POSTED: JANUARY 17, 2022

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. probably did more than anyone to teach Americans about Ahimsa — the first Yama of yoga.  After all, he built a lasting movement for social change based on love, compassion and non-violence.

Rev. King wasn’t a yogi, but he was inspired by one.  Mahatma Gandhi, who liberated India from British rule, had a daily yoga and meditation practice for much of his life. It was Gandhi’s non-violent techniques that Rev. King would later adapt and advance in the US.

Both men taught us that the yoga practice is something that can and should be taken beyond our yoga mats.  They showed that when we non-violently agitate for justice and social change, it is an act of love and compassion.

Today, on the day we officially observe Rev. King’s birth, let us honor his and Gandhi’s legacies by following their examples.  Be a warrior for peace.  Be a warrior for love.  Be a warrior for justice and equality.