POWER & PRIVILEGE IN THE YOGA CLASSROOM - Curvy Yoga

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• What language(s) are used? Which are acceptable?
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• Who decides?
Privilege
Privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets 3 . Until we develop awareness of our privilege, it is
generally something that we are blind to and/or perceive as the norm.
For example, in Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (included in your
binder), she gives examples of white privilege that include:
• I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race
widely represented.
• I am never asked to speak for all people of my racial group
• If a traffic cop pulls me over, or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled
out because of my race
Why This Matters
In the yoga classroom, unexamined power and privilege can lead to students ignoring what is best for their
own body and self, possibly leading to injury.
And in the worst-case scenarios, it leads to large-scale abuse of power, as we’ve seen recently in the yoga
community with John Friend (Anusara Yoga), Kausthub Desikachar and Bikram Choudhury (Bikram Yoga) 4 .
Power With
Fortunately, there are other options than “power over.” Power with is collaborative and relational. Rather
than one person having power over another, power with empowers a group to create consensus together.
Examples:
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