Thank you for this discussion and explanation. I found it very informative and inspiring.
Thank you for this discussion and explanation. I found it very informative and inspiring.
As a rabbi and a psychotherapist with an interest in psychedelics this course seems to be addressing many of the questions I’ve been asking myself. Great intro looking forward to the rest of the course.
Now this is the type of community the world needs!!
GTUx’s Certificate of Completion for Ecospirituality: Environmental Pathways to Healing is a professional development program that weaves together our spiritual connection to the natural world and planetary sustainability efforts. In this GTUx program, Dr. Rita Sherma offers insights from her research and invites guest speakers to discuss how we might newly define the relationship between the Earth and spirituality.
In this second part of the series developed in conjunction with UNEP’s Faith for Earth Coalition, learners can explore the role that faith-based organizations play in the establishment of sustainable lifestyles and achieving UNEP-established guidelines for care of the earth.
We will explore the varied ways in which the natural world, or the “other than human world,” has been imagined and experienced through embodied practices and creative acts throughout American history. The course will examine indigenous ways of knowing and understanding that situate the human integrally within the broader planetary community.
In recent years, the term “decolonization” has been used to describe various social justice initiatives aimed at dismantling systems of institutional and systemic oppression in areas such as education, research, science, and healthcare. At the same time, indigenous communities understand decolonization as the reclamation of land and self-determination from Western imperialism. The divergence between these two interpretations of decolonizing yoga highlights the need for greater clarity regarding its meaning for different groups. Without establishing coherence among its disparate meanings and intentions, the term and its associated efforts risk losing their impact and becoming diluted.
The popularity of decolonization as a conceptual framework has also influenced Modern Postural Yoga. Today, individuals can participate in yoga classes and teacher trainings that focus on decolonization. In most cases, “decolonizing yoga” refers to the implementation of pedagogies that aim to restore yoga to its cultural and philosophical South Asian origins. Yet, some indigenous communities utilize yoga for decolonization as an embodied practice for healing trauma and reclaiming bodies and identities historically regulated by colonial powers. This reclamation of self and body is seen as an essential component for the liberation of spirit and flesh from oppression.
The indigenous use of yoga for decolonization provides examples of how different meanings and applications of decolonization can align around shared values such as liberation, non-violence, and ecological sustainability. Engaging in a conversation with Haley Laugher, a Navajo yoga teacher and founder of the Indigenous Yoga Instructors Association, Laura Toyofuku-Aki, Native Hawaiian co-founder of Project Koa Yoga, and Dr. Tria Blu Wakpa, an assistant professor of Dance Studies in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA, Dr. Dunn delves into the concept of “decolonizing yoga” from indigenous and ally perspectives. This dialogue illustrates how yoga and decolonization initiatives can harmonize within a holistic indigenous framework for liberation, which perceives the spiritual, individual, material, and social realms as inseparable and interconnected.
GTUx is a global destination for digital learning brought to you by the Graduate Theological Union, one of the world’s foremost higher education institutions of interreligious life, learning, and leadership.
Discover and sign up for learning opportunities on topics inspired by the dynamic conversations and rigorous scholarly research of our faculty, including theology, ethics, justice, spiritual care, and beyond.
The GTU is one of the world’s most comprehensive centers for interreligious life, learning, and leadership, as well as interdisciplinary scholarship between religion, art, and science. At the GTU, scholars with a desire to be leaders are able to engage with the world’s great wisdom traditions, in both traditional and contemporary contexts. Learn more about our programs, events, and community at gtu.edu.
