In wellness spaces, particularly among yoga and spiritual teachers, there’s this deeply misguided belief. They think staying “neutral” or silent during global atrocities like genocide somehow aligns with peace. They also think it aligns with unity. But this silence does far more harm than good. By choosing not to speak out, these teachers are not only ignoring systemic violence but are actively upholding white supremacy.
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Silence Protects Oppressive Systems
White supremacy isn’t just about blatant racism or extremism. It operates invisibly, sustaining itself by allowing those with privilege to remain untouched by the suffering of marginalized communities. Influential teachers who stay silent on atrocities like genocide unknowingly protect the status quo. This maintains a world where white supremacy thrives unchecked.
Yoga and spiritual teachers often teach about peace and justice. When they fail to speak out, their silence becomes a form of passive consent. Inaction allows the very systems of violence, oppression, and harm to persist. White supremacy feeds on indifference, and when those with a platform remain silent, they’re essentially giving it space to grow.
Spiritual Bypassing as a Tool of White Supremacy
Spiritual bypassing, using spiritual practices to avoid dealing with uncomfortable truths, is another way white supremacy thrives. When teachers focus on sending “love and light,” they avoid addressing real-world violence and oppression. They are actively avoiding the suffering of marginalized groups. Many of these groups are non-white. This bypassing lets privileged individuals—often white—sidestep accountability and ignore the violence that doesn’t directly affect them.
This bypassing upholds white supremacy. Privileged individuals can sidestep accountability. This is true regardless of race (you don’t have to be white to uphold white supremacy). They can ignore violence that doesn’t directly affect them. This often perpetuates systems that disproportionately harm non-white communities. It makes it okay to look the other way under the guise of maintaining “peace” or avoiding “negative energy.” It tells marginalized communities that their suffering is too inconvenient to address, further marginalizing them.
The Problem with Neutrality and Unqualified Authority: Kino MacGregor as a Case Study
Take Kino MacGregor’s podcast as an example. She initially brought on a Palestinian yoga teacher to share their truth, a decisive moment. Soon after, she gave equal space to an Israeli yoga teacher who justified the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
The problem? By giving space to a narrative that justifies violence, she exercised her privilege to avoid taking a moral stance. She floats above it while others are being genocided, wielding her influence without accountability. Who’s next on her podcast, the KKK?
This pattern, where unqualified individuals use their privilege to wield influence and avoid responsibility, is pervasive in wellness spaces. They cherry-pick perspectives under the guise of “balance” but fail to recognize how their neutrality upholds white supremacy.
The Role of Privilege in Silence
Privilege is what allows teachers to remain silent on issues like genocide. Many Western yoga and spiritual teachers are far removed from the violence and discrimination that marginalized communities face daily. Their silence is rooted in a desire to stay comfortable, protect their brand, and avoid alienating their audience. But this is the essence of white supremacy, the ability to choose silence because the violence doesn’t touch you.
For those experiencing genocide, there is no luxury of silence. Their very existence is at risk. When teachers refuse to acknowledge this, they perpetuate the systems that allow such violence to continue.
Neutrality Favors the Oppressor
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” When yoga and spiritual teachers choose neutrality in the face of genocide, they are siding with the oppressor. Their silence shields those who commit violence from accountability.
White supremacy relies on this kind of neutrality to survive. Staying silent signals that the suffering of marginalized communities is insignificant. It suggests that their plight does not warrant disturbing the comfort of those who can afford to remain untouched.
What True Allyship Requires
If yoga and spiritual teachers truly believe in values like ahimsa (nonviolence), they must speak out. They must speak out if they hold Satya (truthfulness) and karuna (compassion) dear. They cannot remain silent. True allyship requires speaking out, taking action, and using platforms to highlight injustice. Being silent is not peaceful; it’s complicit. If teachers want to be part of the solution, they must use their influence to challenge oppressive systems. They should not protect these systems.
These same yoga teachers and Ayurvedic practitioners speak about freedom as a core teaching. Why are they silent when it comes to speaking out against genocide or oppression? What are they truly afraid of? Are they worried about losing money, students, or friends? That isn’t freedom, that’s fear. Freedom isn’t just about personal liberation. It’s also about the courage to stand up for justice. This courage is necessary even if it means losing something. When these teachers remain silent to protect their comfort, they are contradicting the very teachings they claim to stand for.
Silence in the face of genocide is not a neutral act. It actively supports white supremacy. Whether they realize it or not, yoga and spiritual teachers who remain silent uphold those systems.
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