15]
• Details on Firdose’s new Yoga Medicine course [49:24]
• The most powerful three words yoga teachers can say [52:29]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga & Politics – Holding the Essence of Yoga Teacher Training
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 21: South Asian Teacher Panel with Rashmi Bismark, Ashish Arora, Monisha Bhanote & Pooja Virani
• Connect with Firdose Moonda:

Instagram | Souldier Yoga

“The development of the practice was never about feeling good.” – Firdose Moonda