Yoga Is Activism: Taking Up Space as a Black Queer Yoga Teacher

Yoga Mel
May 14
3 min read

I didn’t come to yoga because I was flexible. I came to yoga because I was tired.

Tired of proving myself. Tired of shrinking in spaces that weren’t made for me. Tired of carrying generations of survival in my bones without any space to just… breathe.

Yoga didn’t just stretch my body—it cracked me open. And somewhere between my mat and my tears, I realized something powerful:

Me being here, teaching yoga as a Black queer woman, is a revolutionary act.

This Industry Wasn’t Built for Us—But We’re Here Anyway

Let’s be real. Walk into most yoga studios, in the U.S. and even here in Costa Rica, and you’ll still see the same thing: white bodies, thin bodies, cis bodies, able bodies. The industry loves to talk about “oneness” and “light” but stays silent when Black and Brown folks are harmed, erased, or tokenized.

As a Black queer yoga teacher, I’ve been the only one in the room.I’ve had to soften my voice, edit my story, and smile through microaggressions that my students didn’t even notice.

But not anymore.

I no longer ask for space—I take it. Because every time I teach, I create a portal for liberation. For rest. For representation. For somebody else to feel like they finally belong.

Healing Is Political

You can’t breathe deeply in a system that’s been built to suffocate you.

So when we center Black and Brown bodies in breathwork, in stillness, in the reclamation of peace—we are resisting.

When we guide people back to their bodies, to their intuition, to their joy—we’re dismantling systems of harm from the inside out.

Teaching yoga is not neutral.

Not when your very existence is seen as disruptive.

What Real Inclusion Looks Like

I created Yogis Choice Academy because I was tired of being the only one. Tired of hearing students say, “I didn’t know yoga could be for me.” Tired of not seeing teachers who looked like me, lived like me, loved like me.

At YCA, we don't just preach inclusion—we live it.We teach yoga through a lens of cultural awareness, trauma sensitivity, and soul-deep connection. We honor pronouns. We honor ancestors. We welcome all bodies, all genders, all journeys.

We don't just teach poses. We teach people how to lead with purpose.

Queerness Is Sacred

My queerness is not a side note. It is my source of power. My ability to hold paradoxes. My pathway to truth.

It was here in Costa Rica—away from the noise and norms of the U.S.—that I finally felt safe enough to come out and live as my full self. Not just a teacher. Not just a wife. But a divine, queer, radiant being with nothing to hide.

When I teach, I’m not just holding space—I’m rewriting the blueprint. For my family. For my students. For every queer person who’s ever felt like they had to leave pieces of themselves at the door.

The Future Is Ours

This is bigger than yoga. This is about healing in community. About unlearning the lies and remembering who we really are.

So if you’re a Black or Brown soul who’s been feeling the call—answer it.If you’re queer and craving sacred space—step into it.If you’ve ever felt too different, too loud, too much—this is your sign.

We need your voice. Your body. Your leadership.