diverse conversations
DIVERSITY ON THE MAT
Local Yoga Teachers Leading the Way by Meredith Montgomery
a different demographic in that way; I really got to know them and got insight into their lives,â says Deshauteurs, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta where the school system was segregated. âIt used to be hard for me to move through social barriers because of the way I was treated in the Delta. I thought about excluding myself but I stuck with the teacher training, which was a lot more than a physical practice; it was work that I needed that I didnât know I neededâmentally and emotionally.â As she got to know her fellow teachers in training on a deeper level she began to wonder why she ever feared being the only black student in the first place. LaToya Bass-Barnes also questioned how she would be received as a black yoga teacher, when she was one of the only people of color in her teacher training. âPrior to my training, I felt a little uncomfortable and didn't always receive the most warm welcome at some studios. But then Iâd step on my mat and they would see Iâm a serious practitionerâa practitioner of color. It wasnât something they were used to seeing,â she explains. Bass-Barnes first discovered yoga on her kidsâ Nintendo Wii Fit. âI started doing it for fun with the children but when theyâd go to school Iâd practice more. I was gaining flexibility and strength; I was calmer and more patient with my four kids and more focused with work. I had a lot of anxiety and yoga helpedâI was hooked from there,â she says. After completing her teacher certification, Bass-Barnes opened The Soular Yogi in Gulfport because she wanted to provide a studio space where everyone feels comfortable, especially people of color and other underrepresented minorities.
More than 5,000 years ago, most yoga teachers and students were dark skinned males, but today, the word yoga evokes images of thin white women. According to data from the 2017 National Health Interview Study, white adults are nearly twice as likely as black adults to have practiced yoga in the last 12 months. As the local yoga scene mirrors these national trends, four African American teachers are trying to bring more diversity to their classes. BECOMING YOGA TEACHERS When LaSarah Deshauteurs showed up for the first weekend of her yoga teacher training four years ago at Soul Shine Yoga, in Fairhope, she wondered if she had made the right decision. âIt was nothing like what I expected,â she says of the hot power, Baptiste-style training. Previously, her yoga experience consisted of stretches that were taught as a part of her fitness training program and she was unfamiliar with sequencing and pose names. She was also the only person of color enrolled in the training. âI had some fears about that. It was the first time I had really been around 16
Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition
With 23 years of experience, Jacqueline Johnson is used to being the only African American in most of her yoga classes. She started searching for yoga after hearing Madonna say it was her cure-all and the reason she no longer ran 10 miles a day to stay in shape. Johnsonâs physical therapist had also recommended yoga as a remedy for the sciatica she suffered from after her first pregnancy. âI fell in love with the practice and meditation. I have ADD and it helps me calm down and be mindful and less anxious. It reminds me to slow down and that itâs okay if I donât do 10,000 things a day,â says Johnson, who has been teaching in Mobile since 2001 and currently teaches at Above and Beyond Yoga Center. Nikki Grayson first stumbled upon yoga while living in Brooklyn 19 years ago. âI was in a depressed state from a failed relationship and childhood trauma rearing into my life as an adult,â she recalls. âI was walking to the subway and there was a vendor table with a book titled Yoga for Depression. I thought âWhat the heck, letâs give this a try.ââ She bought the book and a mat and her life was forever changed as she learned pranayama breathing and yin yoga. âMy mat has caught thousands of tear drops as I allow my emotions to flow with each breath and movement for the release and
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