Namaste what?

Ready the warrior pose: Yogi devotees to descend on Austin for protest

During the height of the rockin' SXSW music festival, a peaceful demonstration by unstrung yogis will be going down on the lawn of the Texas state capitol. The gathering is in support of House Bills No. 1839 and 2167, which aim to halt government regulations on yoga practice and teacher certification.

"We're trying to protect the sanctity of yoga," Texas Yoga Association president and director of CuraYoga Jennifer Buergermeister tells CultureMap.

Buergermeister's crew will pile into a bus in Houston on Wednesday morning and join a mass yoga class on the capitol's grass at 5:30 p.m. "We're asking for everyone who loves yoga to come join us," she says.

So far, over 1,500 people have signed a petition against the state regulating the 5,000-year-old tradition of yoga. Buergermeister explains that the state government has reclassified yoga centers that train instructors as post-secondary career schools or colleges — thus applying a second layer of taxes. She cites Virginia and New York among the states that have now passed bills protecting yoga centers from the extra fees.

"The state audit alone costs a yoga center around $5,000," says Buergermeister. "I already pay my taxes as a business owner. Why do I need to pay a double taxation because I'm holding some sort of training program?"

It's just a way for the state to get revenue. But aren't there some things that just need to be left alone? No person has ever been harmed in yoga training. There's no reason for them to be looking at yoga right now."

She argues that the issue is one of semantics, in which yoga instruction is being misunderstood as college.

"Martial arts, dance and other arts are exempted," she says. "Yoga is an art form, too."

Buergermeister anticipates a few hundred yoga enthusiasts will participate in the Wednesday demonstration. House representative Eddie Lucio III will lead other representatives and staff to meet the yoga enthusiasts on the lawn. Also in attendance will be musician and "blessed friend" David Berkeley, who will fly in from Atlanta to perform at the event.

When the bills will actually come up for vote is still undetermined. "We're hoping that if we show that we support yoga and wellness, then the bill will pass," Buergermeister says. "I think we just need to change our paradigm."

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”