Salutations Sorcerers!

I’ve been enjoying myself by trying out different gender neutral greetings. Try saying the above five times fast and if you get it without stumbling, let me know when we see each other in the wild and I’ll give you a prize…a high-five where we will both look at each other’s elbows to get it perfect enough to carry us through the rest of our weeks with much glee! It’s the small things, right?

I wanted to write a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ about why I choose not to teach yoga in yoga studios in our lovely town of Nogo-Ptbo. There are also upcoming offerings at the bottom of this post, if you don’t give a damn about my experiences, which is totally fair. I won’t hold it against you. Scroll on for the offerings, if you so choose!

Why I Can’t Teach at ‘Regular’ Yoga Studios

When I first moved to Nogojiwanong-Peterborough in late October, 2020, I reached out to a few yoga studios to ask if they had racialized teachers. The responses back were not what I was hoping for. That May, George Floyd was brutally murdered by a police officer, sparking protests around the U.S. and gaining much recognition worldwide. As a racialized person, I was ignited by what was happening and began openly speaking up more about my experiences with racism. I lost a lot of white friends. I began to take stock of community and had to re-learn how to trust. I knew I needed to be in spaces that uplifted marginalized voices. So, when I moved to Nogo, I had hopes that I would be able to find at least a couple BIPGM (Black Indigenous People of the Global Majority) folks teaching at yoga studios. Especially since yoga originated from South East Asia and parts of Africa. So, I sent the emails, got responses full of “unfortunately’s” with one studio going so far as saying, “Peterborough just isn’t that diverse.”

Spoiler: I graduated from my 200hr yoga teacher training in August, 2021, went back to that studio, had a tough conversation and ended up teaching with them for a year and a half before realizing the community there was not the community I resonated with. Thanks for giving me space anyway, The Willow Studio!

One of the other studios I reached out to said something along the lines of, “we welcome everyone though!” K, rad. That makes me feel so much more aligned with y’all…

I decided to try to take virtual classes with that studio anyway, because the choices were limited, we were in the height of the pandini and I was especially COVID cautious after spending the first half of the year working in a retirement home. I wanted to stay safe and comfortable. There were technical difficulties though and after the second class not streaming well and me reaching out to the studio again to say so, I was met with a response, “I guess we just aren’t the studio for you. Best of luck.” Oh. So, they welcome everyone unless they continue to have multiple technology issues that is not the fault of the person who tried multiple times just to be included and go to a yoga practice during a worldwide health crises, instead of go in person to a class and risk their own and the health of others?! K, rad. Thanks, Peterborough Yoga!

Let’s fast forward a couple years later. I wanted to quit The Willow Studio. I was teaching classes to middle-high income mostly middle aged white women. The owner at the time and I had multiple conversations about decolonizing yoga, making space for racialized folks and her own internalized bias. She was trying, I’ll give her that, but it was emotionally draining and laborious and I did not get paid any extra for free education. I also looked back on who I wanted to guide when I first received my yoga teacher training certification: Queer folks, racialized folks, folks who may not necessarily be able to afford to attend a class in a yoga studio. I had to sit with myself and re-evaluate. I admit that wanting to teach at The Willow was my way of saying, “fuck you!” to a system that I felt chose to deliberately not make space for certain people. I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted them to see that there was more to yoga than tight fitting, expensive leggings and skinny white women with blonde hair. When I think about it today, I wouldn’t go back and change my approach as I was still fuelled by a strong movement. We all have our own path and back then, I allowed anger and resentment to guide me. Totally not the zen, peaceful, calm yoga practitioner that most folks think of when they think of a yoga guide. But, hey, did you know some yoga practitioners back in the day when India was colonized by Britain, chose to stand up for their rights and became warriors by continuing to practice yoga although it was banned under British rule?¹ So, maybe I was guided by Ancestral instinct at the time.

I still wanted to teach regularly. I decided to reach out to Salti Yoga. Had an hour long conversation with the owner. Then guided a 20 minute practice where I used a hasta mudra and explained the benefit. A hasta mudra is a hand gesture that may be used in a yoga practice to channel the flow of energy by stimulating points in the body and enhance mind-body connection. I guided the asana/physical shapes and explained the benefits of the mudra as I directed the owner into a specific mudra for balance, knowledge, wisdom and to deepen the state of meditation. I was given feedback after, which was overall good, but she also stated, “I wouldn’t necessarily add a mudra into a class for beginners because they might think ‘what is this hokey stuff’ and not want to come back.”

Wait. WHAT.

When I met her upstairs after grabbing my stuff, I brought up her comments and said if I didn’t add mudras to my practice, I would not be authentic to myself. She backtracked, said she liked that I explained what the mudra meant and said, “oh, but I didn’t say that.” Thanks for the gaslight, Salti Yoga! I went home, called a good friend who is also a yoga guide, ranted, was affirmed, then emailed Salti and said I did not want to teach for them. I knew that it would just be even more unpaid labour. Also, they pay their teachers the least out of all the yoga studios in town.

Oh, this is a post of shame, by the way. I believe in call-ins and giving folks information, sharing my experiences, and allowing others to make up their own damned mind. I believe in listening and amplifying so others can choose what they want to invest in and divest from. Also, you wanted to know why I can’t teach in yoga studios in this town right?? I have reasons, y’all!

Hmmm, and the last one. A few months ago I reached out to Summer Soul. I was desperate. I got a weird vibe from the owner already, but siiiigh. I LOVE teaching yoga. I fucking love it, OK?! I love sharing this rich practice with others. I love guiding you all. I love hearing your own experiences with the practice. I love seeing your bodies sink into the ground at the end of class and when you tell me you’re going to go home and rest. I love it. I was supposed to have an in person conversation with her and she was a no show. With good reason, but she agreed to reschedule. I followed up. Twice. No dice. I tapped in and realized she is a people pleaser. Those types of people will tell others what they think they want to hear and then not hold themselves accountable for their behaviour. K, rad. Thanks, Summer Soul.

But, this isn’t all doom and gloom, which if you know me, I love the doom and the gloom. I lean towards pessimism more often than not. I’m a dark cloud on the best days and an even darker rain cloud with thunder and lightning on the worst days. I’m an Elder Emo. It’s not a phase, mom!

Anyway, let’s give it up for Sadleir House. I started guiding yoga classes at Sadleir in May, 2023. They asked me what I wanted to be paid. Guiding classes there gave me permission to quit The Willow. The practitioners who showed up at Sadleir were Queer, racialized, students, lower income. They were my community. They wanted to try something new, or they wanted to deepen their practice and be in community with others and co-regulate. The classes started at $10 and after a year were free due to grant funding and they still paid me! They even pay me more now than what I started with. The other studios in town would never! I have been able to live out my dream of guiding financially accessible yoga the way I want. I don’t have to look or act a certain way. I can teach and speak about yoga philosophy openly. The John at Sadleir House is cozy and welcoming and we use the lawn space outside during the warmer months. Who doesn’t love outdoor yoga, am I right?! Sometimes we even stay and chat after practice. It’s perfect. It’s so much more than what I wanted, because it is what I needed.

After having tough conversations, guiding to folks who I felt didn’t resonate as much with the practices I lead, feeling as if I wasn’t able to do what I wanted and needed to look and act a certain way just to feel comfortable in Western yoga spaces…I realized that there are people out there who will make space for you. I am grateful to not only Sadleir House, but all of you who continue to speak my name in spaces I am not in.

I hope that the spaces I am in allow you to show up fully as yourself - rage, joy, love, grief: all of it are welcome.

I may be the most unpalatable yoga guide you have ever come across, but hey, at least I’m real. Thanks for being here.

Offerings

• The Arrival Retreat:

  • My dear friend, Celeste invited me and another facilitator, Jas to help co-facilitate a retreat in Nassau, Bahamas from Feb 15-21, 2026. Please click on the link above for more info! We are all super excited to hold space for you!

• Sadleir House Yoga, Nov 12+26. Register at the link above! It’s FREE!

• Yoga in the Freedom Lounge at Trent for racialized students. Free w/ refreshments! Nov 11+25, 6-7 p.m. Tell a friend to tell a friend.

• Mayyybe a sliding scale/trade morning yoga class coming up soonsoon in a space downtown. Let’s all send out good vibes for this to go down, please!

• & I am available for free/sliding scale/trade yoga + grief care.

• Catch me on my dear friend, Kasonde’s radio show on Trent Radio, Nov. 13 from 5-5:30 p.m. Kas & I have fun convo’s and her radio show is so insightful, you won’t wanna miss this!

1  https://sulbooks.com/site/2024/6/15/yoga-as-the-decolonial-attitude-of-the-human-body