It was a rare privilege to meet Sudhir Rishi and have the chance to learn from a teacher visiting from India.
I live in Yorkshire, in the North of England, and there aren’t as many chances to attend classes by Indian teachers as there might be in London or other major cities.
But Sudhir came from India to Saltaire, an hour and half from Middlesbrough where I’m based, to give a talk called Taming the Mind. And I was thrilled to be one of 20 students who got a spot in his class.
Here are the top ten teachings I learned, seen through my own LGBTQIA+ lens, and shared with the kind permission of Sudhir himself. All the quotes below are his:
1. Reorganising the mind through meditation
Sudhir started with a discussion of what constitutes the mind, including things like desires and expectations.
As a queer non-binary person, my desires include greater equality for LGBTQIA+ people. Sudhir reminded us that there is nothing wrong with having desires, but it’s about how they impact our inner space.
“Yoga came into existence to help us deal with our inner world.”
Meditation is a key tool in reorganising the mind so we are not consumed by our desires. This is essential for activists, because if we let the fight for equal rights consume us, then who will be able to fight for those rights?
2. Empowering ourselves through different perspectives
Meditation can help bring about a spaciousness which allows for multiple perspectives.
“If you look at the same situation in two different ways, you are more empowered.”
When it comes to LGBTQIA+ activism, I think I’ve sometimes latched onto one solution and been unable to see that there might be different ways forward to address the same problem. Our yoga practice can bring creative solutions by helping us see new perspectives.
3. Quietening the mind
Meditation is something we need to practice when times are calmer, so that these tools will be there for us at more challenging points.
“It’s an art we can learn, to stay calm in stressful situations.”
Sudhir pointed out that you can’t learn to swim at the moment when you’re drowning – you have to learn in advance.
If we are to survive (and thrive) in a transphobic and homophobic world, you could argue that learning to meditate is a key skill for the LGBTQIA+ community.
4. Bringing awareness to what we take for granted
When we practice meditation, it slows us down and invites us towards stillness so we can notice things we usually take for granted, like the breath.
“Meditation brings awareness to the most important and obvious things that we don’t normally notice.”
As a white non-disabled LGBTQIA+ person born and living in the UK, I am privileged in many ways that I risk taking for granted. Slowing down through meditation can help bring my awareness to these privileges.
5. Avoiding overwhelm
Sudhir talked about quietness cultivated through meditation being your “protective armour”. This image really spoke to me as a queer person.
“The goal of yoga is to be present and relaxed without being overwhelmed in the face of a calamity.”
He pointed out that being relaxed doesn’t have to mean doing nothing; you can take action and remain calm inside.
6. Changing the things we can change
Sudhir didn’t shy away from talking about anger. He reminded us that anger in itself isn’t the solution – we need to act when we can act.
If we can change something, we should do what needs to be done. But we mustn’t become consumed, especially when something can’t be changed.
“When you’re calm and composed, you can do what needs to be done without the situation consuming you.”
As trans+ and queer people, there is plenty to be angry about, and we can use that anger to point us in the direction of making change. But burn out is high among activists.
If we want our work to be sustainable, we need to use our yoga practice to help us fight for our rights while remaining calm on the inside.
7. Watching the breath
Sudhir talked about our minds being very active and how we need to find ways to put the mind onto something else that is undisturbed. One such thing is the breath.
“Watching the breath for five minutes is an expression of your appreciation for life.”
Observing the breath is something we can concentrate the mind on, to practice staying calm.
8. Using mantra
We can combine breath and mantra to provide more of a hook for the mind, to calm the nervous system and slow down.
“Mantra protects by creating quietness. Peace is the protection. It’s a strength.”
Sudhir suggested the mantra “So Hum” as a starting point. But he explained that you do not need to use Sanskrit words. You could use phrases such as “I am peace” or “I am love” – anything which allows the mind to concentrate, as a base for the mind to come back to.
9. Developing conviction, patience and consistency
To build our meditation practice, Sudhir suggested we need three things: conviction, patience and consistency. A little and often is better than meditating for a longer time once a week.
“When we practice meditation, we should treat the mind the way we treat small children, with patience and love.”
We need conviction, to be convinced of the merits of meditation, so that we will dedicate ourselves to our practice.
10. Using visualisations
Finally, another tool we can use is visualisations to imagine ourselves embodying the qualities we aspire towards, such as being strong, calm, patient, etc.
“Try to pick up tools that are simple and effective.”
One of the key messages from Sudhir’s day of workshops was that our yoga practice doesn’t need to be complicated.
Start where you are, commit to a short, do-able routine, and explore what works best for you.
Thank you!
So much gratitude to Sudhir for sharing the teachings of yoga with us in Saltaire, for all his generous advice, and thank you for allowing me to write up these notes here, to benefit the LGBTQIA+ community.
Thanks also to Heather Yoga in Saltaire who hosted this valuable day of training.
Check out Sudhir Rishi’s Instagram page here.
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