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Liberating Yoga: From Appropriation to Healing
Yoga teacher Harpinder Kaur Mann shows American yoga practitioners a path to reclaim yoga from appropriation and recenter the practice where it belongs.
In the West, the practice of yoga comes to us stripped of cultural context. Colonized and appropriated by capitalism, whiteness, fitness culture, and body shaming, yoga in America today is associated with expensive classes, trendy athleisure products, Corepower, Lululemon, and thin, conventionally beautiful white women. But yoga is not merely a one-hour fitness class aimed at stretching and flexibility. Yoga is a spiritual practice from the Indian subcontinent with the ultimate goal of liberation and self-realization.
In Liberating Yoga, yoga teacher Harpinder Kaur Mann draws from her own perspective as a Sikh-Punjabi woman who was alienated by the way yoga is practiced in the United States, but found her way toward reclaiming the spiritual practice for herself. Mann demonstrates that moving away from appropriated forms of yoga and back to yoga's roots is the only true path to healing--both for yoga practitioners who desire to engage responsibly in the practice with cultural appreciation and, especially, for marginalized yogis who wish to reconnect with ancestral spiritual practices and reclaim their full identity.
In the West, the practice of yoga comes to us stripped of cultural context. Colonized and appropriated by capitalism, whiteness, fitness culture, and body shaming, yoga in America today is associated with expensive classes, trendy athleisure products, Corepower, Lululemon, and thin, conventionally beautiful white women. But yoga is not merely a one-hour fitness class aimed at stretching and flexibility. Yoga is a spiritual practice from the Indian subcontinent with the ultimate goal of liberation and self-realization.
In Liberating Yoga, yoga teacher Harpinder Kaur Mann draws from her own perspective as a Sikh-Punjabi woman who was alienated by the way yoga is practiced in the United States, but found her way toward reclaiming the spiritual practice for herself. Mann demonstrates that moving away from appropriated forms of yoga and back to yoga's roots is the only true path to healing--both for yoga practitioners who desire to engage responsibly in the practice with cultural appreciation and, especially, for marginalized yogis who wish to reconnect with ancestral spiritual practices and reclaim their full identity.
- GenresNonfiction
232 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2025
12 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Harpinder Kaur Mann
1 book6 followersHarpinder Kaur Mann, RYT-500 (she/her), is a trauma-informed yoga teacher, mindfulness educator, and author of Liberating Yoga: From Appropriation to Healing. Based on Tongva Land (Los Angeles), she has over a decade of experience teaching yoga as a spiritual practice rooted in her Sikh lineage and ancestral heritage from Punjab, India.
Her work bridges tradition and social justice, empowering students and teachers alike to cultivate an authentic, inclusive yoga practice. Through her teaching, writing, and public speaking, she aims to teach yoga as a practice of healing, liberation, and connection.
She co-founded the Womxn of Color Summit and is a leading advocate for decolonizing yoga, fostering accessibility, and honoring yoga’s origins. Harpinder specializes in community-centered, trauma-informed practices and works with diverse populations, including teens, survivors of trauma, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and those navigating major life transitions.
Her work bridges tradition and social justice, empowering students and teachers alike to cultivate an authentic, inclusive yoga practice. Through her teaching, writing, and public speaking, she aims to teach yoga as a practice of healing, liberation, and connection.
She co-founded the Womxn of Color Summit and is a leading advocate for decolonizing yoga, fostering accessibility, and honoring yoga’s origins. Harpinder specializes in community-centered, trauma-informed practices and works with diverse populations, including teens, survivors of trauma, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and those navigating major life transitions.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 11, 2025
If there was one glorious thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was my entry into the world of yoga. I'd long been both intrigued and intimidated by yoga, a spiritual practice that in my mind was primarily for the able-bodied hipster able to twist themselves into the variety of positions and practices called for in the yoga I had in my mind.
Of course, this is NOT actually yoga. It's the American commodification of yoga. Harpinder Kaur Mann is a yoga, meditation, and mindfulness teacher who also has become quite the decolonizing activist. She is an Indian-American who grounds her practice within her spiritual roots of Sikhism and Buddhism. Her practice primarily focuses on women of color seeking to reclaim their power and intuition "through the lens of a spiritual, joyful, and sustainable path."
Throughout "Liberating Yoga," that's precisely what Mann does - she liberates yoga from its commodification and from its utilization solely as a fitness practice. I first attended a virtual class, a result of the largely shut down society that happened when the pandemic hit. I was struck by how the instructor, realizing I was a wheelchair user with physical limits, gently worked to adapt her teaching to my own physical situation. It was a remarkable act of compassion and tenderness.
I began attending other classes, sometimes virtual and other times in person. Of course, I did not always find that compassion nor that inclusion. At times, I found instructors who seemed frustrated by my presence. I was clearly different from the others in attendance.
I persevered.
While I couldn't put words to it, I also found myself frustrated by the obvious appropriation of what is clearly a spiritual practice. Yoga IS a spiritual practice. While it may have physical benefits, it was never intended as a fitness practice and yet, as we Americans so often do, it became appropriated because it was easier to commodify within the world of fitness. People don't typically pay high prices and where fancy outfits for spiritual practices.
Okay, maybe the Pope.
"Liberating Yoga" is a joy-filled, disciplined reading experience in which Mann gently yet courageously calls out this commodification - especially her own experiences of exploring yoga centers, both as student and as teacher, where she would often be the sole woman of color and often the only one truly seeking to get to the spiritual core of yoga. Beyond catchphrases, "Namaste" or "OM" anyone, these classes were often offering little more than a tightening of the glutes or any other part of the body.
Again, Mann reminds us, that's simply not yoga.
Mann often writes about the accessibility of yoga for all bodies (I will confess I wish disability had been mentioned specifically) and how she now very intentionally teaches from a place of both addressing wellness and spiritual needs. In both practice and here in writing, Mann teaches from a place of offering a safe place to feel grounded, connected, and loved.
While "Liberating Yoga" won't likely appeal to everyone, especially those who embrace its commodification, for those who long for the more spiritual and healing core of yoga this will be a marvelous experience filled with refreshing spirit, immense hope, much love, and absolute connection.
Of course, this is NOT actually yoga. It's the American commodification of yoga. Harpinder Kaur Mann is a yoga, meditation, and mindfulness teacher who also has become quite the decolonizing activist. She is an Indian-American who grounds her practice within her spiritual roots of Sikhism and Buddhism. Her practice primarily focuses on women of color seeking to reclaim their power and intuition "through the lens of a spiritual, joyful, and sustainable path."
Throughout "Liberating Yoga," that's precisely what Mann does - she liberates yoga from its commodification and from its utilization solely as a fitness practice. I first attended a virtual class, a result of the largely shut down society that happened when the pandemic hit. I was struck by how the instructor, realizing I was a wheelchair user with physical limits, gently worked to adapt her teaching to my own physical situation. It was a remarkable act of compassion and tenderness.
I began attending other classes, sometimes virtual and other times in person. Of course, I did not always find that compassion nor that inclusion. At times, I found instructors who seemed frustrated by my presence. I was clearly different from the others in attendance.
I persevered.
While I couldn't put words to it, I also found myself frustrated by the obvious appropriation of what is clearly a spiritual practice. Yoga IS a spiritual practice. While it may have physical benefits, it was never intended as a fitness practice and yet, as we Americans so often do, it became appropriated because it was easier to commodify within the world of fitness. People don't typically pay high prices and where fancy outfits for spiritual practices.
Okay, maybe the Pope.
"Liberating Yoga" is a joy-filled, disciplined reading experience in which Mann gently yet courageously calls out this commodification - especially her own experiences of exploring yoga centers, both as student and as teacher, where she would often be the sole woman of color and often the only one truly seeking to get to the spiritual core of yoga. Beyond catchphrases, "Namaste" or "OM" anyone, these classes were often offering little more than a tightening of the glutes or any other part of the body.
Again, Mann reminds us, that's simply not yoga.
Mann often writes about the accessibility of yoga for all bodies (I will confess I wish disability had been mentioned specifically) and how she now very intentionally teaches from a place of both addressing wellness and spiritual needs. In both practice and here in writing, Mann teaches from a place of offering a safe place to feel grounded, connected, and loved.
While "Liberating Yoga" won't likely appeal to everyone, especially those who embrace its commodification, for those who long for the more spiritual and healing core of yoga this will be a marvelous experience filled with refreshing spirit, immense hope, much love, and absolute connection.
June 3, 2025
I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from Harpinder. Her teachings and offerings always leave me with something new to reflect on. This book is an incredibly valuable resource for anyone with or without a yoga practice. If you are interested in learning about honouring yoga’s roots this book is a great place to start!
August 8, 2025
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy*
This book goes far beyond the topic of yoga- It explores so much about it’s history, its shared origins, the importance of it’s spiritual significance, its appropriation for profit, and so much more. The author goes into great detail about it all, especially her own personal history and relationship with yoga as a practice.
I highly recommend for anyone who is curious about yoga or wants to learn more to read this book.
This book goes far beyond the topic of yoga- It explores so much about it’s history, its shared origins, the importance of it’s spiritual significance, its appropriation for profit, and so much more. The author goes into great detail about it all, especially her own personal history and relationship with yoga as a practice.
I highly recommend for anyone who is curious about yoga or wants to learn more to read this book.
Read
January 19, 2026This book felt a bit like a casual nonfiction, as essays had bits of memoirs interspersed throughout. I am not really a practitioner of yoga, so this book felt a bit out of place for me to read. However, I really enjoyed the author's takes on a lot of things. This book, first and foremost, addresses the appropriation of yoga by white American culture as a form of exercise, completely divorcing it from the spiritual practice that it was created as. This is an examination of how yoga is mistreated by white America today, an explanation of how yoga *should* be treated, and an exploration of how someone teaching yoga in America today can shift their business to better incorporate all aspects of yoga, respectfully. I really appreciated the author's examination of how one actually *can* incorporate cultural practices outside of their own into their lives, in a more respectful way. Obviously this is a complicated topic, and the author does a better job than I could in handling it. I think any American who finds yoga to be an important part of their physical or spiritual life should pick this up.
Thank you to Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 24, 2025
5 🌟
As a white woman who completed a 200-hr yoga teacher training course, I’m often looking for ways to bring yoga back to its roots when I teach classes. There can be significant whitewashing and appropriation in the US regarding how yoga is taught and marketed, and much of it is uncomfortable and disingenuous, if not downright dangerous.
Liberating Yoga is a fantastic resource for teachers and practitioners to recognize and mitigate the harmful effects of this appropriation and bastardization of a beautiful practice. Many US students may not realize that yoga is much more than “exercise”, precisely because it’s marketed that way. There is so much depth and so many layers to a yoga practice that boiling it down to just stretching/exercise is insulting at best.
This is a short book, but it is filled with so much wisdom. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the true roots of yoga, how they have been lost, and how to reclaim its true meaning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC.
As a white woman who completed a 200-hr yoga teacher training course, I’m often looking for ways to bring yoga back to its roots when I teach classes. There can be significant whitewashing and appropriation in the US regarding how yoga is taught and marketed, and much of it is uncomfortable and disingenuous, if not downright dangerous.
Liberating Yoga is a fantastic resource for teachers and practitioners to recognize and mitigate the harmful effects of this appropriation and bastardization of a beautiful practice. Many US students may not realize that yoga is much more than “exercise”, precisely because it’s marketed that way. There is so much depth and so many layers to a yoga practice that boiling it down to just stretching/exercise is insulting at best.
This is a short book, but it is filled with so much wisdom. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the true roots of yoga, how they have been lost, and how to reclaim its true meaning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC.
June 3, 2025
I highly recommend this book to anyone who practices or teaches yoga. This book offers an honest, firsthand account of how mainstream yoga offerings in the U.S. do disservice to yoga as a spiritual practice. I had my first experience with yoga about 20 years ago in different studios and formats. I never could really articulate why one class or teacher would resonate while another would fall flat. This book has helped me put words to experiences that I wasn't sure how to verbalize. Too often, I have experienced yoga as a commodity, bought and sold as a 'quick fix' or as an experience that looks good on social media without focusing on the impact and merits of the practice. Harpinder Kaur Mann does an excellent job covering tough topics such as appropriation, spiritual bypassing, and more with care and nuance to further the conversation and the reader's contemplation.
June 11, 2025
If you love yoga, read this book! It will challenge you in the best ways, with the result of deepening your relationship to the practice. I especially love hearing the author's personal experience and reflections with yoga throughout her life. There are many times I've related - we've all been in a yoga class that feels more like a diet pill than a spiritual practices - and so many times that I gained a new perspective. I am half way through and immediately ordered a copy for my sister because I knew she'd love it. Plus the cover is so gorgeous, makes a great gift!
June 17, 2025
A mix of personal narrative and learning from leaders and texts, this book educates on the colonist history of South Asian yoga and what it has become in the modern West while addressing ways we can create more accessibility and authenticity into the practice. If you are looking on a checklist on how to be a better white person in your yoga fitness routine - this is not that book. The author gives you the background, the tools, and some considerations and expects you to do the work, as you should. Thank you for this offering.
#NetGalley
#NetGalley
June 8, 2025
I absolutely loved Liberating Yoga. It’s one of those books that every yoga practitioner and teacher should read—not just once, but revisit again and again. Harpinder Kaur Mann writes with such clarity, compassion, and purpose. She challenges the way yoga is often taught and practiced, and offers clear steps we can take to align our practice with justice and care, both for ourselves and our communities. Deeply grateful for this book. Highly recommend!
November 26, 2025
An incredible insight into the practice of yoga and its rich history. The author helps readers understand the ways in which yoga can provide spiritual enrichment as it was originally intended, and provides insight on how we can navigate around the commercialism that has seeped into this and every other aspect of our society and cultures. A great read for yoga amateurs and professionals alike!
June 23, 2025
Loved this book and the unique insights and perspectives it provided on how we can learn and work towards positive change in the way we practice yoga and show up in the world every day. Highly recommend!
June 3, 2025
Thank you for writing this! 🩷✨
June 22, 2025
A great book on embracing Yogas roots
November 9, 2025
Loved it. Really nice mix of yoga philosophy, personal stories and decolonisation of yoga.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews