In episode 17, Jivana Heyman welcomes Lakshmi Nair. Lakshmi Nair is the founder of Satya Yoga Co-op, a BIPOC owned and operated yoga cooperative in Denver, Colorado. Satya Yoga Co-op grew out of a yoga immersion and teacher training for Black & Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) that Lakshmi has been offering in Denver since 2014. In this interview we learn more about Lakshmi’s journey back to her practice and the creation of this transformative yoga co-op. Lakshmi and Jivana discover that they have been in the same yoga spaces since the late 90s. The exchange between Lakshmi and Jivana gives insight into building sustainable models to make this practice available, accessible and welcoming for all. 

 

This week hear more about:

 

• How Lakshmi began her work supporting BIPoC in wellness and yoga spaces
• How growing up in Denver as a POC disconnected her from yoga
• How living in a more diverse environment provided pathways to healing
• How yoga was introduced to her as a teen by her father
• How Lakshmi returned to the practice as an adult
• Why Lakshmi designed her Trainings with the intention of making it accessible to as many BIPoC folks
• How the Co-op was created from her desire to support the teachers she was training, instead of sending them into a yoga industry that undervalued them
• What she learned from other co-ops in her area when creating her Co-op
• How theCo-Operative is navigating the ramifications Covid-19
• How the city of Denver is working to tackle equity and access to wellness and yoga
• How working in collaboration is an important part of making yoga accessible in a sustainable way