Today’s guest is Chief of Content for Black Yoga Magazine, she is a hatha yoga teacher, and a badass stylist. We have an amazing conversation about diversifying the yoga teacher community, the importance of self-care, pivoting, AND her tips on styling yourself during COVID.
She discusses her work with the Black Yoga Magazine and shares her own personal story of how yoga has transformed her life. Saying yes to a yoga teacher training has opened so many opportunities for her including her role at Black Yoga Magazine.
Kristen is also a stylist working on sets and with private clients. She talks about how her work has changed over the last year. She has pivoted a lot. And during this entire time, she has kept an amazing attitude of gratitude that truly inspired me.
She is giving away free 30-minute styling sessions to the first five people that send her a message on Instagram, @ask_kristen_.
This episode really gets into the why behind styling ourselves and Kristen encourages everyone to play around and get curious while we still have this time at home.
Show notes:
Follow Kristen on Instagram: @ask_kristen_
Follow Black Yoga Magazine on Instagram: @blackyogamagazine
Resources Discussed:
Ashley Adams - Yoga Blue Teacher Training
Sun Ra - Afrofuturism
The Bhagavad Gita
Quotes from Kristen Johnson:
“Sun Ra was a hero because he believed that we could have life on other planets. He believed that music was a universal language and he dressed however he wanted to dress. He didn't care what people thought. He was in a world of his own, but he was also inclusive. And oftentimes that's what changemakers do. Right? You might be coined insane because you won't give up on this vision that you have for how you, how you know the world can be.”
“In Black Yoga Magazine, we tell black stories about our healing journeys. Our most recent issue is all about sacred spaces. So we're all home right now. How do you create that sacred space that maybe you had in a yoga studio at home? We're telling stories of COVID survivors. One of the women in our tribe has been going through a very hard time on her COVID journey. So we have that in there. We have psychologists and doctors who tell stories as well about their journey into yoga, their journey, into creating sacred spaces. So it's a lot of beautiful stories. We also tap into self-care, whether DIY or supporting black-owned businesses and businesses that are owned by women and people of color.”
“If you're going to be an activist, one of the things you have to understand is you got to take care of yourself. You have to think, I believe it was Audre Lorde, she said it more eloquently than I'm about to say it, but how can you be an activist without self-preservation.”
“Wellness and activism go hand in hand on my journey. Once I started to take care of my wellness, that's when a lot of blessings and opportunities started to show up for me...all I had to do was say yes to my yoga mat.”
“When you are able to take care of yourself, then you can take care of others. That's the first part I would say of wellness. You have to take care of your mind. You have to take care of your spirit. You have to take care of your body. And once you get healing in those spaces and your soul, do that soul work as well. Then you can go out and take care of others.”
“So I would love to live in a world where activism didn't even have to exist. I would love to live in that world, but the reality is there's going to be fear, there's going to be self-hate. So it's important for people like us who are in the wellness space to show that vulnerability like, Hey, I'm working through this right now and you can do it too. Here's what I did. And that's why spaces like Black Yoga Magazine are so important where we could tell those open and honest stories, so people could find their healing too.”
“If there was something that you were considering, if you should add to your wardrobe this might be a good time to give it a shot and see if you feel comfortable in that piece or that look that you're considering. We're all at home anyway, you know?”
“I would say when it comes to styling yourself for day to day think about why am I putting on what I am today, and am I really doing this for me? I feel like that could speak to a lot of young women as well, because we are living in the age where everything is for Instagram.”
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