Decolonize and Embrace Yoga’s Roots Online Course
Deepen Practice, Honor Yoga's Roots, Lead with Integrity
What if your yoga practice wasn’t just personal growth—but a revolution?
Be the teacher who embodies yoga’s roots, honors tradition, and leads with integrity. Move beyond surface-level practice, ditch appropriation, and step into real impact.
Yoga is more than self-care—it’s collective care.
This is your moment to live yoga as a path to personal and social change.
For yoga lovers and teachers who want to align their practice with their values, honor yoga’s roots, and move from uncertainty to confident, authentic leadership.
How this course takes you further:
- Confidently connect yoga and social justice while using ancient yogic tools to navigate power, privilege, and equity.
- Open and close your classes with intention—creating an honoring, connected, and transformative experience for your students.
- Navigate cultural appropriation with confidence—so you know exactly how to honor yoga’s roots instead of unintentionally misrepresenting them.
- Hold space for discomfort and growth—learning to sit with complexity rather than seeking easy answers.
- Live yoga as a way of life—moving beyond performative allyship to embodying yogic values in your daily routine, from mantra and meditation to gratitude and action.
- Tap into your authentic voice—so you can teach and practice in a way that’s deeply personal while still rooted in tradition.
I'm Susanna,
M.Ed., Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 500 and Indian yoga teacher. Founder of the Ignite Institute for Yogic Leadership and Social Change, and Yoke Yoga.
It’s my passion to teach you to embrace the roots of yoga for personal and social change.
What Past Students are saying about Embrace Yoga’s Roots Online Course:
★★★★★
Because of this course, I feel deeply aligned in my practice. I now understand how to honor yoga fully—and how to share it with my students in a way that feels both authentic and ethical.
- Kristen Hanna, Yoga Teacher
★★★★★
What Susanna teaches should be required in every yoga training. I thought I understood yoga, but this course showed me the gaps in my knowledge and how to truly respect its roots.
- Ashante, Yoga Teacher
READY TO TRULY EMBRACE THE DEPTH OF YOGA?
Join me and a community of yoga leaders to honor yoga’s roots, deepen your practice, and amplify your impact.
What if your yoga practice wasn’t just personal growth—but a powerful act of cultural respect and social change?
Learn deeply. Teach with integrity. Live your yoga.
Enroll in Embrace Yoga’s Roots Online Course today!
Embrace Yoga’s Roots is a powerful 4-part course that gives you a clear, step-by-step framework to practice and teach yoga with integrity.
Learn to honor yoga’s roots, navigate cultural issues with confidence, and connect your practice to social change—without unintentionally appropriating. Whether you're a student, teacher, or studio owner, this course equips you with the tools to deepen your practice and lead authentically.
In just 4 weeks, you’ll gain the confidence, knowledge, and skills to become a leader in the movement for equitable, honoring yoga.
★★★★★
This course is more than teaching an honoring yoga class—it’s a journey of anti-racism, self-discovery, and true yoga beyond asana. I found my inner power and now share it with my students.
- Saraja, Yoga Teacher
★★★★★
Susanna’s energy is unmatched. This course gives you a clear roadmap to infuse equity into your yoga practice, career, or business—while paving your own path.
- Amber, Yoga Teacher Trainer
How the course works:
This self-paced, 4-part online training gives you a structured, accessible way to embrace yoga’s roots and take your practice to the next level.
4 Video Trainings
In-depth yet digestible lessons that help you understand history, context, and how to take action.
4 Guided Practice Experiences
Journaling, meditation, and embodiment exercises to integrate what you’re learning.
Downloaded Worksheets
Practical tools to help you apply and live your learning every day.
In just 4 weeks, you’ll gain the confidence, knowledge, and skills to become a leader in the movement for equitable, honoring yoga.
Become a Yoga Leader in 4 weeks & receive Valuable Bonuses!
What's covered and what you'll learn:
Module 1: What is Yoga Really?
Discover yoga’s true history and philosophy, connect yoga and social justice, and explore the nuances of cultural appropriation. Learn how understanding our differences actually helps us come back to unity.
Module 2: The Embrace Yoga's Roots Framework
Gain a clear structure for assessing power, privilege, and positionality in every yoga space. You’ll walk away with the skills to honor yoga’s culture in any setting—without a rigid rulebook but with deep, embodied wisdom.
Module 3: Teach an Honoring Yoga Class
Learn step-by-step how to integrate yoga’s roots into your teaching. From spiritual lineage acknowledgments to mindful sequencing, you’ll gain the tools to bring your voice to the practice while holding space for tradition.
Module 4: Live Your Yoga and Take Action
Yoga isn’t just about what happens on the mat—it’s about how we show up in the world. In this final module, you’ll take your learning into real-world action, exploring ways to uplift and support the communities yoga comes from.
EMBRACE YOGA'S ROOTS ONLINE COURSE BONUSES
(These are incredible!)
- 1st Bonus: Done For You Embrace Yoga Class Scripts // including openings, closings and sequences so you can walk into any yoga class and know that you will teach a powerhouse class that embraces the roots of the practice and makes your teachers proud. (Value $797)
- 2nd Bonus: “3 Inspiring Qualities of Yoga Changemakers” Video Trainings // Learn from powerful examples of yoga changemakers in the world before us rather than needing to reinvent the wheel: “Storytelling” from Arundhati Roy, “Community Building” with Vandana Shiva & “The Power of Simplicity” with Satish Kumar. (Value $297)
- 3rd Bonus: “Never Get Caught Out Again” Cultural Appropriation Bingo // check off sheet so it’s easy to identify cultural appropriation (Value $197)
- 4th Bonus: Honoring Yoga Playlist & Music Suggestions // so the songs that you play while you practice are respectful, reverent and pertinent rather than exploitative. (Value $197)
- 5th Bonus: “3 Creativity Killers & 3 Creativity Boosters” Written Guide // Take the guesswork out of planning a class that goes deep and gets students thinking and feeling so you know exactly what you will teach next Monday. (Value $697)
- 6th Bonus: “Practical, Dumpster Fire Avoiding A’s to your Burning Q’s” Recording // answering questions like ‘can I get a Ganesh tattoo on my butt or use my mala to play cat’s cradle’ so you avoid being the next disaster on the internet or getting called out for doing or saying something unknowingly racist. (Value $697)
- 7th Bonus: For When You Want to Give Up: Yoga Equity Mindset Audio // the inspiring pep talk you need to keep going, trust the process, trust yourself and not give up! (Value $597)
- 8th Bonus: “How to Have these Conversations in Your Studio & Dealing with Counter-Arguments” Coaching and Resource Guide // to help you take action on your new knowledge so you can communicate and connect with others and share this knowledge. Because so many yoga teachers ask me - ‘how do I talk to X,’ or ‘what do I do if my studio does Y.” (Value $997)
- 9th Bonus: “Language is Power - What to Say and What Not to Say” Worksheet and Find Your Voice Ritual // so you feel powerful speaking up and know what language to use or not use while teaching (since teaching is a lot like public speaking!) (Value $597)
- 10th Bonus: 2 Months Access to the 'Embrace Yoga Coaching Community with Susanna Barkataki' // a powerful, intimate, and private space 1x a month with Susanna Barkataki for live Q and A’s where you can ask your burning questions, get resources + safe space to share your experiences, meet like-minded yogis and give & get ideas and support. (Value $997)
- Early Bonus Course 1: How to Go Online Strategically, Equitably and Effectively - learn best practices to take these tools online to lead as you disrupt and activate in a new landscape.
- Early Bonus Course 2: OM to Bliss: Mindset and Energy Support for Success in These Times - support for managing stress and finding resilience with yoga during these times.
Total Value of Bonuses - $6,769
These bonuses give you much of what you would get through private coaching with Susanna for simply investing in this course, for either 3 payments of $240 or 1 payment of $700
Will you practice to embrace yoga’s roots and become a sought after Yoga Leader?
★★★★★
This course reminded me of my own direction, and the power of community and collective healing. Thank you! 🙏🏽
- Aracely, Yoga Teacher
★★★★★
As a Desi, I felt so SEEN! This course empowered, validated, and healed me. It’s a vital step in uniting our community and reshaping yoga with integrity.
- Meera, Yoga Teacher
FAQs about Embrace Yoga's Roots Online Course:
Upon completion of this course and all requirements, you will receive a certificate of completion from Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute. Ignite is a registered training school recognized and approved by Yoga Alliance. Susanna Barkataki, Ignite Institute's founder and lead teacher, is an E-RYT-500 and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YAECP.) Yoga Teachers will receive 20 Continuing Education units (CE's) for Yoga Alliance (YA). (20 units is the maximum non-contact hour YA allows per year.)
You will receive your electronic Certificate of Completion in the Embrace Yoga's Roots Course once you have completed the course and submitted your final project of an honoring yoga class sequence as well as your evaluation form at the end of the course.
The course begins when you enroll.
No! You don't have to be a yoga teacher. Students from all different backgrounds from education to mental health have taken this curriculum and benefitted. All you need is a sincere desire to learn.
This course is specially designed to support you through a transformative educational process - and it is one that can be engaged non-linearly. Once you are in, you have one year of access to this course and that includes any course content updates during your enrollment! So you can start now, and continue to digest as you evolve and grow. If you dive in now, within 1 month you will integrate all the tools you need to become a confident yoga leader!
Office hours are on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 3pm ET / 12 noon PT. Susanna prepares a powerful presentation for you as well as offers a safe and brave space for you to get every question answered! Participants LOVE these coaching calls and rave about their benefits!
Due to the in depth and sensitive nature of this work, there is a no refund policy for course participation. Please see our Terms for more details.
YES, you can do this! This course is easily accessible and do-able, plus you have access to it for 12 months! All you need is one month to complete the course - and then you have the rest of the year to integrate your new knowledge and practice - with support!
Any growth worth really diving into will often bring up some nervousness. This nervousness is a great sign that you are ready to grow in a meaningful way.
If you are willing to invest about an hour or two a week, for a month and show up for your own growth, you can totally do this! Each module has a couple short videos for you to watch, a guided meditation and action/reflection section. You can watch/listen on the go and complete the reflections on your own time. We've got some great incentives inside the course to keep you motivated and on track as you are learning!
Many! Since this is an online course that engages group learning, there is space for all. And we all so need this.
This course is specifically designed to be accessible, thought-provoking, challenging in all the right ways as well as enjoyable. Each of the short and informational video modules will help you deepen your connection to yoga while learning how to properly honor and not appropriate. Your care for the topic and the guidance you will get will bring you back. As a teacher, I think about the best ways that people REALLY LEARN! So we've got some gamification too - that means some fun and great incentives inside the course to keep you motivated and on track as you are learning!
A portion of the profits from the course goes to supporting the roots of yogic traditions in yoga's homeland of India.
If your heart is singing YES but you don't believe you can afford it, we want to make it accessible. Know that this course is already configured to give you maximum value. We've lowered the price below value to create greater access. We are offering a number of additional half-price scholarships to BIPOC who apply, based on need. Please apply by sending an email sharing why you are in need of a scholarship with the subj: Scholarship: Embrace Yoga Online Course to support@ignitebewell.com.
Join us to embrace yoga now.
★★★★★
This course brought me clarity, groundedness, and reignited my passion. I’m beyond grateful—and so are my students and their communities.
- Keisha, Yoga School Owner
★★★★★
This course gave me clarity, community, and the tools to take action—instead of staying stuck in discontent.
- Julie, Yoga Teacher
MEET YOUR HOST, SUSANNA BARKATAKI
Susanna Barkataki helps yoga teachers, studios, nonprofits and businesses grow thriving practices and businesses with integrity and confidence by becoming leaders in equity, diversity and yogic values.
Susanna is the Director of Education for Ignite Institute for Yogic Leadership and Social Change. She is the creator of the Embrace and Decolonize Yoga Course, Yoga Social Justice Certification, Embody Yoga's Roots YTT 200/300 and Yoke Yoga dedicated to bringing equity, yoga and mindfulness tools where they are needed most.
Susanna has an Honors degree from UC Berkeley, a Masters in Education, is a Yoga Therapist, is an E-RYT 500 Teacher as well as an Ayurvedic practitioner. She is the author of Embrace Yoga's Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. She grew up in this practice and has taught yoga, mindfulness and social justice for two decades. She is honored to carry the Sri Adi Shankaracharya lineage in the Hatha yoga tradition, is in the current Community Dharma Leaders cohort at Spirit Rock, and is ordained into the mindfulness tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
Susanna supports clients in expanding their leadership integrating authentic yoga through online courses, speaking and consultations for studios, companies and nonprofits. She consults for teachers, studios and companies from local studios to Yoga Alliance, from Yoga Journal to Yoga Girl to local nonprofits. She is the author of "Embrace Yoga’s Roots," and teaches in person and online so you can learn tools to teach a powerful yoga class, embody the authentic expression of yoga.
Embody social justice and honor yoga's roots with confidence.
Get practical tools to deepen your practice and lead with integrity.
Enrollment closes soon! Register below.
© Susanna Barkataki 2022