Adding to the conversation of accessibility, diversity, and inclusivity, Queering Yoga is a new project set on expanding awareness and education around the trans community in yoga. As a documentary film, the intention behind Queering Yoga is to provide real-life perspectives and insights to empower, educate, and integrate.
Ewan Duarte, the project’s Director and Producer states:
As a Queer/Trans filmmaker who is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Queer/Trans cinema and history, there currently isn’t a documentary in existence that represents Trans and/or Queer identified yoga teachers exploring the intersection of yoga and these identities. Queering Yoga is an intimate portrait about the Queer/Trans yoga movement.
Currently, the project is in the production stages with interviews still in the works. In order to complete the documentary, the filmmakers are asking for help via a crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo.
The yoga world as a whole seems to be making more of an effort to be more inclusive, but if you’re a yogi identifying as transgender, for example, you might not feel so included. This documentary intends to help change that. If you’re reading this as someone identifying as heterosexual, maybe you were blissfully oblivious and had no idea, but that’s the point of the doc, too.
More info about the project and what “queering yoga” means:
Queering Yoga explores the intersection of Queer/Trans identities and the burgeoning tradition of yoga. Participants share their stories of transformation and healing through yoga. Queer/Trans filmmakers along with Queer and/or Trans yoga teachers are creating a film by and for our community!
“Queering yoga”— as in making a binary, hetero-normative and Western culturally-appropriated spiritual fitness practice work for us as LGBTQIA spectrum people, as well as bringing cultural sensitivity, acknowledging access, oppression, the origins of yoga and how POC folks feel entering a space that is largely straight, white, upper/middle class, cisgender and female. We are stretching/queering yoga to include a lot of people, not simply queer identities.
Read more about the project at queeringyoga.com. Visit their indiegogo page to contribute. At the time of this post, they have 14 days lefts to reach their goal.
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Genesis 24:62-63 “62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to MEDITATE*, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.”
Isaac was the son of Abraham, the Father of the Judaism. Isaac, lived in approximately 2000 BC. Isaac *MEDITATED.
Hinduism developed from the religion that the Aryans brought to India with them in about 1500 BC and that was centuries AFTER the history that occurred in the book of Genesis. So the fact is, Isaac *meditated centuries BEFORE Hinduism was developed with Yoga as the Hindu means of meditation.
Our understanding of mediation has been considerably altered by the influx of eastern religious practices onto our culture and the New Age movement. That is why the 21st Century connotation of mediation does not apply to Biblical Mediation. Meditation is not synonymous with chanting the mantra “OM” and it doesn’t necessarily involve strange body posturing.
An admonition against astrology follows:
Isaiah 47:13-14 “You are wearied with your many counsels; Let now the astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and save you from what will come upon you. “Behold, they have become like stubble, Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before!”
Biblical mediation is NOT even slightly linked to transcendental meditation or yoga; you don’t become detached in your mind from thoughts or images when mediating on the word of GOD. The object of Eastern Meditation practices is to focus on EMPTYING the mind of thoughts or images. Biblical meditation is about FILLING the mind of thoughts from and about God. The objective for biblical meditation is to make the conceptual nature of the Word of God a reality in your life.
Some people confuse Bible reading with biblical meditation. It is very important to read the bible. But there is a difference between causally reading the Word of God and meditating on the Word of God.
Hinduism is a religion believing in many gods, so before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.
Struggling to understand what your comments have to do with this article.
Me “two”!!!!
This is a brillant idea. The more people know about the benefits of yoga and meditation, the better. Practicing both have improved the quality of my overal life, happines and health.
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