Join us, in celebrating Women’s History Month and feminist yogis!

We honor female identifying yogis in our community by telling their stories. The diversity of their experiences helps represent the true narrative that yoga is for everybody. Yoga District tries to have safe inclusive spaces that are accessible for all to practice.

Check out past posts that feature feminist yogis in our community. This month we highlight Maylin’s story.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF? 

I am an Asian American that grew up in California with immigrant parents and a socioeconomically disadvantaged background. As a first generation college student, I studied economics and sociology, and also pursued a Master in Public Policy. I moved to D.C. to work for the federal government, as I wanted to work in public service.

Another interest of mine is music. I sing in a DC area choir called Six Degree Singers (1). I obviously also love yoga and Yin Yoga makes me feel at peace.

IF YOGA HAS HELPED YOU COPE WITH MENSTRUATION, ARE THERE ANY RELATED TEACHINGS OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE? 

For as long as I can remember, I had unusual periods that were long with bad cramps. Doctors shrugged it off as being a teenager and my mom would berate me for looking sick while I was on my period. It is built into us at an early age that it is taboo to talk about periods, pelvic pain, and women’s health in general. A study in 2019, found that cramps and heavy bleeding were linked to about 9 lost days of productivity for a woman every year. Also, that only 1 out of 5 women told their employer or school the real reason for their absence (2). 

Overtime, my premenstrual syndrome (PMS) started to last 2 weeks (3). My menstrual cycle would be 7 to 10 days with bad cramps (severe dysmenorrhea)and then there would still be pain afterwards (4). In total, it badly affected about 50% of my life but at least my periods came every 6 weeks versus 4 weeks. At that time in my life, vinyasa yoga felt like something I could do even during the bad days of my PMS and period.

Doctors put me through every type of birth control you could think of to try to manage the PMS and severe dysmenorrhea during my periods. They suspected an endometriosis diagnosis, which was later confirmed (5). Eventually, I developed chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia so vinyasa yoga didn’t always feel doable (6). I discovered a yin/ yang yoga class that became my sanctuary. It’s a hybrid of some flow followed by deep releases in long held floor based yin poses. The Yin Yoga practice in particular really helped to open up my lower body and improve pelvic pain. 

DESCRIBE HOW YOU RELATE TO YOUR BODY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF YOGA? 

Yin Yoga helping with my pain ultimately inspired me to become a yoga teacher. I pursued my 200 Hour training at Yoga District. I have spent 500 hours of training with the top Yin teachers around the world, learning about: 

• Anatomy and skeletal variation (7)
• Myofascial release (8)
• Meridians (9)
• Meditation.

I also pursued a Pelvic Floor Yoga teacher training program. This integrated my knowledge of Yin Yoga to find great releases for the pelvic floor, which often becomes tight if you have chronic cramps, dysmenorrhea, or other pelvic pain (10). Additionally vinyasa training has enhanced my understanding of how to strengthen the body as well. My yoga training and practice has empowered my body awareness with increased knowledge of my own body. Plus, it’s provided me with more tools for strengthening and releasing my body. Also, the commitment of showing up to teach every week helped me overcome the mental barrier that I couldn’t do vinyasa yoga when I was in pain.  

For those who are interested in teaching or deepening their practice, I am part of Yoga District’s 200 Hour Teacher Training Faculty.  If you’re looking to learn more about Yin Yoga or how to teach it then check out my 50 Hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training  over 3 weekends spread out from April 2023 to May 2023.

WHAT DOES BEING A FEMINIST MEAN TO YOU? 

Being a feminist means having control over your body, advocating for your voice and others’ voices to be heard, while also supporting other women. Previous male acupuncturists that treated me had zero idea what it’s like to have debilitating periods. They were pushy about me getting off birth control since they viewed it as an impediment to my progress. For me being on birth control, that generally suppresses periods, is the only way I’ve been able to live my life and advance in my career. I still go to acupuncture on a weekly basis but I have simply chosen to see someone less judgmental and rigid on traditional chinese medicine protocols.

DO YOU FEEL YOUR YOGA PRACTICE IS A FEMINIST ACT? 

My goal in becoming a teacher is to share this practice and knowledge with others. I also want to facilitate a change that talking about pelvic pain is okay. The amount of self advocacy and entrepreneurship in putting together the care required would be a lot easier if we shared our experiences (good and bad). In honor of Women’s History Month and Endometriosis Awareness month,  I am again offering this free Yoga for Pelvic Pain workshop (March 19 at the 14th studio and online) (11,12). This year, like last year’ workshop, we also included a safe space for a discussion about Pelvic Health.  

I’ve had my journey with pelvic pain, yoga, and becoming a yoga teacher.  I want to empower, provide support, and be a resource for your journey.

MY YOGA CLASSES

You can find me in my weekly class offerings, where there’s a variety to choose from depending on your needs. If you’re interested in private sessions then you can fill out this form.

• If you’re just looking for deep releases and to calm your body and mind then try my Friday Yin Yoga class (6:40 pm at Dupont and online).
• Sunday’s Yin Yoga with Myofascial Release class will dive deeper into your body’s fascia and other deeper tissues (13). It also integrates tennis balls for self myofascial release (6 pm at Dupont and online).
• Looking to balance out your body with gentle strengthening followed by deep releases then my Sunday Yin/Yang Yoga class is a great choice (12:45 pm at 14th street and online).
• Friday ‘s Chill Flow 1-2 class is an ideal beginner friendly flow class to unwind from your week while bringing in some strengthening (5:20 at Dupont).
• For a more strength-based flow where you can play with adapting poses for your body then Sunday’s Flow 1.5 to 2 class is a perfect option (4:45 pm at Dupont and Online).

Sources

1. Six Degree Singers, Singsix.com
2. Period pain linked to nearly 9 days of lost productivity for a woman in a year, https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/health/period-pain-productivity-study-intl/index.html
3. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome
4. Dysmenorrhea, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4148-dysmenorrhea
5. Endometriosis, https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/endometriosis
6. Fibromyalgia, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4832-fibromyalgia
7. Functional Yoga: When Is Alignment Important?, https://yogainternational.com/article/view/functional-yoga-when-is-alignment-important/
8. Myofascial Release, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24011-myofascial-release-therapy
9. The Relationship Between Yin Yoga and the Meridians, https://www.yogapedia.com/the-relationship-between-yin-yoga-and-the-meridians/2/12091
10. The hypertonic pelvic floor, https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/news/577/the-hypertonic-pelvic-floor/
11. Women’s History Month, https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month
12. Endometriosis Awareness month, https://nationaltoday.com/national-endometriosis-awareness-month/
13. Fascia, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23251-fascia 

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To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are posting a series of interviews with members of the Yoga District (YD) community who identify as feminists.

YD teacher Kelsey shares how intersectional feminism has shaped her yoga practice and her activism.

Tell us about yourself – where have you lived, what interests have you pursued in life, what or who makes you feel at peace?

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. To attend college at George Washington University, I moved to Washington, DC.  I fell in love with the city and I started practicing at the I St Studio. 

As an environmentalist at heart,  I’ve worked on an organic farm, and now I am an environmental educator. I love connecting people to the natural world. I feel most like myself when I can incorporate the wisdom of plants into my teaching of yoga. During tree pose, I like to mention that trees communicate and even seemingly share resources through the mycorrhizal network (1). I encourage students to root down. Then imagine what they send out into the world and receive in return. 

What does being a feminist mean to you?

I draw from the work of two women to help me frame my feminist action: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Kimberlé Crenshaw. I appreciate Adichie’s definition of feminism from her book and TED Talk, “a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” (2). I also recommend everyone listen to and read Kimberlé Crenshaw. She is the lawyer who coined the term “intersectionality” (3 and 4).  Intersectionality is “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.”

I feel it is so important that my feminism includes antiracism, environmentalism, disability justice, etc (5,6 and 7). To me being a feminist means to align my actions, words and thoughts with equity for all people in consideration of gender, race, and (dis)ability. As an able-bodied white woman, this entails a lot of reading and deconstructing. 

I have to understand difference and discrimination before I can act towards this alignment. For example, in the past few years I have realized that many yoga studios cater to my experience with yoga. I have always felt welcomed in a yoga setting, and felt that the classes aligned with my ability level. 

Do you feel your yoga practice is a feminist act? If so, how? 

Absolutely, yes! I am working with the idea that white supremacy and misogyny keeps us from connecting with our bodies. I recently read the wonderful book Love and Rage by Lama Rod Owens. He discusses the trauma that can appear in Black bodies from centuries of oppression. How dissociation from the physical body can be a coping strategy. 

Similarly, Liz Koch wrote an evocative article about the psoas and white supremacy’s form of dominating the body (8). In my yoga classes and Instagram meditations, I try to develop space for people to reconnect with their bodies and create the sense of allowing. Permitting the body to be just as it is. Enabling the body to move itself. I want us to honor, love, and stimulate our bodies through movement and breath. I say often, stillness and quiet is a radical act!

What do you love about being a yoga student?

I love the lifelong commitment I’ve made to myself and learning. There is always more to the pose, always more to learn about the philosophy! When I started practicing, I loved intense asana practices. As I’ve continued in my practice and become a teacher, I seek quieter practices such as Yin and Restorative. I’ve learned how to meditate, which makes me a better friend and family member. I still love to attend vinyasa classes. I laugh all the way through toppling out of a forearm stand. The continuing blossoming of the practice keeps me curious.

Who is a feminist who inspires you? Why?

There are so many writers and activists I could mention. Yet, my feminism and activism have evolved thanks to the wisdom and persistence of my friends. I am a better feminist because of my queer Muslim friend and my best friend, a Jewish woman. They enlighten my perspective. My clergy friends from working at a seminary ground my action in faith. 

Describe a time you felt included in a yoga class or a time you didn’t. Do you have advice to yoga teachers, staff and/or students on what they can do to make yoga classes more inclusive of feminist ideals and/or female-identifying participants?

The language we use in our cueing can have a huge impact. I learned through teaching people with visual impairments that cueing, “windshield-wiper your knees,” doesn’t land as well. Some folks may have context for the metaphors you use while others don’t. This thinking extends to including students in your class who have varying gender identities, students with a history of trauma, and so on.  

I think a lot on the topic of femininity and masculinity as it shows up in the yoga practice. I consider more how attributes are yin and yang. Yin is feminine energy, moon, emptiness, solidity, stillness. Yang is masculine, sun, fluid. But consider the yin yang symbol itself, each term has a bit of its opposite. So too, do humans. We express masculine and feminine. We exist beyond traditional gender roles. 

If you could practice yoga next to any feminist, who would it be? 

Rosa Parks was a yoga practitioner (9)! I’d love to practice alongside her.

Sources

1. Mycorrhizal associations (plants talk to each other), http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet
2. We should all be feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc
3. Kimberlé Crenshaw, coined the term“intersectionality”, https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination
4. Kimberlé Crenshaw: The urgency of intersectionality | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en#t-381062
5. Antiracist, https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist
6. History of Disability Justice, https://projectlets.org/disability-justice 
7. 10 Principles of Disability Justice, https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice
8. White Bodies, Psoas, & Gesturing Power Over, https://coreawareness.com/white-bodies-psoas-gesturing-power-over/?fbclid=IwAR1zATrbpcv7ocY9ZRiaNA–2hRtq7UX7cjBE-tINe2UAybo_ONW8K2T7qo
9. Rosa Practicing Yoga, https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/rosa-parks-in-her-own-words/about-this-exhibition/detroit-1957-and-beyond/rosa-practicing-yoga/

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, we interviewed Rudhdi, a member of the Yoga District community who identifies as a feminist.

Read on to find out how feminism informs her identity and her yoga practice, and which feminist writer and social activist most inspires her.

What does being a feminist means to you?

Being a feminist means believing in and fighting for equality for all humans. It means listening to, supporting, and uplifting other humans that identify as women. Being a feminist also means being a revolutionary because it requires shaking society up!

Do you feel your yoga practice is a feminist act? If so, how?

Practicing yoga is a totally feminist act! For most of history, women’s bodies have been used to serve others—to nurture, to raise, to please, to bear. Tuning in and listening to your own body and needs, taking ownership of yourself and your space, are inherently revolutionary, and therefore feminist, acts.

Please tell us about yourself – where have you lived, what interests have you pursued in life, what or who makes you feel at peace?

I just moved to New York City last fall to get my Masters in Social Work after living in DC for more than 7 years. I completed my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga District in March 2020 and love teaching a style of yoga that incorporates mindfulness throughout the practice.

What do you love about being a yoga student?

There is always something to learn! Yoga is a practice that never stops inspiring growth and awareness and I’m constantly amazed at how much there is to learn about myself and my body on the mat.

Who is a feminist who inspires you? Why?

Bell hooks is such an amazing writer, feminist, and social activist. I love the way she approaches feminism through an intersectional lens. If you haven’t read something by her, do so immediately!

If you could choose any place to unroll your yoga mat, where would it be and why?

Under a tree. Opening your eyes after savasana and looking up at sunlight coming through the branches is such a grounding, magical experience.

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, we interviewed Elisabeth.

She is a member of the Yoga District community who identifies as a feminist.

Learn about how her feminist outlook informs her yoga practice, values, and relationship with her body.

What does being a feminist mean to you?

To me, feminism means unapologetically fighting for:

• equity
• believing in a better future
• recognizing the beauty and importance of intersectionality(1)

Feminism is about respect and justice. It also means understanding that we are better together.  We are better when we uplift each other. We are better off because of the feminist work that was done before us. 

Do you feel your yoga practice is a feminist act? If so, how?

Yes! Yoga is about honoring your authentic self when you show up to your mat. Also, embracing the other yogis around you for who they are as people. During yoga, we listen to and work on accepting our bodies. We acknowledge our different needs and encourage each person to adapt the practice so it is right for them. This work of honoring our bodies while accepting ourselves and each other is inherently feminist.

Please tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Central Massachusetts. For four years, I lived in Boston before moving to D.C. in December 2018. I have worked for arts-related nonprofits for the entirety of my career, and I am particularly passionate about arts education for students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities have unequal access to high-quality arts education, and they do not have opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities like dance or music classes during school time. I have the pleasure to work on the administrative side of arts education programming and to also teach dance and musical theatre in the classroom. I am excited to hopefully start graduate school in the fall, where I plan to pursue this passion further and continue to tear down barriers to arts education.

What brings you peace?

I am an incredibly indecisive person and a huge overthinker. It is hard for me to pinpoint one person or thing that brings me peace. A few things that have given me peace during the past year: my partner, phone calls with my best friends, caring for my plants, therapy, getting lost in a book, my weighted blanket, walks at Theodore Roosevelt Island, a toasty grilled cheese, letting myself slow down, and of course Yoga District classes! 

What do you love about being a yoga student?

I love the space yoga provides to care for our bodies. We ask ourselves, “what do we need right now?” and honor whatever may be the answer. Yoga is the perfect blend of strengthening, stretching, mindfulness, and care for oneself.

Who is a feminist who inspires you? Why?

How do I choose?! I think I need to use this space to mention Malala Yousafzai. I read Malala’s book when I was in college, and it completely changed me. Her story opened my eyes in more ways than one. Mostly, it was reading about her complete commitment to education despite the terrors and obstacles in her way. That not only gave me a renewed appreciation for my own education, but made me realize the importance of feminism. She continues to fight for girls’ education through the Malala Fund. If she inspires you as well, I encourage you to donate to her fund (2).

If you could practice yoga next to any feminist, who would it be?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Rest in Peace and Power). I hate planks, but I think I could tolerate them if RBG were doing a plank next to me!

Describe how you relate to your body differently because of yoga.

I grew up dancing, and I still love to dance today. I was fortunate to be able to pursue my passion for dance and use it as an outlet from a young age. However, the dance world has a specific body type it honors, which is often damaging to young girls. I remember wishing my chest would remain flat because of the ideal body type I was shown. Yoga is the total opposite. At first, I approached yoga from my dancer perspective, striving for perfection in each pose. It wasn’t until I found Yoga District a couple years ago that I began to understand that this approach was not what yoga was supposed to be about. Thanks to the instructors and community at Yoga District, I have learned to let my body be my guide, listening to what it needs. It has also been a great space to work on accepting and loving all that my body does for me.

Sources:

1. Intersectionality, https://www.edi.nih.gov/blog/communities/intersectionality-part-one-intersectionality-defined
2. Malala Fund, https://malala.org

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What do you love about being a yoga student?

I love getting to follow the inspiration and creativity of yoga teachers. Teachers put together such amazing sequences that are challenging, fun, and refreshing in ways that I could never have discovered on my own.

Who is a feminist who inspires you? Why?

Ruth Bader Ginsberg — she was brilliant, fought for gender equality, was kind and graceful, and could value people for their humanity rather than their politics

If you could choose any place to unroll your yoga mat, where would it be and why?

Anywhere?! The Seychelles. It looks so dreamy and I’d love to go someday.

Do you have advice for yoga teachers, staff and/or students on what they can do to make yoga classes more inclusive of feminist ideals and/or female-identifying participants?

Some yoga teachers make false or misleading comments (i.e. not backed by science) about what people can or should do on their periods. To make yoga classes more inclusive, teachers should let each practitioner decide what they are capable of on their periods (and really any time!)

Describe how you relate to your body differently because of yoga.

After years of competitive running, I had successfully trained my mind to ignore what my body was feeling; yoga taught me how to reconnect my body and mind. I learned how to listen to what my body was feeling and rest when I needed it.

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