I am a white, female, urban yoga monk and a lifelong civil rights activist. As the spiritual leader and founder of Kashi Atlanta, I strive to create a sanctuary for every human heart. As we collectively grope our way through cataclysmic, heartbreaking times, all of us — of all races, faiths, and genders - must take action together to catalyze real societal change. As we emerge from the initial, shocking experience of a worldwide pandemic, we now enter into a traumatic arena of violence, outrage and protest. The demonstrations we are witnessing in Atlanta and across the country, are shining a light on long-standing injustice and racial inequity. The point of these protests are to wake up a slumbering society, and people, we must awaken.

We can’t “go back to normal” and keep turning a blind eye to racism. Normal for many was the daily experience of bigotry. That is not good enough, America. Inequality cannot stand. Awareness must rise. Throughout American history the political system has paid attention to oppressed, marginalized communities through protest. As a yogi and humanitarian, I am a supporter of powerful, peaceful protest. We at Kashi Atlanta stand in solidarity with brown and black America.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an ardent student of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi‘s teachings on nonviolent social change are based in the yoga tradition of “first do no harm.“ Like the physician’s code of ethics, yogis pledge to uphold non-violence, reverence for all of life, and powerful, soul-revealing truth. The truth in this situation is that our society needs to evolve. Black lives matter, but we currently don’t live in the essence of that truth.

So I have some questions to ask you:

1. How can we harness our justifiable anger into peaceful, powerful, effective action?
2. How can we use outrage as fuel to change our nation?
3. Do you vote?
4. Can you be specific about what changes you would like to see in our country’s leadership?

I also have some anti-racist, evolutionary homework for you (and if you are a student of mine you’ll be laughing at me now because I am quite well known for giving homework.)

1. Educate yourself. Read “White Fragility” by Robin Diangelo, regardless of your race. It’s an important work on increasing racial awareness and how to have deep, healing conversations. Also: “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad.
2. Discuss racism, white privilege and anti-racism with your friends and family, even if it’s uncomfortable. You can’t really change other people but your willingness to have open conversations can change you and how we as a society approach racism and bigotry. You don’t need to do it perfectly. It’s OK to not know how. But use this experience as fuel to learn how.
3. Donate to your local Black Lives Matter

With a prayer for powerful, peaceful transformation for our world, where all black lives are seen, loved and valued.
Love, Swami Jaya Devi