Diversity & Racial Justice Commitments
At Sol Seek Yoga, we support the movement for social justice that aims to uplift the voices of marginalized communities and create a more equitable world for all. We believe that yoga can be a tool for healing, resilience, and power as we work together for a better world.
There’s no need to sugarcoat it - Yoga has a diversity and inclusion problem. We aim to embody the social justice work happening in the yoga community and beyond. Below is a list of commitments that we have adopted as a part of the Community Yoga Project to keep ourselves accountable for this work:
1• Svadhyaya (Self-Study)
As yoga practitioners and industry leaders, we understand the importance of a holistic yoga practice. We know that a well-rounded practice must include Svadhyaya (self-study), one of the five niyamas. We also know that in order to show up as effective allies, we must do the internal work that it takes to understand how we have participated in, and benefited from oppressive systems.
We commit to a consistent practice of Svadhyaya as a means of processing and reconstructing our relationships to oppressive structures so that we can reduce harm and effectively support community leaders in their advocacy work.
2• Inclusivity and Accessibility
There is an existing, larger conversation about diversity and inclusion already taking place across all industries and workplaces. The Yoga industry stands at an interesting crossroads of these discussions, as an industry that is known for being dominated by a white, privileged demographic.
In an effort to right these wrongs, we at Sol Seek Yoga commit to:
A conscious effort to hire diverse leadership and staff
Representing diverse staff and clients in photos and promotional materials (representation matters)
Creating pricing models that make yoga more accessible to diverse communities (Scholarships, sliding scale memberships, etc.)
Our goal with these efforts is to increase access for those who experience chronic stress and health impacts from racial weathering to the physical and mental benefits of yoga. This is an act of justice. Visit our accessible yoga page to view our community offerings.
3• Taking Action
While we know that there is a lot of work to do in the yoga industry, we must also stay engaged and support community leaders in their work to make our community at large a more equitable place.
We at Sol Seek Yoga commit to following the lead of social justice organizations in our community and taking action as allies in their efforts to improve Santa Barbara - including but not limited to financial contributions and signal boosting events or initiatives.
We commit to acting as accomplices in the fight for a more equitable world, and we expect to be held accountable to this commitment.
4• CommUNITY Dialogue
We understand that strong communities are a foundational element for lasting change.
We also understand that spiritual bypassing has been weaponized by many in the yoga community to avoid challenging or transformative conversations about race relations in our community.
We commit to participating in these important, sometimes challenging conversations in an effort to build bridges and foster lasting relationships that will drive the movement forward.
5• Honoring Yoga’s Roots
As yoga practitioners, we acknowledge that we are engaging in a practice that has taken its modern form as a result of British colonization of India and the appropriation of the yogic tradition. The violent and colonial processes by which we came to be a part of this practice were deeply unjust and continue to cause harm to the South Asian community. We aim to be accountable to this reality through action, not just words, and welcome feedback on this continued effort. We invite you to continuously honor and pay homage to the Indian culture from which yoga originated.
If you have any suggestions on how we can improve these commitments, please reach out and share your thoughts!