Do you practice anti-racism daily? What does appropriation look like in the Western wellness setting? What questions can you ask yourself before deciding on a yoga or meditation teacher?
In this series on healthcare and social disparities, Dr. Jill Wener, a board-certified Internal Medicine specialist, meditation expert, and tapping practitioner, interviews experts in multiple fields relating to social justice and anti-racism. In this video, Jill interviews Melissa Shah, MPH, yoga therapist. Shah recounts her experiences as an Indian-American within the Western wellness world and the need for her own journey with trusting her heritage - learning to be enough. She explains her journey towards understanding that teaching yoga is not about making people like you and the need to take a step back and honor the culture it came from.
Melissa (she/her) deeply believes in applying the culture and teachings of yoga to bring to light the long standing disparities in wellness spaces. She is passionate about bringing yoga and Ayurveda back to its roots, and reclaiming representation within the wellness community. Melissa also utilizes her background in public health to integrate yoga into schools and clinical settings. Currently, Melissa works individually with clients offering yoga therapy in the Viniyoga tradition. She offers weekly community chanting classes, as well as pranayama classes for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Her offerings focus on the intersection between yoga and social justice, and how to tune into our true self and dharma (calling, purpose) when it comes to taking action toward what we believe in.
Visit her website: www.findyourbreath.net
Follow on Instagram @findyourbreath
Avoid spiritual bypassing by Melissa Shah
Soul Review: Racism & Disney
Ruby Sales Interview
Avita Bansee on IG: @yogawithavita
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You can learn more about Dr. Wener and her online meditation and tapping courses at www.jillwener.com, and you can learn more about her online social justice course, Conscious Anti Racism: Tools for Self-Discovery, Accountability, and Meaningful Change at https://theresttechnique.com/courses/conscious-anti-racism.
Anti Racism: Tools for Self-Discovery, Accountability, and Meaningful Change
Find the Conscious Anti-Racism book
Join her Conscious Anti-Racism facebook group
Follow her on:
Instagram at www.instagram.com/jillwenerMD
Twitter at www.twitter.com/jillwenerMD
Facebook at www.facebook.com/jillwenerMDmeditation
LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jill-wener-md-682746125/
