What Does Diversity Mean To You?

Diversity and Inclusivity are big topics for me, because when people are talking about "diversity" and "inclusivity," it is in respects to people who look like me. In our American culture, being a woman of color quickly identifies me as "other," or "minority"; for some people, this can trigger conscious or unconscious thought patterns of who I am & what I represent. Furthermore, being a black yoga teacher is not something that you come across often, although it is good to see that changing. I have experienced the surprise or subtle confusion of students coming into class and seeing me, a black woman, as the yoga teacher. I have also experienced the joy and uplifting validation of students coming into class and seeing me, a black woman, as the yoga teacher. I am happy for all of these real human experiences as people make their way to the mat. I am happy to have the opportunity to hold space for every human that comes into my class, and to hold each student in loving kindness. I believe through acknowledging our differences we can come to learn that we all have a lot more in common than we actually have different. I think that is the joy of celebrating the rich diversity in humankind. Through this, we can nurture an inclusive space of mutual exchange were we can all be different and be held in loving kindness for ourselves and each other.

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