During my yoga class last night, two participants were in tears because of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota. One woman sobbed so hard that she took sharp, shallow breaths. I realized that everything that is happening in my home state is deeply affecting people.

At the core of the human heart, is a human crisis. When will the mistreatment of human beings end? When will we treat one another as family on this planet? When will we stop the abuse?

As yogis, we agreed that humanity continues to create cycles of trauma. We are deeply saddened that this injustice continues in 2026. We are appalled that this is happening.

So, what did Martin Luther King Jr. say about justice? He said:

“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

“We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Martin Luther King Jr. was a trailblazer of non-violence and peaceful protesting. Just like Mahatma Gandhi, he used his brain, not brute force. It’s his intelligence and cleverness that lead the way. I hope we can channel Martin Luther King Jr.’s energy and spirit to help us in these trying times.

When the yoga class ended, we embraced each other in a group hug. We may feel helpless, but we can be part of peaceful protesting. We can also do things “behind the scenes.” We must also serve as a guiding light for others.

Namaste.

Resource:

You Do Matter Minnesota
Living Through Crisis

Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing
University of Minnesota

http://z.umn.edu/ydmMN