Toward a Just Yoga

Toward a Just Yoga

Anjali Sawhney in conversation with authors Anjali Rao and Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Featuring opening music from vocalist Deepti Warrier

Sunday, December 7th 2025

5:30-7:00pm PT

In-person at EBMC: 2406 Webster St., Oakland CA

More than ever we need yoga spaces that offer solace, community, and healing, that can cultivate capacity to hold complexity and disrupt ongoing and past oppressions.

As we look toward building these spaces, we might consider the following questions:

What does yoga have to do with caste, gender, and power?

Why is a feminist and a critical lens on yoga history relevant during these times?

How can we re-envision yoga spaces that are truly welcoming and liberatory for all?

Join Anjali Rao and Thenmozhi Soundararajan, co-founder of Equality Labs, for a generative discussion that explores these core questions from Anjali’s thought-provoking book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance. This discussion sheds light on ways in which we can build authentic and embodied solidarities across differences.

We begin with a musical performance and a brief centering practice before diving in. The discussion will be followed by audience Q&A and a book signing, and samosas and chai will be served before and after the event. Copies of Yoga as Embodied Resistance will also be available for purchase during the event, courtesy of Womb House Books

Do join us on December 7th: 5:30-7:00 pm!

Please note the address for EBMC's new space:

2406 Webster St., Oakland, CA

Doors open 5:00pm, event begins at 5:30pm

This event will be in-person. Space is limited to the first 200 people who register. Registration does not require a donation, but the offering of a financial contribution is deeply appreciated. People of all ages and abilities are absolutely welcomed.

Donations are welcomed even if you’re unable to attend.

For a list of our offerings and more information please visit our website at www.eastbaymeditation.org.

Presented in partnership with North Atlantic Books and Womb House Books.

BIOGRAPHIES

Anjali Rao brings an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens to the study of philosophy and yoga history integrating storytelling, art and poetry. Emphasizing an embodied approach, her work deconstructs the dynamics of caste, gender, nationalism and colonialism. She is on the faculty of multiple yoga teacher training programs. She is the host of The Love of Yoga podcast bridging scholarship, activism and yoga. 

She is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy and Religion in California Institute of Integral Studies.Her first book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens in Caste, Gender And Sacred Resilience in Yoga History, North Atlantic Books is available for order.

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, a Dalit rights artist, technologist, and theorist. Currently, Thenmozhi is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Equality Labs, a Dalit Civil Rights organization that uses community research, cultural and political organizing, popular education and digital security to build power to end caste apartheid, white supremacy, gender based violence, and religious intolerance.

Through her work across mediums she centers the voices of communities into the vital debates of our time. Her work has been recognized by the Producers Guild of America Diversity Program, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Sorbonne, Source Magazine, Utne Reader, The National Center for the Humanities, The National Science Foundation, and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. You can follow her work as a Robert Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellow and the Atlantic Foundation for Racial Equity. To learn more about her work around caste equity, abolition, and healing, you can find her book, The Trauma of Caste, from North Atlantic Books. You can find her on twitter, instagram, and facebook at @dalitdiva and Equality Labs @equalitylabs.

Anjali Sawhney (she/her/s) is a Certified Integral Life Coach and a trained international Leadership Embodiment Teacher (somatic coaching based on Aikido & Mindfulness). Anjali has coached & facilitated somatics & mindfulness workshops in the non-profit, corporate, and educational sectors including the Richmond Community Foundation, California Endowment, UCSF & City of San Francisco. Anjali also serves directly with untapped BIPOC students, those unhoused, and those in recovery by providing coaching, counseling & series workshops through various non-profits as well as independently. She is currently on the EBMC Program Committee and Leadership Sangha (Board). She is passionate about rallying people through community & spirituality as well as street protests for equity & systemic change, is in awe of nature & live music, & on rare occasions is allowed to groove with her children, Aanika and Jai.

Deepti Warrier is a vocalist trained in the Indian classical musical tradition. She trained with Guru, Dr. Sisirkana Dhar Choudhury in the Hindustani tradition. Deepti enjoys composing and singing ghazals, and brings a deeply soothing melodic tone invoking visceral responses at all levels. She brings a range of vocal technique and emotion to all aspects of her artistry. She has performed and collaborated with classical dance and theater artistes in India, Pakistan and the United States, and is passionate about creating art that fosters conversation around social justice.

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