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When I heard that Uma Dinsmore Tuli had created a campaign to eradicate the abuse of women in the yoga world I knew I wanted to talk about this topic, and the related theme of the decolonization of sleep and yoga. This is a dark truth that has existed for a long time. I’m a firm believer that whenever we meet the shadow the potential for change grows, and this opens a gateway for shadow exhaustion to start lifting from our personal and collective experiences. And, as Uma shares today, if we don’t call it out then “nobody’s daughters are safe in these places.”

I also invited Yoli Maya Yeh, an educator and healer, and a yoga and yoga nidra teacher, working at the intersection of Indigenous Way, Healing Arts and Social Justice, to give us her perspective on the colonization of sleep and yoga for black, brown, Indigenous People of Color. Between these two powerful women, we had an important discussion that I think you’ll enjoy and I hope you’ll share with others.

Anyone who practices yoga nidra knows it can feel like being in a sanctuary and today we talked a lot about this sanctuary – that yoga nidra is a space that often feels soft, and even playful. But we also delved deeper, into the shadow side of sleep and yoga. Both Yoli and Uma asked us to consider whether you are choosing to practice from a place of freedom, where you’re at the center, or are you, often unknowingly, allowing a system to take your power?

On today’s episode, we discuss sleep and the yoga world, acknowledging the colonization of these practices, and explore how to reclaim their essential teachings on healing, justice and freedom.

Wherever you’re listening from - laying down, on a walk, doing the laundry - your comments are always very welcome.

Key Takeaways

How Yoli used sleep and yoga nidra as a big part of her healing from Graves Disease

The body is equip with it’s own ICU – Intensive Care Unit - and how nidra helps us tap into that power

The playfulness and freedom of yoga nidra

The origins of nidra are not merely in the South Asian practice

Studies in the UK are showing that people are sleeping 40 minutes longer since COVID-19. Why? Because their alarm clocks are not going off

How sleep has been colonized and why decolonized sleep leads to a decolonization of yoga nidra

The moment Yoli discovered she was participating in a colonized version of yoga and what she did to put black, brown, indigenous people of color in the center space and teach from there

The abuse of women in the yoga world and Uma’s Yoni Shakti campaign to call out the harm and call in the help to improve an oppressive system

Why it’s crucial for yoga nidra teachers to practice yoga nidra, receive ongoing mentorship and not teach people sleep they have not seen