San Francisco, CA. The Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco (IYISF) held its pride panel discussion “Uplifting LGBTQ+ Pride in Yoga” on Friday, June 26 via Zoom. The 60-minute panel featured queer and trans-identifying instructors from the Iyengar community discussing the intersection between their queer/trans identity and their Iyengar yoga practice. A 90-minute donation-based identity affirming practice preceded the event co-taught by panelists Avery Kalapa (they/them) featured above, and Nathan Blum (he/him). The yoga practice followed a theme of heart-openers, acceptance, and self-love with inclusive cueing.
Panelists meet via Zoom to discuss the intersection between their identity and their yoga practice.
The IYISF is an asset of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California (IYANC) officially established in 1976, although under a different name at the time, and located in Lower Pacific Heights. The lineage of Iyengar Yoga finds its origin on the Indian Subcontinent. Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar developed this method when he began teaching in 1936. It rose to prominence in the West after his first book Light on Yoga was published in 1966 and became an international bestseller. The Iyengar style of practice centers primarily on the importance of timing and alignment in āsana, the physical postures. It is well known for its strategic utilization of numerous props including blankets, blocks, straps, bolsters, chairs, sandbags, and more. The understanding is that balance and alignment achieved in the body are reflected in the state of one’s mind.
The sentiment that one’s yoga practice and identity are deeply intertwined presented as a common theme amongst panelists. Most panelists shared the experience of trying to keep their identities as queer separate from their identity as yoga teachers. They learned over time the challenge of keeping these identities separate revealed there is a link between the experience of yoga and the queer experience. Panelist Misia Denéa says her identity as a queer black gender non-conforming femme is an essential part of her yoga practice: “[Our] journey to enlightenment only comes through exploration and understanding of suffering. I bring my queerness with me to my mat and my [meditation] cushion because accepting it offers me the bandwidth to be with my suffering.”
Panelist Misia Denéa, owner of Hatha Hoslistic Integrative Wellness.
From the IYISF:
“The first Pride was a riot – and using the practice of Yoga to shed social conditioning and attachments rooted in avidya can also be a revolutionary act. This yoga includes āsana and philosophy to uplift your wholeness and create inner space to cherish the parts of you that don’t fit into cis-hetero norms. Queer perspectives shine a light on the path for us all on the journey towards inner freedom and collective healing.”
