Standing Against Anti-Asian Racism & Violence

Beloved Yoga Phamily community,

We reach out to you with heavy hearts - what we would give to live in a world without violence and injustice occurring in our communities. Sadly, this violence continues and continues to escalate. It is deeply concerning that anti-Asian hate crime have risen over the past year - according to Stop Asian Hate (https://stopaapihate.org/), since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been nearly 3800 such crimes reported in the United States, with women being targeted in close to 70% of those crimes. The response, and subsequent remarks by some, to last week’s shooting in Atlanta, downplay the racial and gender-based nature of these crimes in ways that contribute to the invisibility of the AAPI community and women in particular.

At Yoga Phamily, we know we need more action and fewer words, yet we hope these words can make our values clear and acknowledge the hurt and fear that our Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are feeling. At the very least, we hope to communicate that we see you and we stand with you. To that end, we re-assert our commitment to the inner and outer work, to engage in self-study, reflection, planning, and recognizing layers of privilege and unconscious tendrils. We commit to this work for the long term. We recognize that by bringing awareness to our own lives and practices, we give space to others to do the same. Know that we are holding you close in our hearts.

Here is a list of local resources (provided by ABC 7) to help you navigate through these challenging times in our communities.

As always, we’re here to support you. For questions or concerns, please call or text (415) 234-3767 or reply to this email.

In solidarity,

Brynne & Yoga Phamily