Tejal Patel

Tejal Patel (she/her) is the Founder of Tejal Yoga and one of our Spring 2021 Impact Grant recipients. Learn more about her work and support.

Tell us – what excites you about your work?

I am so excited about opening up more opportunities for South Asian yoga and mindfulness teachers to do their thing! To be seen and heard and to offer education in deeply rooted, authentic, and traditional ways!

What feels rich and abundant in your work right now?

The momentum! We are creating programs for deep, rich and nuanced education and people are enjoying what we have to offer! They are sharing with their friends and having conversations in ways we could only have dreamed about.

Who do you dedicate your work to?

To all the beautiful, brown yoga teachers and students that feel lost or disconnected to their own culture of yoga. To all the people that feel underrepresented and not included in how modern yoga is being offered.

“Dominant culture affects who gets chosen and elevated in wellness.”

Who inspires you, who are you learning from, what books are you reading? We are really excited to learn this about you!

Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Mindy Kaling! Amazing leaders that signify that anything is possible!

Currently working through Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown, Embrace Yoga's Roots by Susanna Barkataki, Love and Rage by Lama Rod Owens. Always vibing on You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh and salt. by Nayirrah Waheed.

What something you didn’t know, that now you understand differently with wellness?

How dominant culture affects who gets chosen and elevated in wellness and how the referral loop is actually racist.

What is your own wellness practice? How do you find balance?

I schedule time for wellness! Using my calendar to block off times to restore balance has worked really well for me. I've also realized my need for deep rest and alone time and have started planning for those periods.

How can people reading this support the work you are doing?

Join us for class! Gift a membership to a student in need! Sign up for our yoga and social justice news! Make a general donation of support! Follow Tejal Yoga on YouTube. We'd love to meet you!

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