Tucker Shelton and the Balance of Yin and Yang - a podcast by Greg Thompson

Tucker Shelton has studied and taught yoga for over a decade. He has also studied 200 hours of Thai Yoga Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand and has a Masters with Honors in Contemplative Religious Studies and Sanskrit Language from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. While Tucker has taught and studied throughout the United States and around the world, from New Zealand to India to Mexico, he currently lives in Asheville, NC.

We talk about Tucker's upbringing in the Episcopal church and how he eventually found a deeper connection to ritual through practicing and teaching yoga. We compare the meaning behind yoga to other religions and discuss how he presents and identifies as a queer person on his yoga mat. Tucker also helps us begin to unpack what the word "yoga" really means and how the practice of yoga is often misappropriated in our culture today.

Tucker identifies as gender non-binary and uses he, she, and they pronouns interchangeably.

Find Tucker at tuckeryoga.com and on Instagram @tucker_yoga.

For Reflection: How do you balance the masculine and feminine within yourself?

Resources: On cultural appropriation,Tucker mentioned two influential teachers: Dr. Shyam Ranganathan and Anusha Wijeyakumar. Tucker also recommends visiting, https://decolonizingyoga.com, https://www.offthematintotheworld.org, https://yogainaction.org

New to yoga? Here are a few resources from Greg Greg recommends. On the physical benefits of yoga, visit webmd.com. For a look at yoga's spiritual roots, read The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda). For a deeper dive into the practice and poses of yoga, read Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann.

Out Loud is a podcast by and for queer people of faith in the South. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and join our mailing list for updates. Support the show financially by becoming a Patreon member, or by leaving a one-time donation on our website. Hosted and Produced by Greg Thompson. Follow Greg on Instagram @itsgregthompson. Theme music by JP Rugierri. Recorded in Richmond, VA.

Further episodes of Out Loud: LGBT Stories of Faith

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