Race and Yoga is the first peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary academic journal committed to examinations of the history and practice of yoga in the West; the journal brings together critical yoga studies and critical race theory/ethnic studies to examine issues surrounding the history, racialization, sex(ualization), and inclusivity (or lack thereof) of the yoga community. Race and Yoga is published through The University of California Press’s e-scholarship division. Race and Yoga accepts original, unpublished manuscripts (no simultaneous submissions or previously published works) only.

The idea for the journal arises from Race and Yoga Working Group, founded in 2011. With this group, we were looking to bring together our yoga practices and scholarly work in critical ethnic studies. As scholars and women of color who practice and teach yoga, we have experienced and/or witnessed alienation based on race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, and age, assumptions about our bodies and/or cultural (mis)appropriation. We also felt that we were not alone in these observations. While many yoga teachers, including ourselves, are committed to creating inclusive environments for their students, there is currently a dearth of research that addresses yoga with awareness of structural oppressions and their intersections. Mainstream publications and teacher trainings frequently do not examine these issues, and in our opinion, often perpetuate exclusive ideas in the yoga community.