Identity, Pronouns, and the Yoga View
Individual Diversity vs. the Eternal Self
A New Language of Identity
Across the globe, language is shifting. From schools to corporations, from yoga studios to social media, we now encounter an expanded vocabulary of gender pronouns, identity categories, and inclusivity rhetoric.
Words like “they/them,” “ze,” and “non-binary” are becoming part of common conversation. Alongside this, a broader cultural movement emphasizes recognizing and validating personal identity, especially for those who have historically been marginalized.
On the surface, this may seem like a positive step — an invitation toward compassion, dignity, and inclusion. Yet, for sincere seekers, the question remains:
What does yoga truly teach about identity?
Should yoga affirm every self-definition? Or should it guide us toward something deeper — something unchanging, eternal, and beyond all labels?
Which Self Are We Talking About?
In yoga, the core question is not “Who do you feel like today?” but rather:
“Who are you beyond the body, beyond the mind, beyond even gender and name?”
Modern identity discourse focuses on psychological and emotional self-expression. But yoga aims at the ātman — the innermost Self, untouched by dualities. According to Vedānta, this Self is not male, female, or non-binary. It is eternal (nitya), unchanging (avikāra), and pure (śuddha).
❌ You are not your labels.
❌ You are not your pronouns.
❌ You are not your trauma.
❌ You are not even your thoughts
What Do the Scriptures Say?
Bhagavad Gītā 2.13:
“Just as the embodied soul passes from childhood to youth to old age, so also it passes into another body at death. The wise are not deluded by this.”
This teaching removes the illusion that bodily characteristics define the Self. You are not this shifting form. You are not this passing identity.
Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.18:
“The self is not born, nor does it die… It is unborn, eternal, and changeless.”
While society may prioritize affirming external labels, the yoga tradition invites disidentification from them — not out of rejection, but out of compassion for the eternal being within.
Compassion Without Confusion
True yoga does not deny anyone’s lived experience. Nor does it mock the pain that can come from feeling misunderstood or excluded. Compassion is essential. Empathy is vital.
Yet, compassion is not the same as affirmation of illusion.
Yoga doesn’t ask us to cling more tightly to our self-definitions. It gently invites us to loosen that grip. It asks us to see through the masks of ego — including gender, personality, and history — to discover what was always there: the Self that never needed labels.
Inclusivity in yoga doesn’t mean endorsing every version of “truth.” It means offering everyone — regardless of identity — the same invitation:
“Come sit with yourself. Come meet what’s beyond all your labels.”
The Paradox of Identity Politics and Spiritual Liberation
Modern identity movements encourage you to name, define, and even fight for your label. But yoga asks:
Will these labels bring you peace? Or will they create more entanglement?
Every identity brings both power and pain. The more attached we are to our identity, the more we suffer when it’s questioned, misunderstood, or not validated.
In contrast, yogic wisdom guides you toward vairāgya — detachment from the temporary and connection with the eternal.
Yoga doesn’t ask you to erase your human experiences. It asks you to recognize their temporary nature and not confuse them with your essence.
The Ultimate Inclusivity: Unity in the Soul
Yoga doesn’t divide people by category. It sees all beings as sparks of the Divine.
Bhagavad Gītā 5.18:
“The wise see with equal vision a brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste.”
This is not tolerance. This is transcendence. True yogic equality is not based on accepting every identity — it’s based on realizing that we all share the same innermost identity.
This vision is the foundation of ahimsā (non-violence), karuṇā (compassion), and satya (truthfulness) — not emotional reactivity or ideological warfare.
What Would Kr̥ṣṇamācārya Say?
Śrī T. Kr̥ṣṇamācārya didn’t politicize yoga. He rooted it in śāstra, paramparā, and direct perception of truth. His teachings emphasized the importance of adapting practice to the person — not affirming the person’s mental construct as ultimate truth.
He knew that suffering arises from false identification. And yoga, he taught, is the method to resolve that suffering — not by building stronger identities, but by dissolving them.
Go Beyond All Labels
The modern movement for diversity and inclusion raises important questions. It asks us to recognize suffering, embrace difference, and create safer spaces. These are noble goals.
But from the yogic view, the highest safety lies not in affirming every identity — but in discovering the Self that needs none.
When yoga is used as a platform to reinforce identity politics, it becomes entangled in ego. But when yoga stays rooted in its true goal — Self-realization (ātma-jñāna) — it offers freedom deeper than any social validation.
At Yadu Yoga, we welcome all sincere seekers. Not to strengthen their false identities — but to help them transcend them in the light of truth.
🙏 A Dedication to Teachers, Practitioners, and Seekers
This blog is humbly offered to all sincere yoga teachers, dedicated practitioners, and spiritual seekers who desire to uphold the integrity of yoga. May you find clarity, courage, and inspiration in walking the path of authentic devotion, guided by the living light of Kr̥ṣṇamācārya’s wisdom and the timeless voice of the śāstra.
Namaskar 🙏
(@didieryoga)