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Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World
Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World will ask you to explore the deeply transformational practice of yoga, and to become a social change agent so that you can create a world that is just for all. This book explores liberation for ourselves and others, while asking us to engage in our own agency, whether that manifests as activism, volunteer work, or changing our relationships with others and ourselves.
Skill in Action clearly defines power and privilege, oppression, liberation, and suffering, and will invite you to take steps to make changes in your life to create a world that allows all of us to be free. The end of each chapter includes a sample practice so that you can put this wisdom into action in your daily life. These sample practices include breathwork, asana, meditation and interpersonal relational work.
In an effort to move toward liberation for all, the practices extend beyond the individual to offer resources and tools to shift institutional policies and procedures in a culture that has left all of us negatively impacted by white supremacy.
It is my hope that Skill in Action calls you and your community to take action and to not become complicit via complacency. It asks that we take the powerful practice of yoga and use it to create a world that makes space for all, that values all and that speaks truth to power.
Skill in Action clearly defines power and privilege, oppression, liberation, and suffering, and will invite you to take steps to make changes in your life to create a world that allows all of us to be free. The end of each chapter includes a sample practice so that you can put this wisdom into action in your daily life. These sample practices include breathwork, asana, meditation and interpersonal relational work.
In an effort to move toward liberation for all, the practices extend beyond the individual to offer resources and tools to shift institutional policies and procedures in a culture that has left all of us negatively impacted by white supremacy.
It is my hope that Skill in Action calls you and your community to take action and to not become complicit via complacency. It asks that we take the powerful practice of yoga and use it to create a world that makes space for all, that values all and that speaks truth to power.
224 pages, Paperback
Published November 2, 2021
173 people are currently reading
2267 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
August 24, 2018
This would have been a great book to have in my teacher training which was marketed as an emphasis on social justice but honestly didn’t even delve deep into social justice issues. In fact, when we did try to discuss what was happening outside of the space, a lot of spiritual bypassing took place and basically dominant culture thrived. I appreciate this book being a concise but comprehensive approach to radical yoga as it was intended to practice. As an organizer and activist myself, Yoga was the answer for personal transformation that can lead us to collective liberation. Which the author eloquently stated throughout. A good read indeed, all yogis should be required to read this book.
October 11, 2018
This is a short book to be used as a way to blend social justice work and modern yoga practice. That being said, it does not assume you have already been doing social justice work, so it would be great for beginners to that field. I do feel it assumes some knowledge of yoga practice, although you can be fairly new to that as well. What it is not and is not trying to be is an in depth treaties on either social justice work or on yoga philosophy. It is clearly meant as a companion for other sources of practice and information.
This review is much drier than my actually feelings about the book. So I will add that there was much highlighting and nodding my head as I read through this short work. The author turned an honest lens on some things we tend to gloss over and avoid in our society, but didn’t leave the reader in a state of hopelessness or helplessness. The author did not offer hard and fast answers either. Instead, what the author did offer was that through the tools of yoga and social justice work perhaps we can build the answers together.
This review is much drier than my actually feelings about the book. So I will add that there was much highlighting and nodding my head as I read through this short work. The author turned an honest lens on some things we tend to gloss over and avoid in our society, but didn’t leave the reader in a state of hopelessness or helplessness. The author did not offer hard and fast answers either. Instead, what the author did offer was that through the tools of yoga and social justice work perhaps we can build the answers together.
January 25, 2021
This is an important topic, but I was disappointed that this book does not have a lot of content. It may provide a starting point for conversations in yoga teacher trainings and yoga communities, but I think needs to be supplemented with other readings (Radical Dharma, My Grandmother’s Hands, Me & White Supremacy, for example).
February 3, 2021
Quick, excellent read, and I’m so glad this is included in my yoga teacher training. This is an important conversation. There is a lot of good info here but it really just scratches the surface, will definitely be looking into the author’s yoga trainings for more.
July 30, 2018
Great little book about making yoga more inclusive. Wish there was a bit more, but enjoyed it.
October 28, 2020
Skill in Action offers a range of practices for those who love and value yoga to self-reflect and use those insights to fuel sustainable mindsets and actions to contribute to a just world, where all beings can be happy and free.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a 4-week online book club lead by the author, to explore the insights and exercises contained in the book in greater detail. I especially appreciated the exercises that examined identity and social location.
Skill in Action offers a solid foundation of the truths and power of yoga to ignite social change and challenge dominant White Supremacy culture. Reading and working through the exercises of this enriching book has encouraged me to dig deeper as a yoga student and teacher. It's provided me with tangible tools and powerful explorative questions to help commit to creating conditions that invite space for multiple truths (we're all connected and in it together, and yet our experiences are not the same) and that support a just and equitable world.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a 4-week online book club lead by the author, to explore the insights and exercises contained in the book in greater detail. I especially appreciated the exercises that examined identity and social location.
Skill in Action offers a solid foundation of the truths and power of yoga to ignite social change and challenge dominant White Supremacy culture. Reading and working through the exercises of this enriching book has encouraged me to dig deeper as a yoga student and teacher. It's provided me with tangible tools and powerful explorative questions to help commit to creating conditions that invite space for multiple truths (we're all connected and in it together, and yet our experiences are not the same) and that support a just and equitable world.
February 3, 2025
So happy this book was required for my yoga teacher training and I think it should be read by all people practicing and teaching yoga. A reminder about how necessary it is to be aware of the identities we embody within and the relationships we have to privilege and oppression. It was written so well and with various opportunities to reflect and see within ourselves more clearly through journaling, meditation, etc.
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August 1, 2020A great primer to making your teaching of yoga more inclusive and social justice focused.
October 13, 2020
Simple read that engages the audience from a yoga teacher perspective. As a white cis gender woman I am continually learning how I view the yoga space and how to make it more accessible to others.
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August 7, 2022i think everyone training to be a yoga teacher, in particular white people who have done no or only surface level work on white supremacy, privilege, etc should read this. if you have done more work on these issues, the first part of this book is a conceptual review that you can skip. i didn't do all of the exercises but they are helpful in internalizing the information.
i also saw a review for this where some white lady was going on about how she's not a white supremacist because she was poor growing up or whatever and not all white people etc. this book actually has a much more conciliatory tone than some other anti-racist work which befits the largely white wellness woman audience. i can see how some parts of it can be challenging but this book is more of a light tap than a hit. if that makes you holler, you probably need to dig in further than what this book can give you.
i also saw a review for this where some white lady was going on about how she's not a white supremacist because she was poor growing up or whatever and not all white people etc. this book actually has a much more conciliatory tone than some other anti-racist work which befits the largely white wellness woman audience. i can see how some parts of it can be challenging but this book is more of a light tap than a hit. if that makes you holler, you probably need to dig in further than what this book can give you.
December 19, 2020
While searching for ways I can turn things that I already do into simple activism for social justice, I stumbled upon Michelle Johnson’s book. She’s a social activist and yoga teacher who has married these two practices and teaches others how to do so, too, in SKILL IN ACTION. Yoga spaces are very white. How can we—teacher or not—actively create spaces where people of all identities and races feel totally comfortable? I also joined the Skill in Action book club to talk to Michelle and other folks about how to do this. For me, yoga is a way for me to move and connect with my body but also with my mind—it’s a meditation and a sort of therapy for me. It’s important that it be accessible to everyone.
May 22, 2020
This book should be mandatory reading in all yoga teacher training curricula in the US. How the yamas and niyamas, foundational principles of the yoga sutras, apply to understanding the impact of race and racism, and how race and racism affect the yoga space.
July 26, 2019
If you are a student of yoga or a teacher, especially a white teacher. This book is a must read.
April 2, 2021
I loved this book. I think it's so necessary that it could be one reference book in yoga.
December 30, 2021
Deeper than my rag doll pose
March 4, 2023
Book of the Day – Skill in Action
Today’s Book of the Day is SKILL IN ACTION, written by Michelle Cassandra Johnson in 2021 and published by Shambhala.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is a writer, an activist against racism, a social justice warrior, a yoga teacher, and a healer. She has more than 20 years of experience in fighting and dismantling racism, working with clients as a licensed clinical social worker. Michelle is the founder of Skill in Action.
I have chosen this book because, being a Yoga teacher and practitioner myself, I believe that our practice should have a social impact as we grow as individuals and members of our environment.
In this short, yet extremely engaging book, Michelle Johnson shows the readers that Yoga is not just a physical practice, but rather a deeply transformational one, that can be used as a practical tool to create a world where everyone can be treated equally.
The author uses the core concepts of Yoga philosophy, taking them from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient yogic text that calls us to see the divinity within all and live our dharma for the collective good, to invite practitioners to change their life’s journey so to start becoming aware of how every choice we do has an impact on others. This will lead the practitioner to engage in social activities aiming at bringing justice to everyone.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson remembers us that we share the same humanity and for this precise reason, we have to grow our engagement and commitment in deepening our understanding of this society and our role in it. It’s a call, the one in the book, to social activism.
The author starts by demonstrating how some parts of the Yoga industries seem to be attracted by power and privilege, forgetting social work. She uses yamas and niyamas as guidelines to create a more just world.
Yamas and Niyamas can be considered as Yoga‘s guidelines about ethics and moral justice, and they can be found in the first two limbs of Patanjali’s eightfold path. Yamas are things we should avoid doing, while Niyamas are things we should do.
The book calls for a practice of actionable love and effective actions with a clear social impact. It also gives tools and practices like journaling, pranayama exercises, meditations, and rituals that will help the practitioners develop their understanding.
Skill in Action gives us a clear definition of what power, privilege, oppression, and injustice are in today’s society and invites the readers to take clear action to make changes both in their life and in their social engagement.
I recommend this book as a practical and effective tool to start living your Yoga practice, bringing it concepts into your environment and in your society.
Today’s Book of the Day is SKILL IN ACTION, written by Michelle Cassandra Johnson in 2021 and published by Shambhala.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is a writer, an activist against racism, a social justice warrior, a yoga teacher, and a healer. She has more than 20 years of experience in fighting and dismantling racism, working with clients as a licensed clinical social worker. Michelle is the founder of Skill in Action.
I have chosen this book because, being a Yoga teacher and practitioner myself, I believe that our practice should have a social impact as we grow as individuals and members of our environment.
In this short, yet extremely engaging book, Michelle Johnson shows the readers that Yoga is not just a physical practice, but rather a deeply transformational one, that can be used as a practical tool to create a world where everyone can be treated equally.
The author uses the core concepts of Yoga philosophy, taking them from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient yogic text that calls us to see the divinity within all and live our dharma for the collective good, to invite practitioners to change their life’s journey so to start becoming aware of how every choice we do has an impact on others. This will lead the practitioner to engage in social activities aiming at bringing justice to everyone.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson remembers us that we share the same humanity and for this precise reason, we have to grow our engagement and commitment in deepening our understanding of this society and our role in it. It’s a call, the one in the book, to social activism.
The author starts by demonstrating how some parts of the Yoga industries seem to be attracted by power and privilege, forgetting social work. She uses yamas and niyamas as guidelines to create a more just world.
Yamas and Niyamas can be considered as Yoga‘s guidelines about ethics and moral justice, and they can be found in the first two limbs of Patanjali’s eightfold path. Yamas are things we should avoid doing, while Niyamas are things we should do.
The book calls for a practice of actionable love and effective actions with a clear social impact. It also gives tools and practices like journaling, pranayama exercises, meditations, and rituals that will help the practitioners develop their understanding.
Skill in Action gives us a clear definition of what power, privilege, oppression, and injustice are in today’s society and invites the readers to take clear action to make changes both in their life and in their social engagement.
I recommend this book as a practical and effective tool to start living your Yoga practice, bringing it concepts into your environment and in your society.
March 27, 2022
This book is a quick but excellent read that I believe should be part of every yoga teacher training. A must-read especially for cis white female yoga teachers (which is my profile) to make yoga spaces more inclusive and instruments for radical social change. It articulates the subject of social justice around yoga in a precise and accessible way while offering concrete actionable steps to engage in a more just and equitable practice. The fact that it does not assume any acquired background in social justice knowledge feels welcoming and approachable for everyone, its conciseness making it even more so, which I think is important as social justice themes and vocabulary can feel overwhelming at first. The book only scratches the surface of such important debates but gives enough of an overview to provide the reader with a basis to start with for further research.
As I am starting to feel quite familiar with social justice discussions around yoga, I did not feel like I learned anything new but I did feel provided with a great support book to always go back to, especially for explaining in simple ways to others what social justice is and how it ties around yoga. The link the author makes with breath at the centre of the yogi path and the role that our current systems hold in literally choking people was potent and intuitive. It highlighted very directly how yoga can help those who have been systemically oppressed find their breath back, both individually and together, while insisting that this practice must be accompanied by tangible actions. The author does not leave the reader hopeless or helpless but rather comes from a place of love and compassion to provide us with solid, accessible questions to ask ourselves as to how we decide to move forward to make a change.
As I am starting to feel quite familiar with social justice discussions around yoga, I did not feel like I learned anything new but I did feel provided with a great support book to always go back to, especially for explaining in simple ways to others what social justice is and how it ties around yoga. The link the author makes with breath at the centre of the yogi path and the role that our current systems hold in literally choking people was potent and intuitive. It highlighted very directly how yoga can help those who have been systemically oppressed find their breath back, both individually and together, while insisting that this practice must be accompanied by tangible actions. The author does not leave the reader hopeless or helpless but rather comes from a place of love and compassion to provide us with solid, accessible questions to ask ourselves as to how we decide to move forward to make a change.
August 22, 2020
A short book, 90 pages, full of emotion evoking "stuff." Three chapters in total. Depending upon one's background will determine one's response to it. For me, the term "white supremacy" used over and over again made me put the book down a number of times. I have learned if something stirs such a reaction one should pursue the emotion to learn from it, so I kept reading. The author makes her case for white supremacy in the first chapter, "her case" should be emphasized. In the second chapter she talks about what "skill in action" is not, and in the third chapter provides excellent guidance how to make yoga, and all activities, more open, inclusive and accessible. Throughout the book she provides thought provoking activities the helps the reader to understand their background a little better, what makes them who they are, as well as helps the reader to commit to a better way of living and life. To skip over these exercises is a loss. I am not a white supremacist, I do not believe that the white race is superior. I am a white woman, but just because my skin is white does not mean my story is one of privilege and I take exception to the term "white privilege." I believe that my journey from outhouses to college educated business woman makes me sensitive to the plight of those who have been excluded for whatever reason/skin color/national origin/sex. I believe all people have the right to live in love and harmony and I believe that is the point the author is putting forth. It will take all of us to work to make it so and she provides advice on how to get there from where we are....if we are willing to work through the uncomfortable feelings.
April 30, 2025
I started out enthralled by this book and kept marking pages to come back to. However, by the second half of the book, I was disappointed because I wanted a deeper dive of oppression other than race. I wanted to learn about how to dismantle ageism, ableism, sexism (the yoga space is possibly the one place where I have found men to be in the minority which is radically different than our patriarchy), etc. I understand why the author focused on race because that’s her experience; however, I wanted a more broad net to apply to classes.
The section of the book where the author says she doesn’t take feedback from class members and then goes on to describe a time that her partner and herself got into a “tiff” in front of a class she was teaching because he (albeit a white man) corrected her has not sat well with me. It may be a differing of opinion, but refusing to take feedback or well meaning corrections feels like creating a dominant culture or a system in a place where we are trying to break that down. She says she is in her own learning process, but how else are we supposed to learn from our yoga community that something is not working or could be better? It’s something I would like to hear on more from the author as it may be something that did not translate well in writing or the editing process.
The section of the book where the author says she doesn’t take feedback from class members and then goes on to describe a time that her partner and herself got into a “tiff” in front of a class she was teaching because he (albeit a white man) corrected her has not sat well with me. It may be a differing of opinion, but refusing to take feedback or well meaning corrections feels like creating a dominant culture or a system in a place where we are trying to break that down. She says she is in her own learning process, but how else are we supposed to learn from our yoga community that something is not working or could be better? It’s something I would like to hear on more from the author as it may be something that did not translate well in writing or the editing process.
July 4, 2020
I've been really getting into yoga lately, and I think it's done a lot for me in terms of my physical and mental health, and multiple research has been done on how yoga can be helpful on people who suffer from PTSD.
However, as this book points out, yoga has been culturally appropriated in the west. What started as a religious practice in India has been changed over many years into a wellness brand that is mostly geared towards white, middle-class, thin white women. I mean, just think about the most popular yoga youtube channels: Yoga with Adrienne, Yoga with Kassandra, and Yoga with Mary Beth.
What Michelle does in this book is allow people who practice yoga to think on how they can use their practice to make their spaces more inclusive and also using their practice to do anti-racist work outside of the mat and studio.
Everyone who is into yoga needs to read this in order to get a better understanding of the westernization of yoga, and how we can use yoga to do social justice work.
However, as this book points out, yoga has been culturally appropriated in the west. What started as a religious practice in India has been changed over many years into a wellness brand that is mostly geared towards white, middle-class, thin white women. I mean, just think about the most popular yoga youtube channels: Yoga with Adrienne, Yoga with Kassandra, and Yoga with Mary Beth.
What Michelle does in this book is allow people who practice yoga to think on how they can use their practice to make their spaces more inclusive and also using their practice to do anti-racist work outside of the mat and studio.
Everyone who is into yoga needs to read this in order to get a better understanding of the westernization of yoga, and how we can use yoga to do social justice work.
July 8, 2020
This little book was a bit shorter than I expected (which is no ones fault but my own for not paying attention to how many page numbers there were when I ordered it, lol). Having said that, it’s got some great stuff packed into a little book. There are several activities that require you to slow down and really meditate on them. Whether you’re new to social justice work and/or yoga or you’ve been one or both for a while, I think this book offers a valuable and important perspective.
I’m really dedicated to deepening my yoga practice in 2020, but because of how the yoga industry has become so wrapped up with colonization and capitalism, it can be tough sometimes to know how to proceed with yoga in a way that’s not harmful to the collective. “Skill In Action” is a great starting point for that journey, and I am confident that this is one of those yoga books that I will be returning to again and again in the future.
I’m really dedicated to deepening my yoga practice in 2020, but because of how the yoga industry has become so wrapped up with colonization and capitalism, it can be tough sometimes to know how to proceed with yoga in a way that’s not harmful to the collective. “Skill In Action” is a great starting point for that journey, and I am confident that this is one of those yoga books that I will be returning to again and again in the future.
February 7, 2024
Such an important read. This book was on the suggested reading list for my 300 hour YTT and I can see why. I have not spent a great amount of time thinking about how power and race are situated in the yoga studios that I have frequented in the past. Thinking about how my body usually didn't look or behave in the ways that the teacher's and other bodies in the room looked usually just made me feel inferior. With this author's insight and the exercises included in the text I was able to explore those feelings more and to really consider what type of experience I want others to have when I teach a yoga or meditation class. This title offered a good balance of practical suggestions and theory. I will refer back to it often.
January 12, 2021
A engaging and inspiring book that all yoga practitioners and teachers must read as they deepen their journey of yoga. Johnson reminds us that yoga is inherently a path of social justice, and when anyone suffers, we all suffer. She leads us gently yet powerfully in a process of recognizing our privilege, committing ourselves to social justice, and authentically embodying the practices of yoga.
This book is a gift to the yoga community and beyond, and should be required in all yoga teacher trainings.
This book is a gift to the yoga community and beyond, and should be required in all yoga teacher trainings.
March 2, 2022
As a white yoga teacher this book gave me a lot to sit back and reflect on. How can I hold more space for others? How can I make others feel more comfortable in my class by not unintentionally pointing out differences? How can I be a social justice warrior and educate for change in a yoga setting?
This book should be required in every YTT. I'm definitely left wanting more and to explore this book and its thoughts with others. The author hosts books clubs and workshops which I may look into as a way to expand on the topics this book touches on.
This book should be required in every YTT. I'm definitely left wanting more and to explore this book and its thoughts with others. The author hosts books clubs and workshops which I may look into as a way to expand on the topics this book touches on.
June 2, 2024
My therapist recommended this book - she uses the phrase "skillful action," which I found helpful. It would perhaps be most instructive for people who enjoy or teach yoga (or participate in another cultural practice that is not your own) and people who are unfamiliar with reflecting on social justice and their role in it. It has some nice practices that translate regardless- like defining where we come from, expressing our heart's desire for the world, and connecting that to how we interact with ourselves, other people, and the world.
November 10, 2020
I attended a 3-part book discussion for this book through a local yoga studio. The book is short but powerful and offers constructive suggestions for students, yoga teachers, and studios to take to help create inclusive and inviting spaces for diverse populations. Don’t skip over the exercises - they offer a real opportunity for deeper self-reflection and growth. My Identity poem turned out to be something really meaningful for me. Highly recommended
April 16, 2023
A great book for any yoga teacher looking for real-life suggestions on making your teaching anti-racist, aware, and dynamic. The exercises within were really helpful in encouraging my self-care and personal yoga and wellness practice as it relates to caring for others through guiding. It serves as a great and digestible reminder of our roles within white supremacist culture and spiritual bypassing culture within yoga spaces and pushes one to actively do something about it to stop the cycle.
March 15, 2020
I think this would be a great book for all yoga teacher trainings. It is a quick read but powerful. Whether or not you have knowledge of social justice and/or yoga philosophy she examines the connection with clarity and precision.
This was a very moving and inspirational book for me personally and I recommend it not only for yoga teachers but also students!
This was a very moving and inspirational book for me personally and I recommend it not only for yoga teachers but also students!
August 16, 2020
Radical yet practical and heartfelt call to action! I felt like Johnson was speaking to me specifically in so many ways. Looking forward to finding more ways to engage in this work through one of Johnson’s trainings! This is one of those books that you can read and come back to time and time again. Highly recommend to those that teach and practice yoga on the mat and in life!
December 9, 2020
“When one learns to be skillful in action, it is impossible not to take lessons from the yoga room into the world”.
Offering 5 practices to reflect on the intersection of yoga, social justice, and self-inquiry, this short reader contains insight for teachers and students and ultimately a call to action.
Offering 5 practices to reflect on the intersection of yoga, social justice, and self-inquiry, this short reader contains insight for teachers and students and ultimately a call to action.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews