White Ally: A Guide to Cultivating a Deeply Spiritual AntiRacism Practice

by Sonia Roberts

The Yamas and Niyamas, yoga's ten guidelines, guide you to live in peace and harmony with yourself and the world. In this book, learn how to cultivate an anti-racism practice using the framework of yoga's ten guidelines, the Yamas and the Niyamas. Examine your biases, conditioning, values and beliefs by exploring the philosophy of each guideline in every chapter. Brief guided meditations are provided at the end of the chapter to enhance mindfulness and self-awareness. Reflection questions are included at the end of the chapter for deepened understanding and self inquiry. Following the philosophy of each guideline, interwoven with examples and personal stories, invites you to become more mindful of recognizing racism within yourself and the patterns and systems of oppression in the world. The Yamas and Niyamas guide you toward letting go of limiting and harmful behaviors and beliefs. These guidelines free you to see beyond your own desires into the collective good. As you become more mindful and begin to acknowledge systemic racism and injustice, you can use this awareness to become a more effective ally to people of color. Open your heart and mind, gain the awareness, skills and compassion to change the world from the inside out.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Sonia Roberts is a graduate of UC Berkeley. She is an educator, writer and certified yoga teacher with over twenty years of teaching experience. She has worked for several non-profit organizations in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles, as a counselor and educator. White Ally: A Guide to Cultivating a Deeply Spiritual AntiRacism Practice, is her first book.

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. Excellent primer for unpacking all the truths. Anti-racism 101.

[Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Yoga is a practice, and it turns out, anti-racism is a practice too."
A student at my studio gifted these to us. I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I journaled through all of the prompts and found that it helped me to self-reflect with my fears, pain, and trauma, while also opening my eyes to help me move forward into a more anti-racist approach both on and off my mat. I highly recommend this book to all white yoga teachers. I think it's essential for us to become more aware of white-dominated spaces (privilege is very blinding), so we may learn to encourage and embrace diversity and intersectionality.

[Hilary Nihlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent for those who want to learn more about the connection between yoga and antiracism. Roberts thoroughly outlines two of the eight limbs from the Yoga Sutras, the Yamas and the Niyamas, connects them to activism, and provides practices to work on.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially loved the last few chapters.

[Rachel Noland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the connection to yoga and spirituality. But looking back, I don't think I learned anything or made any steps to making myself or the world a less racist place.