Yoga is a practice of spiritual and physical growth, healing, and action. At its best it is a practice that welcomes all in the betterment of ourselves and the world around us.

Yoga does not exist above or separate from what’s going on in the world. We are committed to  questioning and examining issues of access and equity in the yoga community and the greater community we live in. The tragedies that have occurred in the beginning of July 2016 in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, and Dallas implore us to speak out against the violence and structural racism that plague our nation.

The Yoga and Body Image Coalition stands in solidarity with the calls for justice ringing out across the country. The YBIC supports the reflection and healing needed to make our communities whole, of which yoga can play an important part. Our coalition believes yoga is for every body: every age, race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, size, shape, weight, and dis/ability. Issues of violence and structural racism do not affect all bodies equally. But they do threaten our collective freedom and safety.

As a multicultural coalition, the Yoga and Body Image Coalition understands that all lives can’t matter until #BlackLivesMatter.

We encourage people and organizations of all backgrounds to connect, reflect, and work together to build a better world. If we accept the challenge of examining these issues and organizing collectively, we can create a society where there truly is freedom and justice for all.

In Solidarity,

The YBIC Leadership Team