At a time where people are starting to expand their concern for their holistic wellness, the practice of yoga and mindfulness has become more popular than ever. In the 2023 State of Yoga report, the global yoga industry was valued at over $88 billion. This number is projected to climb to $215 billion by 2025. Yet, despite the documented mental and physical health benefits of yoga, middle-aged white women have been the main demographic benefiting from the practices, but there is a change happening.
As yoga and mindfulness practices gain popularity in the U.S., there continue to be obvious disparities between the racial demographics of practitioners. With all of the institutional and systemic issues facing them, Black Americans have been the least likely to engage in yoga practices, despite urgent calls for them to dedicate “more systematic attention to stress-proliferation” according to the National Library of Medicine. When it comes to community health and personal wellbeing, yoga happens to be a low-maintenance choice that Black communities are starting to consider, even if at a slower pace than other demographics.
Although yoga and other mindfulness practices have become more popular in America over time, most people look to India as the birthplace of ancient yoga practices. These practices were spiritual in nature and were not just a series of isolated physical postures. Diana Ratsamee explains, “Yoga is amongst the six schools of philosophy in Hinduism, and is also a major part of Buddhism and its meditation practices. According to the Yogic scriptures, the practice of Yoga leads an individual to the union of consciousness with that of universal Consciousness. It eventually leads to a great harmony between the human mind and body, man & nature.” While people acknowledge India as the place where yoga originated, Daheia Barr-Anderson at the University of Minnesota points out, it also has African roots, particularly Egypt.
According to Yoga International, Kemetic yoga was a practice of slow breath and movement that focused on meditation and the chakras (or energy centers in the body). While we don’t have time in this article to do a deep dive into the entirety of Kemet, the black Egyptians, and all of the genious contributions they made to the world, many researchers of Kemetic yoga believe Kemetic people practiced a unique style of Yoga that predates the Yoga of India, and that the practice and philosophy of Yoga in India was also informed by knowledge that came out of Africa. After learning more about its roots, Dianne Bondy claims, “Reading about the connections between Africa and yoga has reaffirmed for me that the practice is in my blood, that I fit into this culture.”
Source: Kemetic Yoga Skills
Needless to say, the Westernization of yoga practices in places like America have partially, when not fully, divorced the spiritual and religious connections of the practice from the physical aspects of the practice from the Indian and African roots from which it came. This is a term we refer to as “white-washing” the practice. But at its core, Ratasamee elaborates, “Yoga is about harmonizing oneself with the universe. It is the technology of aligning individual geometry with the cosmic, to achieve the highest level of perception and harmony. Yoga does not adhere to any particular religion, belief system or community; it has always been approached as a technology for inner wellbeing. Anyone who practices yoga with involvement can reap its benefits, irrespective of one’s faith, ethnicity or culture.”
In modern times Black people are slowly starting to reclaim these yoga practices that connect mind and body in various ways.
- Afrocentric yoga practices. Where the white-washing of yoga practices in the West may primarily focus on the physical postures in a more muted environment, afro-centered practices may incorporate more soulful musical selections and narrations by the instructor that verbally lead participants into the mental unpacking of racial trauma they may actually be holding in their bodies.
- Certifying Black Teachers. Organizations like Black Yoga Teachers Alliance provide support and guidance for Black yoga instructors looking to navigate the space and empower more Black people to step into leadership positions in the field. We know that seeing a yoga instructor you can relate and connect with is one of the most welcoming aspects of the practice. The more Black teachers embodying the culture, the more practitioners are drawn to the mat.
- Increasing Accessibility. With the growing popularity of online access for yoga classes, many Black people may feel more comfortable easing into the practice by simply rolling out their yoga mat in their living room and starting with a beginner course. Also, in many urban and suburban areas with city-wide wellness programming, many people find free and reduced-priced yoga courses a more accessible option than fancy studios and gyms that require monthly subscriptions. The more comfortable people feel in the practice, the more likely they are to persist and reap the benefits to their health and holistic wellness.
Even though the numbers of Black people adopting yoga practices may seem small in comparison with other demographic groups, chronic stress, illnesses, and systemic pressures are, indeed, driving those numbers up as the years go on. Despite some people’s misconceptions about the religious origins of yoga, Western adaptations of these practices have made them even more accessible for those of any or no religious background. The time is up for people functioning as if their bodies are separate from their minds, and yoga is one path toward the connected approach to holistic wellness we know so many Black people could use to drop into their bodies and begin healing traumas both present and past.
