New Peer-Reviewed Publication in Race & Yoga
What begins in the body becomes breath, then story—and sometimes, it finds its way onto the page.
🙏🏼 🤲🏼 📕
We are honored to share that Neda Ahson’s recent work has been published in Race & Yoga, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to examining the history, racialization, and inclusivity of the global yoga community.
This publication is more than an academic milestone—it is a deeply embodied offering. Rooted in lived experience, reflective practice, and critical inquiry, Neda’s work contributes to a growing body of scholarship that centers voices often left unseen, unheard, or unacknowledged in mainstream yoga discourse.
Why Race & Yoga Matters
Race & Yoga is the first scholarly journal to intentionally hold space for rigorous, intersectional study of yoga through the lenses of race, identity, history, and power. Each issue honors the deeply felt realities of practitioners, teachers, and communities whose experiences complicate and enrich yoga’s modern landscape.
To be published in this journal is to join a vital conversation—one that bridges body, breath, culture, and story.
An Offering from the Heart
Neda Ahson Published in Race & Yoga
Neda’s publication reminds us that yoga is not only practiced on the mat. It lives in our bodies, our breath, our memories, and our narratives. When those stories are written and shared, they become acts of preservation, resistance, and healing.
Excerpt:
I came to yoga at a personal crossroads. As a South Asian American Muslim woman of color growing up in Fort Myers, Florida, a small, predominantly white town, I heard conflicting messages – some reverent, others suspicious. Yoga was discussed in affluent circles, but within my Muslim upbringing, I was warned it was a form of Hindu worship. After a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ended my competitive soccer career, my brother first suggested yoga as physical therapy to improve mobility. What began as rehabilitation with my physical therapist and public yoga classes at the local gym soon became a revelation. Yoga returned me to nafas (breath) as a sacred tether for my nafs (soul). In this union, I rediscovered something I hadn’t realized was missing: space to meet myself and to remember God.
📖 Read the full publication here: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/92v8r2sb
May this work continue to inspire reflection, dialogue, and a more inclusive understanding of yoga—one that honors the unseen, the lived, and the deeply felt.
