Land Acknowledgement

Creating a sacred space at BBYF

We strive to create a collaborative, sacred space at Big Bear Yoga Festival.

We acknowledge that the Big Bear Yoga Festival is held on the traditional land of the Yuhaviatam People.

We pay respect to elders, both past and present.

We respectfully acknowledge the Yuhaviatam People, who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We show our respect, strive to correct the lies and practices that erase Indigenous People's history and culture, and work to learn, speak and honor the truth.

Yuhaviat means "Pine Place," home and point of origin for San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians.

Wisdom, History and Cultural Acknowledgement

The Yoga Sutras are an ancient yogic text, compiled in India. This includes explanation of the Yamas, Niyamas, Asanas, Pranayam, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dyhana and Samadhi. We encourage you to read the Yoga Sutras for yourself, and recommend the translation by Dr. Shyam Ranganathan.

We acknowledge that the Big Bear Yoga Festival and our community benefits and learns from these ancient texts, the culture and peoples of the world sharing this wisdom.

We pay respect to elders, both past and present. We pay respect to those who shared the practice and wisdom of Yoga with us.

We respectfully acknowledge that Yoga is more than 5,000 years old and it originated in India. We also acknowledge that many Indigenous Cultures have practiced movement (including dance and stretching,) and many cultures have been decimated so we don't have those practices to learn and share. We show our respect, strive to correct the lies and practices that erase Indigenous People's history and culture, and work to learn, speak and honor the truth.

* To learn more about Yoga Ethics, we highly recommend Dr. Shyam Ranganathan's presentation.

To learn more about Yoga Philosophy and the West, we highly recommend Dr. Shyam Ranganathan's presentation
We highly recommend "Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World," by Michelle Cassandra Johnson.

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is listed in the Yoga Sutras as a Yama, a restraint or guide for ethical behavior. This is an important focus for us at Big Bear Yoga Festival.

"One of the principles we try to live by in yoga is Ahimsa which means to do no harm. Ahimsa covers thoughts as well as actions. Our thoughts are powerful and, although we may not physically harm another being, we may harm others with our thoughts.

When we realize we are connected to one another and to everything we develop compassion. We begin to see ourselves in others. This helps us to refrain from harming them not only physically but with our thoughts as well."

- Alona Smith, Leadership Team

...and more to come from Big Bear Yoga Festival!

Notes from Dr. Shyam Ranganathan's lecture, guiding planning Big Bear Yoga Festival:

Western Yoga and Appropriation: Applying guiding ideas of early western theorizing to yoga guidance.

For example: leader-follower model (western perspective)

Vs.

Sva-Svami (roughly translated as "he/she who knows and is master of himself/herself")

For example: fitting in to the community as a basic category of explanation

Vs.

Kaivalya (your own autonomy)

For example: ableism (discrimination in favor of able bodied people)

Vs.

Isvara Pranidhana (surrender ego to God)

For example: anthropocentrism (human centered universe)

Vs.

Anti-asmita (obstacle to true self)