Acknowledgment of the Origins of Yoga

We acknowledge the roots of yoga as originating with the ancient people of the Indus Valley, present day India and Pakistan. We are deeply grateful to this vast tradition of inquiry into the nature of what it means to be human, and we have incorporated some of the core elements of yoga philosophy directly into Mindful School of Yoga, namely non-harm, self-study, and bearing witness to the needs and experiences of our human and other than human kin.

Although MSY, it’s curriculum, and teachings are shared by a diverse group of facilitators and practitioners, those of us responsible for its initial creation identify primarily as white and western.  Because of that, we recognize that claiming space in the yoga tradition requires openness and humility on our part. We are committed to continually learning from scholars and practitioners, particularly those of South-east Asian origin, about yoga, and engaging in conversation about the challenges of cross-cultural transmission of knowledge, history, and practice.