Nurturing the well-being of Indigenous yoga learners and educators
IYC Vision, Mission, Values
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We are a thriving, empowered community that is committed to partnership in collective liberation and respectful engagement with the lineage and wisdom of Yoga. We are nurtured by a vibrant collective of beings who are committed to living in right relation with all of Creation.
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We create learning and community opportunities for all people who are in solidarity with Indigenous and South Asian women. We provide training and mentorship to Indigenous individuals and communities who wish to embrace yoga alongside their reclamation and embodiment practices. We support and increase the representation of Indigenous yoga teachers in our respective communities as well as in the wellness industry.
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As students and practitioners of Yoga, we strive to follow the five yamas in addition to our own Indigenous cultural values, which guide our interactions with each other people and all our relations, including:
Ahimsa: nonviolence
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: non-stealing
Brahmacharya: non-excess
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness, non-greed.
Indigenous Yoga Collective is committed to providing culturally-rooted, trauma-informed yoga and wellness practices to ALL people while providing ample opportunities for Indigenous and/or Indigenous + BIPOC-only spaces for healing.
We are dedicated to promoting wellness and connection to intercultural and ancestral wisdom for Indigenous people and POC. At the heart of our collective is the dedication to empowering Indigenous women by creating safe spaces to heal and be well.
Our story
The IYC is a grassroots community that is guided by Indigenous and South Asian Yoga teachers and learners. The IYC supports wellness, mentorship, and connection.
Our collective originated from a collaboration with Jessica Barudin, Kwakwaka’wakw community partners, and the Yoga Outreach Society. This Indigenous-led research project created the First Nations Women’s Yoga Initiative (FNWYI), a community wellness curriculum that braids cultural and spiritual knowledge systems through a trauma-informed lens.
Our founding members are all original collaborators and participants of the FNWYI who are dedicated to providing yoga and wellness initiatives in their communities.
