SF Bay BIPOC Yoga Conference 2026
About this Event
This event is dedicated to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who want to connect, practice yoga, support BIPOC businesses, and cultivate wellness together.
Experience empowering yoga sessions, workshops, and discussions led by BIPOC instructors. Whether you're seasoned or new to the practice, there's something for everyone at this conference.
Don't miss this opportunity to nurture your mind, body, and spirit in a safe and inclusive space. Join us at the SF Bay BIPOC Yoga Conference!
Saturday
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Anjali Rao - Workshop: Storytelling As A Liberatory Praxis
Host: Anjali Rao
Info: Storytelling was one of the integral methods for sharing esoteric and abstract concepts in ways that were relatable to ordinary people living ordinary lives. Liberatory teachings of yoga were conveyed through storytelling. Stories, in addition to being informative and laden with insight into the human experience, are chronicles of the times that shed light on the sociopolitical interplay of gender, caste, and religion. Drawing from themes from her first book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance, Anjali Rao leads us into an exploration of extraordinary stories of women, from myth and history who defied societal norms of caste, gender and class. We will discuss how storytelling can be integrated in our practice, teaching and community.
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Book Signing: Yoga As Embodied Resistance
Host: Anjali Rao
Info: Get your copy of Yoga As Embodied Resistance signed by Anjali! There'll be books available for purchase.
🕑: 01:00 PM
Workshop - To be announced
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Teacher Training: Exploring Ease - Intro to Restorative Yoga (part 1)
Host: Samara Reynolds
Info: This training is a short experiential introduction to Restorative yoga. It begins with a practice to contextualize the lecture. We'll touch on the history of Restorative yoga, societal attitude towards rest, access to rest, racism in wellness, consent and autonomy,the nervous system. Folks will learn how and why props are set up a certain way, anatomical principles, and how to give their students a great Savasana that meets them where they are. Discussions about rest will touch on anti-blackness,classism, ableism, fatphobia, racism, and xenophobia in order to support BIPOC as we navigate a world not yet built with us in mind. Sliding scale: $65-125 2 scholarships available!
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Kirtan!
Host: Alyssa Lauren Stone
Sunday
🕑: 09:00 AM
Workshop To be announced
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Workshop: Meeting Life As It Is: Kleshas & Compassion
Host: Disha Gupta
Info: What if the patterns of the mind that keep us stuck aren't personal flaws, but simply part of being human?
This workshop offers an embodied introduction to the yogic concept of the kleshas - universal patterns that arise as we search for certainty, identity, and lasting happiness. Rather than seeing these patterns as something to fix, we'll explore how recognizing them can become a source of compassion, offering relief in the understanding that they are part of our shared human experience.
Through embodied grounding, yoga philosophy, guided reflection, journaling, and community dialogue, we'll connect these timeless teachings with our own lived experience. Participants will leave with a practical understanding of the kleshas, simple embodied tools for cultivating awareness, and perhaps a gentler, more compassionate way of meeting themselves and life as it is.
🕑: 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM
Teacher Training - Yogic Music Theory for Yoga Teachers and Sound Healers
Host: Tako Oda
Info: This training covers the science behind music (especially singing) and how it heals. The second half will be practical techniques for healthy vocal production, as well as application of harmonic theory to sound healing and playlist design.
While both Yoga and music have long histories of being appropriated, this training will make a point of looking at music from a South Asian lens - in particular the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Music and Yoga have always been closely tied to liberatory struggles, and are therefore central to the lives of
BIPOC. Tako is an Oakland-based yoga instructor and teacher trainer. As a registered YACEP, their workshop can count towards continuing education credits for YA members.Sliding scale:$45-80 NOTAFLOF
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Teacher Training - Exploring Ease: Intro to Restorative Yoga (part 2)
Host: Samara Reynolds
Info: This training is a short experiential introduction to Restorative yoga. It begins with a practice to contextualize the lecture. We'll touch on the history of Restorative yoga, societal attitude towards rest, access to rest, racism in wellness, consent and autonomy,the nervous system. Folks will learn how and why props are set up a certain way, anatomical principles, and how to give their students a great Savasana that meets them where they are. Discussions about rest will touch on anti-blackness,classism, ableism, fatphobia, racism, and xenophobia in order to support BIPOC as we navigate a world not yet built with us in mind. Sliding scale: $65-125, 2 scholarships available!
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Sound bath!
Host: Island Time Healing
🕑: 03:00 PM
Workshop - Seasonal Ayurvedic Yoga
Host: Vida Karvandi
Info: Receive an intro to Ayurveda through the seasons. As we are transitioning from summer (pitta season) to autumn (vata season), that will be our focus. We will practice pranayama (breathwork) & yoga asanas (poses) in relation to the heat of pitta season or the coolness of vata season.
To enhance alignment and make yoga poses more accessible, we will use support from the wall and blocks. Whether you're a beginner, more advanced or a teacher, you will learn something new.
As this is a BIPoC fully centered conference, ancestral reclamation and communing are integral. Each personal ancestry will be welcomed and incorporated in whatever capacity resonates. Collectively communing and weaving our lineages through each Ayurvedic breath, movement and meditation together.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 25.85 to USD 55.20
