Scholarship Program to Diversify the Yoga Industry by Certifying More Than 7,000 New Black Yoga Teachers

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "It can be an isolating experience. It can also feel like you're included as a means for a company to feel like they are meeting a quota and give off the appearance they are inclusive," says Salina Duggan, a Black fitness coach and entrepreneur. Salina is just one of the wellness leaders Yoga Pose consulted with during the Black Lives Matter movement. "Yoga, for example, is primarily in white neighborhoods, not in lower income areas. The interest is there, but the availability may not be," added Tawn Williams, founder of Bloom Healing Arts Academy, and also a Black entrepreneur. 

As a new company, YogaPose.com addressed racism in the health and wellness industry head on, tackling difficult conversations regarding race and the lack of Black representation. "Communities, platforms, organizations can do their part by hiring Black and brown people, and making them part of leadership and the decision-making process," advised Duggan.

YogaPose.com listened. Throughout the month of June, the one-month-old company partnered with the yoga school My Vinyasa Practice to offer Yoga Teacher Training scholarships to more than 7,000 Black aspiring yoga instructors. "The influx of support and participation was well above my wildest dreams, but it shows there is a clear under representation of our Black community in the health and wellness industry," says Cobb Rogers, co-founder of Yoga Pose. "I look at big names in the athleisure clothing industry and fitness platforms, and see a clear divide or lack of Black representation. That is a problem that I cannot fix on my own, but I can use Yoga Pose to make a difference as much as possible."

The yoga teacher training scholarship, which ran throughout the month of June 2020, aimed to give the Black community more representation and future employment opportunities in the wellness industry.

"I plan to use my training to give back to my community whether it is through my job as a special education teacher, or just as a Black mom raising a little Black boy," says Kelleigh Britton, a participant in the Yoga Pose scholarship. When asked how they intend to use their certification, many participants plan to specialize in yoga for trauma and mental health in the Black community.

Media Contact:

Cobb Rogers

cobb@yogapose.com

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SOURCE Yoga Pose