Vikram Jeet Singh took his first asana class in 2006. After steady practice he went on to finish a 500 hour Teacher Training in Kerala, India in early 2008. After teaching part time for a few months, Vikram was called to switch careers and ultimately left a HR job to pursue full time yoga teaching.

Over the course of the years gone by he has accumulated more than 11,000 hours of teaching experience across the US, Canada, and India. Vikram is an Ayurvedic practitioner having completed his studies from the Kripalu School Of Ayurveda.

Vikram completed his training with Bernie Clark in November 2015 and is a certified Yin Yoga Teacher. More recently, Vikram received authorization from Sharath Jois to teach the Ashtanga primary series.

Being born AND growing up in India, Vikram has always been fascinated with the rich history and stories from the Indian culture which were a big part of his childhood. His passion for sharing this wisdom and deep desire to study Yoga History & Philosophy has lead him to be part of the lead faculty for Modo Yoga, where he teaches modules on the history of yoga alongside the wisdom of the Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. He also runs mentorship courses and workshops for teachers, studios and practitioners to help bring yoga in every aspect of our lives.

A strong advocate of true diversity & inclusion, Vikram consults yoga teachers and studios on cultural appropriation, decolonisation, and inclusion in both yoga and related spaces.

Vikram loves to share his culture and experience of growing up in India, and believes that all practitioners at some point, should visit the birthplace of Yoga. To help support that initiative, he hosts annual retreats in India, where he currently lives - in Goa - with his wife, Melissa and their daughter, Satya.

In this episode we uncover and learn:

The presence of Yoga as being woven into the fabric of daily life as a child in India
The influence of Vikram’s grandfather, planting seeds of yoga throughout his upbringing
The cultural context of yoga
The current yoga culture and trends across India
What a genuinely culturally immersive experience of India is
What yoga means and looks like in India
Misrepresentation VS Cultural Appropriation
How to not cross the line of ethical representation of yoga
What drives the misrepresentation of yoga
What we can do to have integrity in presenting yoga
What reflections and questions around inclusion and diversity we should we be having a community
Diversity VS Decolonisation
Reverence and sanctity in preserving yoga
Contemplating the desire for Guru and lineage
Why some Gurus fall from grace
How the teachings of yoga traditions are not dependent on a Guru
The value in considering your own composition and mental qualities to know which schools and systems would be ideal, regardless of trends
How all roads of yoga lead to the same place or end goal
Taking ownership of our path
The hustle culture of studentship in yoga
How Vikram can support you if you’re a student, teacher, or studio owner, in sharing history, philosophy, and ethics
How Vikram’s courses and offerings can support you as a student seeking more depth of knowledge without the YTT price tag

You can connect with Vikram on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingmat/ and find his offerings here: https://www.yogifuel.com/vikraminstabio

Susanna Barkataki - Appropriation & Honouring the Roots of Yoga

Living In AlignmentBy Amy LandryOct 21, 2020