Decolonizing Yoga through an Intersectional Analysis in the Indian Diaspora: A South African Story

In this essay, Firdose Moonda explores the complex relationship between heritage, identity, and the modern practice of yoga. Drawing from her experience as the sole person of South Asian descent in a teacher training course, Moonda challenges the simplified label of being a cultural “insider” by unpacking her own intersectional identity as a South African Muslim of Indian heritage. She weaves personal family history with the broader sociological context of Apartheid’s spatial segregation to examine who can truly lay claim to the lineage of yoga, offering a nuanced perspective on cultural ownership in the diaspora.