The “good vibes only” mantra in Western yoga may have begun as a well-intended way to describe a yoga studio’s responsibility to its students—sending them “positive vibes” or giving them caring treatment regardless of their background or situation (Bernier, 2018). It is important, however, that we as yoga teachers and yoga studios do not place this same expectation for positive vibes only onto our yoga attendees, or limit our space to those who can bring in an energy that makes us feel good. “Good vibes only” is a perfectly well-intentioned way to describe the expectation of a studio or teacher’s attitude toward yoga students, but to flip this expectation onto students who enter the space to take classes causes the sentiment to become a toxic and exclusionary spiritual bypass.

Many yoga studios in the Western world tout their space as…