“It is a sin to commit injustice, but it is a greater sin to tolerate injustice.”
~The Bhagavad Gita

As a yoga practitioner for over thirty years and a current studio owner, I do not separate my yoga practice from what is happening in the country or the world around me. 

Yoga is an ethical practice, anchored in the principle of ahimsa, non-violence. Non-violence does not mean neutrality; standing by while witnessing harm and injustice is itself a form of violence. Silence supports the status quo, while action supports change.

However, it seems that somewhere along the way, modern yoga culture became more concerned with personal comfort, choosing ‘peace’ over conflict, rather than using its ethical framework to foster conscious engagement with the world.

Studio classes are taught with an abundance of soft, soothing language, inviting students to focus on personal agency and to make space for self-care. And while there is value in those things, something essential to the practice of yoga gets forgotten and set aside: the practice of karma yoga.

Karma yoga is not neutral. Karma yoga is not passive. It does not teach detachment from the world around us; it is the yoga of action. It does not ask us to contemplate ‘how do I feel’, it asks ‘what am I called to do.’ And right now, there is much to do. 

We’ve all heard phrases: love and light, good vibes only, no judgment. The list goes on. The yoga community is known for and loves spiritual taglines. The problem is that these are often used to avoid conflict and confrontation, spouted out instead of doing the hard work of speaking up when we witness harm or injustice. But these are not spiritual truths; they’re forms of bypassing. They allow us to remain comfortable while others lack that luxury.

But yoga was never meant to be comfortable in that way. And historically, there has always been an intersection of yoga and politics. And I would argue that it’s not so much ‘politics’ as it is the practice itself. The Bhagavad Gita, one of yoga’s central texts, does not take place in a peaceful yoga studio. It unfolds on a battlefield, where the warrior Arjuna is called not to withdraw, but to act with clarity, courage, and devotion.

Karma yoga asks us to do the same.
To speak when it would be easier to stay quiet.
To act when it would be easier to turn inward.
To risk discomfort in the service of something bigger than ourselves.

Yoga studio owners and teachers often remain silent, justifying their silence as professionalism. Citing fear of losing clients, avoidance of controversy, or bringing ‘politics’ into yoga as reasons to evade being inconvenienced, and to remain comfortable. But beneath “I don’t do politics” lies the uncomfortable truth: privilege and the ability to opt out while others cannot.

And here’s the thing, yoga does not ask us to avoid reality; it asks us to step into it. The teachings of yoga challenge us to confront ignorance both within ourselves and in the world around us.

As a white female yoga teacher and studio owner, I encourage my peers to meet the moment – step off the sidelines and step into this responsibility. Our yoga spaces are not separate from society. We hold influence, and what is said – and left unsaid – matters. If you remain silent in the face of harm and injustice, what will that say about your yoga practice and teachings? A community valuing neutrality over truth risks losing the very essence of what yoga is meant to be. A practice prioritizing personal peace over collective well-being detaches us from our ethical responsibility. A practice that chooses not to respond to injustice is incomplete. If we truly believe yoga is a path toward unity, then that must include all beings, not just those that share our similarities and provide comfort.

Karma yoga teaches that the practice is not only about inward reflection but also about outward action. It means aligning what we believe with what we do. 

The question isn’t whether yoga is political or if politics should be kept out of yoga, but whether you are willing to fully live the practice.
Yoga practice does not end when you roll up your mat; it’s where it begins.