In this powerful and much needed workshop, we will address how injustice insidiously enters yoga studios, retreats and trainings and how as teachers and practitioners, we can unknowingly perpetuate the oppression of our society in ways that include: racism, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, ageism.

In this supportive and judgment-free environment, we will take a look at ourselves and what brings us to this work, and reflect on what our life experiences allows us not to see, in the world and in our yoga classes. We will learn some techniques and strategies to create just classrooms, but also hold space for the pain and resilience that we each bring into the room, from the legacy of our lives in this country that is sewn with privilege and oppression. You will leave, empowered with the tools of mindfulness and awareness to see oppression, power, and privilege and through our commitment to love, class by class, to change the world to be one of justice and unconditional embrace.

*A limited number of scholarships are available. Contact Jacoby Ballard at jacoby@thirdroot.org

KATE JOHNSON works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action, and creative expression. Currently, she teaches mindful yoga in NYC public schools, Buddhist meditation at The Interdependence Project, and facilitates an embodied approach to organizational and leadership development for social change agents and communities. Kate holds a BFA in Dance from The Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University, and a MA in Performance Studies from NYU. She has trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, The Interdependence Project, Laughing Lotus Yoga and The Presencing Institute.

MEREDITH GRAY began teaching yoga in 2009. For her, yoga has been an experiment with community, inquiry, and possibility, where hospitality and hope are political practices. Meredith currently teaches at Third Root Community Health Center, as well as in living rooms, universities, and nonprofits. She is grateful for the mentorship of Jacoby Ballard and Barbara Feldman. In addition to teaching yoga, Meredith facilitates workshops on topics including consensus, conflict, gender, and sexuality and works in restorative justice at the New York Peace Institute.