Everyone belongs We celebrate uniqueness and unity
We create space that welcomes and centers people of color, queer and trans folks, disabled people, fat folks, low-income communities, and others often excluded from wellness spaces.
We don't assume who is in the room, and we teach, speak, and listen so everyone can belong. We know yoga speaks through you exactly as you are and we're genuinely glad you're here.
Acknowledging Indigenous Land
We acknowledge that yoga is practiced on Indigenous lands.
We commit to repair beyond acknowledgment through education, relationship-building, and supporting Indigenous-led movements for land sovereignty and justice.
Honoring South Asian Roots
We center the South Asian origins of yoga. We acknowledge harms caused by colonialism, caste oppression, Brahminical patriarchy (dominance of upper-caste Brahmin men in defining "authentic" yoga), and fundamentalism.
We resist the erasure of South Asian and Desi voices in yoga and wellness spaces. Yoga, here, is practiced as a tool for liberation, not appropriation.
Gender Expansive & Body Inclusive Space
This is a gender-expansive space. We use inclusive, non-binary language and avoid assumptions about bodies, identities, or roles. We reject fatphobia and diet culture. We know ALL bodies are yoga bodies.
We try to use language like y'all, friends, unicorns, rather than "you guys" or "ladies." We celebrate bodies in all forms and expression is expansive and ever evolving.
Consent & Autonomy First
Autonomy and consent guide everything: movement, sharing, touch (if in person), and participation. Your "no" is honored.
Your "yes" is welcomed and your "maybe" is respected.
We teach and practice yoga to uplift your sovereignty.
Care, Repair & Learning Together
We're human, and moments of misalignment can happen.
When something needs care, we slow down and tend to it together with curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to learning.
Healing Justice, Neuro Spicy, All Abilities Welcome
Our spaces do our best to care for people of all abilities, center neurospicy experience, and practice healing justice. Participation, without pressure.
We are interactive: practice, discussion, art, creativity, reflection, breakout rooms, and shared inquiry, and you're never required to share. You're welcome to engage in ways that support you. Your presence is enough, just as you are.
Many Truths, Ongoing Growth
We show up real!
No one here is expected to have all the answers or follow a single "right" perspective. We embrace both/and, unity & diversity.
We support your right to question and find your own truth within this practice. This is yoga school, not school school! We welcome curiosity, complexity, and not-knowing as part of practicing yoga together. Critical thinking and discussion are keys to learning.
Our Joy is Radical
We value joy, humanity, and care alongside depth.
We each share responsibility for care, repair, and learning, while making room for humor, creativity, play, and pleasure.
We know practicing authentic yoga changes lives and the world.
Roots of Yoga Acknowledgement
We honor the sacred tradition of yoga, which has been practiced, refined, and transmitted from the Indus Valley and Saraswati River Valleys in India. Passed down from teacher to student, through countless generations of dedicated practitioners.
From the ancient rishis who received these teachings through deep practice, to Patanjali who codified the eight-limbed path, to the lineage holders who have kept this wisdom alive through millennia, we bow in gratitude.
I thank your teachers and my teachers Shankarji and the Shankaracharya lineage of yoga and Vedanta, Debashish Banerji and the transformative teachings of Sri Aurobindo, and all whose integral vision continues to illuminate the path. I honor Thich Nhat Hanh, who taught me engaged practice and the path of mindful presence in service of transformation.
I honor the revolutionary changemakers, from Indian freedom fighters to contemporary teachers, Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer and trans leaders, disabled practitioners, and those from working-class and marginalized communities who practice and teach yoga as a path to personal and collective liberation.
Through their generosity and the grace of all teachers before them, this practice reaches us today. May we receive these teachings with humility and reverence, and may the fruits of our practice serve the liberation and healing of all beings.
Why Train with Ignite Yoga Institute?
Founded by Susanna Barkataki, PhD scholar in Yoga Psychology, author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots & Ignite Your Yoga, Ignite bridges authentic yoga traditions and modern social change practices. Thousands of students, 3 awards in Thought Leadership, we’re recognized worldwide as the premier institution to confidently lead with yoga's roots - with unity in diversity.
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