February 2021:

Shri Diehl

Anti-oppression work was part of my lived experience before I knew it by that name. As a child of the 70s, I grew up in Oakland (California), surrounded by a family of activists, artists and teachers who instilled in me the fight for respect. I was privileged to watch aunts and uncles get ready for "meetings" which I came to later learn were community gatherings on strategy and resource-sharing. Of course, now some call that "social justice"; I learned it as "taking care of our own and fighting for what's right."

I was drawn to yoga in 1995 as a way to address injury and anxiety. By no means, did I expect it to become such an integral part of my life and spiritual practices. I initially went through teacher training with the main objective of deepening my healing and understanding of yoga philosophy. Surprisingly, that training led me to the path of so much more including experiences on the global effects of colonization. At first, I was primarily focused on unlearning the harmful conditioning that impacted my ancestral lineage. Through connecting with others in this practice, I began to see those oppressive loops weren't tied to just my history. As cliche as it may sound, I am strongly rooted in the "power of the people" and deeply know that collective energy moves far wider than individual effort.

I teach online classes @ Third Root Community Health Center (thirdroot.org) every Friday and Saturday @ 12:30pm EST.  

Outside of that, I teach private yoga and lead corporate workshops on Inclusivity in Wellness. I can be reached on FB (Shri Diehl), IG (@ShriDiehl) and email (sd.thirdroot@gmail.com)

Shri Diehl (she/her) is a certified yoga teacher (E-RYT 500, YACEP) who studied Ayurveda in Rishikesh, India and began teaching yoga in 2007. She is grateful to this practice and other ancestral teachings that support being whole in all layers of the body. Her trauma-informed training complements how she holds space and embodies living yoga beyond the postures. She gives much respect to her teachers and circle of elders who have given invaluable lessons around being well.