158: The Yoga of Calling In with Janie Ganga (A Public Apology)
This is a vulnerable episode for me to share, but it was very important to me to record and release this episode because it highlights something I don’t think we see enough: people in positions of power, privilege or leadership openly receiving feedback.
Janie Ganga is a yoga teacher I deeply admire and have worked closely with for nearly a decade. In May of this year, they reached out to tell me something I had posted on social media had upset and hurt them. (Here is the reel that started it all.)
We’ve had several conversations about the situation since, and this episode is the culmination and public sharing of how we worked through that.
Please listen, share it widely, and let us know how it lands with you.
Janie Ganga (she/they) is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher, social justice activist, and co-owner of Santosha Yoga, an online studio rooted in the Providence, RI community. Certified in I AM Yoga since 2013, Ganga specializes in Private Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Let Your Yoga Dance, and is completing certification as a Yoga Therapist. Beyond the mat, Janie has organized queer community events for years – creating queer friendly femme-centered spaces in Boston with madFemmePride and co-leading the 2006 Transcending Boundaries Conference, which brought together activists for Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, Polyamorous, and Kink Rights. As a Professional Member of ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health), Janie is guided by Health at Every Size and is passionate about making yoga accessible to all bodies and identities.
Learn More about:
Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH)
Resources:
Loretta Ross TED talk - Don't call people out – call them in
Original idea of “calling in” - 2013 Blog by Ngọc Loan Trần
Loretta J. Ross book - Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel
Renu Diane Zagoria, creator of I AM Yoga Nidra for Kids
Chandrakant - Yogacharya in the Lineage of I AM Yoga & former resident of Kripalu Center
Swami Kripalu - who followed the Path of Love
Deana Tavares - MultiDisciplinary Artist & Poet who is always Finding Hope
Jacoby Ballard - his talk “Flux & Fracture: an Invitation to Deepen” and his direct encouragement to Ganga to dive into Loretta Ross’s whole amazing book
Johnny Blazes - Malden Pride speech
Martin Luther King, Jr. and The King Center - “Hate is too great a burden to bear”
Other examples of “calling in” that shaped Ganga’s perspective include:
Man Changes His Mind on Trans People - a reminder sent over by Deana about the power of listening and shifting perspective.
Anne Lamott’s son “called on” his mom after a transphobic tweet - Janie stumbled on this story after she questioned a colleague about sharing a Lamott’s quote. Ganga discovered Lamott had publicly apologized, though the apology received little attention compared to the initial harm.
Public Enemies, Private Friends - recommended by Janie’s friend Marshall Miller, this documentary highlights dialogue between pro-choice and pro-life leaders in 1990s Boston.
Accessible Yoga Podcast - hearing Jivana Heyman speak about his own activism and yoga inspired Janie to share her own perspective more openly.
Ganga is deeply grateful to the colleagues and friends who supported their growth, including Stacy, Jyotika, Padma, Megha, her Anti-Racism for White Yoga Teachers book club, and all her students.
OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan).
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If I were to ask you what the purpose of asana is, what would you say? Would you say it was to feel better in the body? To build strength and flexibility? To prepare the body for meditation practice? To help people connect more deeply to their breath and themselves?
These are all beautiful answers!!
But if you gave a very specific movement cue or alignment principle when teaching asana, and I asked you what the purpose of that was, what would you say?
I think many of us value clarity and specificity in our teaching, but because of the way we were trained to teach movement, we fall into highly dogmatic or aesthetic based cueing even when that doesn’t honor our values.
Today’s podcast episode is a deep inquiry into the purpose of asana, especially as it applies to teaching movement in a specific and precise way.