Women in Yoga: an exploration
Join me online to learn, explore, discuss.
Friends, I’m running my online course in March and here are all the details.
Low-cost bursary places are now easier to book. There are two spots available and I’m encouraging you straight off the bat to take one. Book a bursary place via my booking page here.
Women in Yoga: an exploration
Tuesdays 7-9pm (UK time)
If you can’t make all of the sessions live I will upload a recording to a Google classroom, which will be available up to 3 months after the course ends, for you to watch as many times as you like.
Session 1: 18th March
Firstly, I’ll lay the groundwork, put our search for women in context, and define how we can understand pre-modern yoga. If you’re not familiar with the history of yoga then I’ve got you covered - I’ve created a timeline to help you visualise where in history we are exploring.
We’ll look at the hatha yoga body of texts. Where are women referenced and how are they written about? And from these references, is it possible to build a picture of gender-based expected roles in the quest for liberation, within yoga practice, and wider society?
Session 2: 25th March
I will widen our search for women in yoga, beyond the hatha sources, and look at divine representations of women in tantric texts. What can representations of yoginis, dakins and shakti tell us about the spiritual lives of women? I’ll talk about the search for sources - why is it hard to find the stories of real women and their lived experience? We’ll move forwards in time to look at a more recent Buddhist source, and a contemporary ethnographic study on women in modern hatha lineages.
Session 3: 1st April
The third session is about women in modern yoga and why women dominate yoga in the west. Why are women the majority of practitioners in modern postural yoga (i.e. physical practices), as well as spiritual practices, today? We will look at some influential women on the 20th century - such as Indra Devi, Helena Blavatsky, Gita Iyengar, Yogini Sunita - and cultural phenomena like the feminine body, and spiritual stretching.
Session 4: 8th April
In the final week we will continue studying social movements, powerful women, and explore yoga in relation to feminism, modern beauty standards, and the #metoo movement. We will really consider the idea of liberation and what that means. Is the political and economic liberation compatible with yogic liberation? Does yoga serve women or replicate oppression? As we end, I encourage you to look to the future and ask: what does the model of post-lineage yoga offer?
Early Bird bookings open until Wednesday 12th March 2025: £210 (full price £260)
Feedback from the previous course
“I enjoyed the whole course - I learned so much and feel like I understand yoga history much better than I did before. To shine a spotlight on women was really inspiring. I feel more connection to [my practice] now I know that women played a role in it's developments! It's great when academic researchers share their knowledge. It was lovely to connect with a group of other yoga women and hear their experiences.”
FAQs
Do I have to be a woman to do this course?
No, this course is about women but not exclusively for women. If you are a man, GNC, non-binary, trans, you’re very welcome in this space.
Will I learn about my inner Goddess?
There are courses in the yoga industry for that, but this is not one of them. I do reference some goddesses and divine beings, but this is a course about the lives of real women in relation to yoga.
Is there reading to complete?
After each session I will upload the slides, recording, and resources to our Google classroom. The resources include articles and blogs, which you can read in your own time. I recommend that you choose a few, based on what most interests you. There’s no test or assignment to complete at the end. Please read as much or as little that suits you.
If you have more questions have a look at the course page here where I may have already answered it. If not, get in touch by replying to this Substack or via my website.
In person yoga classes at Calderdale Yoga Centre, Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire
Yin Yoga, Fridays 6-7.15pm
7th March
4th April
I contributed to a book, The Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide: Social Justice, Science, Politics, and Power, edited by Theo Wildcroft and Harriet McAtee. My chapter is titled ‘Trauma, Yoga, and Spiritual Abuse’. Other contributors include Donna Farhi, Jules Mitchell, and Jivana Heyman. If you’re a yoga teacher, I highly recommend reading. You can buy your copy here from Bookshop.org (aff link).