4 Thoughts for Your Yoga Teacher Who Thinks Appropriation Is Fun

Editor’s Note: The following piece includes the word “dumb” in it. Everyday Feminism recognizes dumb to be an ableist term. While we support the overall message of this poem, we do not support or stand by the painful legacy and connotation of that word. 

Being the only Indian person in a yoga class can certainly come with its challenges. Especially when the teacher commits unfortunate examples of cultural appropriation, like one teacher does in this video.

Here’s a hilarious response to the dehumanizing exotification that yoga teachers can be guilty of when they try to claim a culture that’s not theirs to claim.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

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Roopa Singh is an attorney and yoga teacher. She founded SAAPYA (South Asian Arts and Perspectives on Yoga and America), an emerging platform on the personal and political implications of yoga, with a focus on body sovereignty, anti-racism and accessibility. She is a licensed pre-natal yoga instructor and a former collective member at Third Root Wellness Center in Brooklyn. Roopa has written about yoga, popular culture, and politics in Huffington Post, The Nation, Elephant Journal, and Wire Tap Magazine. You can reach her and the SAAPYA team at: [email protected].