I started practicing yoga a couple of years before the pandemic. My local YMCA started providing a new class, Kemetic Yoga. I gave it a try and continued to try different yoga classes. I noticed that yoga was not only good for my body but for my mind and spirit. I quickly noticed attending yoga classes that representation was an issue and why many people who looked like me did not practice. I wanted to change that but I didn’t see how a plus size, black woman could teach yoga.

During the pandemic, my school district, like many others, closed. We were out of the building for an entire calendar year. As a school counselor, I often worked with students struggling with mental health but after the pandemic, mental health in my students heightened significantly. Students were struggling with social anxiety, depression, suicidal idention like never before. In addition, due to the stigma related to mental health in the BIPOC community, students would refuse mental health services. I wanted students to have tangible skills such as yoga, mediation, and other mindfulness practices to help support them in crisis. I saw ads frequently on Facebook about a yoga program for educators. The program advertised women and men who looked like me. I earned my Social Emotional Learning Facilitator and Yoga Instructor Certification from Breathe for Change. From this Social Emotional Yoga with Mrs. V was born.