Statement of equality and diversity.
Our school’s commitment manifesto
Our pledge to respect and cherish our community and the roots of yoga .
In the Vajrasati School, we are, as a collective, committed to shared learning, to evolving as a diverse, equitable group of individual teachers committed to expansion and freedom for all. Inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of the school’s mission.
As a school, we encourage deep personal enquiry through study and practise, coupled with shared learning. We do not subscribe to a particular lineage and strive to be free from dogma or limiting thoughts, speech or actions.
In our personal practises as students and teachers, we commit to open and honest enquiry, teaching from direct experience, but always with the understanding that other experiences co-exist and we will remain open to discussion, evolution and learning.
All students, teachers and practitioners are encouraged and welcomed, regardless of ethnicity, ability, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation, without discrimination.
As a school, all teachers affirm that all beings deserve equal treatment and deep respect. We commit to challenging systemic prejudice wherever we meet it within and beyond our industry. We will not operate within studios, for example, that do not have a clear and active approach to encouraging and welcoming teachers and participants from all marginalised communities. We will use our voices, where we recognise our own privilege, to raise the voices of others who are not seen or heard.
We are determined not to culturally appropriate, rather to ‘gate-keep’ the roots of yoga; studying and learning, respectful of the rich and deep cultural heritage of yoga.
Vajrasati Yoga offers practises that have the capacity to heal and unite. We commit to sharing these practises to expand this potential to all within our communities, excluding none.
Within our training and post-graduate forums, we invite honest discussion and call to action to heal the harm caused by oppression in any form: structural racism, sexism, ableism, genderism.
We challenge the oppression of stereotypical patriarchal structures as well as inviting open discussion to dispel occurrences of everyday sexism in language and action, within our training and classes.
We equally welcome students and teachers who do not identify with heteronormative stereotypes.
No students or teachers will be excluded from trainings because of family commitments – we make every effort to enable teachers to continue study during pregnancy/maternity/paternity leave and where childcare is an issue, so that they can equally access learning.
We are determined to offer classes and training that is deep and rich, regardless of physical ability. All teachers are equipped with training, resources and support to equally hold space for students within their classes, whatever their size, shape or physical capacity. There are always adjustments, supports or alternatives that we can offer so that all can participate.
People of all ages are welcomed and treated with equal respect, as valued members of our community, with the same capacity to contribute, practise and learn.
Religious beliefs and practises should not provide any barrier to learning or practise and we welcome participants from all cultures and religions in a respectful and open way.
The Vajrasati School strives to respect all sentient beings and the Earth herself, and ahiṃsā, non harm, is key to all practises, both on the mat and subsequently beyond, as the underpinning ethics of yoga become the bedrock of right action.
As such, the ethical guidance of the yamas, Buddhist philosophy and wider teachings on peace and equanimity are studied, taught and embodied by teachers within the school, with the intention to spread beneficial practises and understanding through our classes and communications.
We welcome feedback and discussion on all of the above within the school, and invite any suggestions on how we can improve, either as individual teachers or as a school, in our commitment to diversity and inclusion.