BY: THOMAS JOSEPH 08.28.00

Tell us a little about you. Where you’re from and where you were raised. Also, what was family life like when you were a child?

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“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

- Maya Angelou

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This quote from Maya Angelou has been an inspiration and a guide for my life for many years now. It has impacted the way I show up for myself and for others as a mother, wife, sister, friend, entrepreneur, daughter, advocate, yogi, wellness educator and so much more. I grew up in a small rural town called Rockdale, TX with a population of around 5k people and everybody knew everybody. While in many ways, my small town upbringing nurtured my warm, friendly spirit it also cultivated my activist heart and ability to see and empathize with others. Growing up where “Whiteness” was the dominant culture, even through my popularity, I struggled growing up with feeling like I was “enough” from hearing so many microaggressions about being “pretty for a dark skinned girl”. I’m grateful for a close knit family as the youngest of three (two older sisters), I always had somewhere to come home and feel rooted in my being. As a kid, I was involved with all the things (lol), just as I am now. I loved reading, I was heavily involved with my church, active in many community service organizations, and was a multi-sport athlete (basketball, volleyball, track and cheerleading). My upbringing grounded me in family, service, commitment and imagination.

What inspired you to become plant based, a yoga instructor, and how do you balance these roles with the role of being a mother as well?

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I was initially inspired to become plant-based in the hopes of being proactive about my personal health and well-being. I grew observing many of my family members struggle with many health challenges such as diabetes, heart conditions, cancers and more. I wanted to be intentional about putting my best foot forward to live a more full life myself and future family. While this was my initial reason for exploring this lifestyle, after doing some research into what veganism is really all about I decided to become plant-based vegan not only for my own health, but to also positively contribute to environmental justice and show care to the plants and animals we share this Earth with.

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I found yoga in a time where I felt very disconnected to myself and to the space I wanted to take up in the world. I began a consistent yoga practice in 2018 and the holistic impact it has had on my life has been transformative. The busyness of our society often does not allow folks the space to slow down and connect with oneself, especially if you identify as a person of color. I wanted to contribute to shifting the culture and helping folks experience mindfulness in their everyday life in the same way I had so I went through my teacher training in 2019 and have been teaching ever since!

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Balancing these roles is 100% a constant juggling act. As my daughter grows and evolves, so do many of my plans. Balance for me as a mother means making plans but not being too attached to them. Being present with and for my daughter will always be a top priority and whenever I start to feel like I am stretched too thin to support her how she needs it, I look at ways to pull back or adjust my schedule.

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How has your approach to parenting been influenced by your plant based lifestyle and yoga practice?

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So many ways. Yoga, for me, has been all about honoring the needs of the mind + body. Knowing when to invite challenge and when to seek rest and making space for everyday mindfulness. This practice has not only taught me to be more patient with myself in how I parent but to also give more patience to my daughter. While we do still monitor some age milestones, we really try to let her take the lead and not cling to what she “should” be doing at a certain age. For example, we practiced a baby-led weaning approach with food that essentially lets your baby take the lead on how much/little they eat trusting that they come into this world knowing when they have had enough. Occasionally, we still have to do some monitoring and encouraging with food but I think it has really made feeding a very smooth process. Zamya loves food and will try almost anything which is not always common for littles.

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With that being said, we are also raising her to be plant-based vegan. I’m sure this may come with some challenges as she gets older but for now she seems to love it!

Can you discuss the challenges mothers in our community face and how you aim to increase representation and support for mothers in the plant based and yoga communities?

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I could probably write a separate blog for the extensive challenges mothers face today, especially Black mothers. But of course, for this purpose I will keep it short. Challenges that come to mind include lack of family/partner support, lack of career support, financial challenges, lack of community (village) support which can all lead to feelings of isolation and postpartum depression and/or anxiety.

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However families choose to feed their babies (breastfeeding and/or formula feeding), the first few months are simply exhausting and it is so important that mothers get the proper nutrition and rest they need. I am currently in the process of developing yoga series for prenatal, postnatal and family yoga sessions. These series will help new parents build community and be provided with some tools to better care for their bodies during these transitions. Although I am not an expert of nutrition, I do hope to also share some helpful resources and recipes around plant-based living for the mothers and families who are interested in exploring this lifestyle.