reparations BY ERICA CHANG @ericachang_ Erica Chang (she/her) is a Chinese Hawaiian American. She has traveled to several countries in Asia and has spent time studying trauma, memoirs and testimonies and often ponders how we can honor those who have come before us and the legacy they have enriched us with. Currently, she can be found in beautiful Tacoma, WA, working in higher education and teaching vinyasa yoga classes in her community. With yoga, she has found a melding of the best things in her life-laughter, sweat, community, and strength. These roles fill her cup, as do the mountains and ocean that surround her.
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urrently, India, with a population of over 1.3 billion is suffering from a massive COVID-19 surge. There have been mass cremations, hospitals running low or out of medical supplies, and many patients dying due to oxygen shortages. Families are rushing from hospital to hospital, scrambling to find open hospital beds or space in the ICU for their loved ones. In April, it was reported that there were 6.6 million COVID cases. Daily cases have been continuously rising, with many going unreported. On May 7th, the Indian government reported more than 414,000 new COVID infections. Despite the United States is more than 8,000 miles and multiple time zones away from India, this situation is crucial and critical. Yoga is a multifaceted philosophy, medical practice, and way of life that originated
16 | overachiever magazine
from India that has been cul- and 72% of them are white turally appropriated, homog- women. Racism is so implicit, enized, secularized, and com- that one might not notice a mercialized in the Western white woman on a magazine world. In the West, the phys- cover, yoga video, or endorsical fitness of yoga is favored ing yoga merchandise the maover its spiritual aspect and is jority of the time. branded by white influencers who have reaped the benefits It is not until you do some of yoga, especially with the digging and ask yourself online boom during the pan- “What does yoga have to do demic. If you search yoga on with my community?” “Does Youtube or on Google, your it exist in my community?” results will consist of white “How do I contribute to yoga?” individuals as “most relevant” This is when you start to noor “most popular.” On glossy tice the inequalities and injuscovers of yoga magazines and tices. journals, nearly every spread features a thin white woman Yoga is a privilege of the wearing slim pants and a snug middle class, who can afford tank, the “appropriate” attire the unlimited memberships, in an advanced posture or sit- equipment, and clothing that ting in meditation with her would maintain and suseyes closed. tain the so-called “promise” of maximum function and While the mention of mag- maintain overall health. The azine covers may seem like a problem is not that BIPOC stereotype, it is rooted in reali- communities cannot afford ty. Over 36 million Americans yoga, there is just not a huge have stated they practice yoga emphasis for them to try. The
