Yashna Maya Padamsee is a first generation south asian immigrant queer femme raised in and by the US South. Yashna has spent 17+ years supporting social movements through creating innovative infrastructure and sharing liberatory healing practices. Yashna is a Project Management, Event Planning and Organizational + Leadership Development Consultant for nonprofit and movement building organizations and creative teams, an occasional yoga teacher and artist, and a full time dog-mama.
The last decade of her work was as a Co-Executive Director at Press On Southern Media Justice Collective; as a Program Manager at generative somatics (gs); and as the Events Director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She has also been an Adult Literacy program coordinator in Durham, NC, a faith-based immigrant rights organizer at the Bay Area IAF, moderated a Community Care discussion on OrganizingUpgrade.com and been the lead of a Disability Justice committee at gs.
Yashna holds a BA in Film, Animation and Video from RISD, a Yoga teacher certificate from the Sivananda Ashram and has completed ten years of training from generative somatics. She is a co-founder and moderator of Rad Ops, a justice based group for Operations workers in movement organizations.
Yashna enjoys watching good (and not so good) TV shows, eating dumplings or dal with her partner Ang, and taking their sweet dog Monkey on a walk at sunset at the Eno River.
Contact: yashnapadamsee at gmail dot com
Yashna’s Current 2023 Projects
Project Managing a 17 person creative team to bring to life The Octavia E. Butler Tarot deck (the deck is still in creative process and not yet released – follow #octaviaebutlertarot and #octaviatarot on social media for updates).
Project Director for The Rad Ops Project. (research and development stage, not yet public)
Project Lead for Queer Crescent’s Embodied Leadership Project (research and development stage, not yet public)
Somatics Practitioner (in rotation) for the generative somatics Daily Practice Space (for alumni of gs courses and Movement Partnerships)
HIGHLIGHTS
Yashna’s job experience and history LinkedIn YP
February 2023 Co-lead an Embodied Leadership training with Paola Laird at the Dignity Unity Power Institute for NDWA
October 2022 Co-facilitated 5 week session Our Bodies Transform Together Somatics Group in Durham, NC with Eliana Rubin Somatics Sanctuary
Feb 2020 and Sept 2022: taught Yoga at the Healing Space for the Dignity, Unity, Power domestic worker assembly.
2020: Completed 4th year of Teacher Training (and 10th year in general training) with generative somatics
2018: Featured on Queer Crescent #MashallahMondays Interview Series.
2017: Interviewed by the yogajournal.com on Social Justice & Yoga When Yoga Lights The Way
2015: Love with Power: Practicing Transformation for Social Justice Report back on the 100 Women 100 Miles Pilgrimage for the Immigrant Rights campaign of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Featured in the report for leading the wellness spaces, somatics practices and the logistics work team.
2012: Worked with Third Root Community Health Center, taught a People of Color yoga workshop called Return, and consulted on social justice based yoga curriculum development.
2012: Moderated an online discussion on Community Care through Organizing Upgrade.
2011: In June – Self-Published the viral essay – Communities of Care, Organizations for Liberation; the essay was republished in October on Organizing Upgrade (now Convergence mag).
2010: Co-organized and led a two-day Queer & Trans People of Color Yoga Retreat in Chicago, Il in collaboration with akabaka productions (Queer Muslim Group)
2009: yoga maya videos – short tutorials for a home practice
2002: Sivananda Yoga Ashram Teacher Training; Yoga Siromani Certificate
yashna maya padamsee 