124: Yoga and Dominant Culture with Anjali Rao

In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Anjali Rao (she/her). Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcast host who offers profound insights into the often obscured stories and histories of yoga. An Indian American immigrant and cancer survivor, Anjali beautifully integrates yoga philosophy and history with storytelling, imagery, and poetry.  Anjali and I had a thought-provoking conversation about the sociopolitical context of yoga and its historical beginnings. We delve into topics such as the caste system, the intersections of power and access to knowledge, and the erasure of South Asian teachers in modern yoga spaces.  In this episode you'll hear: all about Yoga's relationship with the caste system a deep dive into Yoga's relationship with hinduism and other religions how Anjali recommends we can teach and practice yoga with integrity about the political nature of yoga and the connection between spiritual teachings and the pursuit of social change a conversation on ahimsa and its active role in disrupting harm (rather than passive inaction)  the importance of self-reflection and understanding one's positionality as a yoga practitioner and teacher Learn More From Anjali: On Instagram At her website On her podcast "The Love of Yoga"