Myself and Mei Lai Swan explore the importance of acknowledging trauma and social justice within the yoga space. We talk about what social justice really means and how we can take care of all people and have systems and cultures that really support our individual and collective well-being. “I saw the need for training that incorporated yoga, trauma and social justice” What is social justice? How do we really take care of each and have systems and cultures that really support our individual and collective well-being? “Yoga is an inherent part of who we are. It is the deep self inquiry. The point of yoga is to wake up to who you are and that's available to you no matter where you are born, no matter your lineage. It is your birthright.” Mei Lai Swan is the founder and lead facilitator of Yoga for Humankind. Dedicated to the paths of yoga, meditation and community for over 20 years, Mei Lai is an experienced yoga teacher trainer and certified Embodied Flow facilitator with a professional background in music, community development and social work. She specialises in embodied practice, trauma-informed yoga, social justice and nada yoga (sound and mantra). Mei Lai is passionate about creating authentic spaces for fostering conversation, building community and sharing practices of embodied social justice and collective wellbeing. With a BA in International Development/Environmental Studies and a Master of Social Work, Mei Lai spent six years working in remote Aboriginal communities running community development programs, before returning to Melbourne to run psychosocial programs with people seeking asylum. She has trained broadly in somatic-based trauma therapy, counselling, and Trauma Centre Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY-F) and has combined these skills to deliver individual counselling, group work programs, and specially-tailored yoga programs for asylum seekers, refugees, disadvantaged youth, and people experiencing chronic pain and trauma. She is a doula, founder, previous CEO and ongoing board director of Birth for Humankind, a non-profit organisation  providing free birth support to women experiencing socio-economic disadvantage. www.yogaforhumankind.org / @yogaforhumankind www.meilaiswan.com / @meilaiswanyoga --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/selfagencyadvocate/support