This was a beautiful session, and I am honored to have been able to watch the recording and still feel immersed in the Prison Yoga Project program. I found this session interesting and insightful. I especially appreciated how you said at the beginning that “the real work begins with your personal biases,” and how you expanded on the importance of doing the inner work before being ready to share such a personal and meaningful practice.
I believe privilege can show up in many forms, and I think this was a powerful place to begin. We must all humble ourselves enough to do the inner work and examine where these thought processes originate in our lives to truly hold space for others. I am a firm believer that people can feel the energy you carry, and this session helped me reflect on the energetic processes I hold within myself. It also allowed me to brainstorm ways to energetically create and hold a more inclusive space in future yoga practices. I also loved the point you made about the body mattering just as much as the spirit and the mind, and about not rushing rest and replenishment. It truly begins with the space and patience we hold for ourselves. We must fill our own cups before we can fill those of others. I appreciate the emphasis on self-healing and self-love. I believe that is the foundation of yoga, and it holds profound importance no matter where you are on your journey
I’m looking forward to watching the next session and participating in the movement practices. Thank you for holding space to hear my thoughts. 🌺
What stood out to me most was the reminder to stay aware of what each of us is going through, and to recognise that others may be carrying things we know nothing about. I really appreciated the conversation and the real-time reflections we shared about how we see ourselves and how we perceive others. Even when some of that brought discomfort, it helped us feel and process our thoughts and emotions more honestly.
It was also meaningful to notice how our samskaras shape the way we respond and the assumptions we make about ourselves and others. That added a deeper layer to the discussion and helped make sense of some of our reactions.
Hearing about the beliefs and practices of the Indian tribe was eye opening too, and I learned things I did not expect within the group. The whole conversation felt genuine, insightful, and thought-provoking.
As soon as I hit play, I could feel the energy! I liked hearing everyone’s intros and how many different ways yoga is being used with other modalities in different places and communities.
The convo about the “tall, skinny, white yogi” stereotype and Monica's feedback really stuck with me. Ekiria talking about how strong that is in places like LA, and then Oranoca pointing out she's in Florida and how location shapes how we experience yoga and bias. It made me think about how much culture decides who feels like they belong, before they even walk in the room.
That tied into thinking about samskara and the kleshas. I had never heard about the kleshas until Jen brought them up in my interview, and it landed again here. These patterns don’t just show up in people, they show up in governments, systems, communities, and even yoga culture.
Near the end, Taylor’s story about being in prison and the yoga teachers seeming God-like connected so clearly to what Jen was saying about community over guru, and how I’ve been thinking about it as peer-to-peer community service.
What really stayed with me was Maureen’s point about disruptor vs builder. I was like, same, I need to be more of a builder! Then Jen reminded us we actually need both. Disruption shows what needs to change. Building creates the space where healing can happen.
Also love the idea of healing-centred over trauma-informed, focuses on the future healing not the trauma history.