We were lucky to catch up with Sri Amirah recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sri, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?
When I have conversed with minority groups, the most common response as to why they do not practice yoga is because they feel it is not “right” for them or that they do not “belong”. This is a common problem within most yoga spaces as they tend to lack inclusion and diversity. As a person of color, I experienced this which caused me to avoid practicing at yoga studios and only practicing with a small group of people who were also of color. I felt uninvited, ignored, and as though I did not belong in many studios space I went to. This lasted for years until I discovered a local black female-owned yoga studio where I began dedicating my practice and eventually teaching. It is now imperative that I practice and teach only where it feels welcoming and inclusive for all.
To make yoga a practice where more people feel like they belong and that they can see themselves doing the practice, it is up to yoga teachers to make this change. The change lies within the expansion of our offerings to minority communities, making them our target audience by shifting our marketing perspective. It’s in the language we speak when talking about yoga, the attitude and engagement when interacting with people in that community, as well as simply being more open-minded and aware of the need. With this, I believe we can make a positive impact by normalizing yoga and making it accessible within all minority communities.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Almost a decade ago I was introduced to the practice of yoga. The first class I attended had about 50 students. I arrived late so had to sit closer to the front, the most vulnerable area people tend to avoid. The class itself was not a pleasant experience and was very intimidating because I kept falling over, losing my balance, and overall felt lost in the practice. By the end of class, I knew this was not something I ever wanted to do again. However, fast forward 2 years later, attending yoga every Tuesday evening with my mom became our thing. While it was still a challenge, it challenged me in different ways. Something kept bringing me back to it, I just didn’t know what it was. Until one day I was driving to class after a long day of work and I remember saying to myself, “Well thank goodness I’m going to yoga today, I know I’ll be okay”. It was at that moment I realized how special and sacred this practice was and what it was doing for me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I have always said that I do not wish to change the world through yoga, but to simply change someone’s world through their own relationship with the practice. My responsibility as a Yoga Instructor is to share the beauty of the practice with others in as many ways as I can. Whether this be through a class, workshop, or training. I have been well-educated on the benefits of yoga from several trainings and teaching for almost 6 years. I offer both in-person and online weekly classes and private 1:1 individual and group sessions. I will soon be offering personally curated workshops, trainings, and retreats through my business, Connect Yoga. My goal for all of my students is to provide them the opportunity to unwind from their day/week, open their bodies and minds through movement, and relieve any potential stress, anxiety, and tension within.
As a person of color, I am also deeply devoted to bringing yoga into minority spaces. In my opinion, yoga should be a normalized and common practice that is easily accessible and welcoming to all.
As a teacher, I am proud to reflect on my growth especially to have started with donation-based classes in my apartment complex clubhouse to now this being my career. It is just as important for me to grow as a student and maintain a consistent daily practice so I can always show up as my best self in any space. It is a blessing and deep honor to have ingrained this practice in my life so I have the opportunity to show up fully to every space I teach and pour my passion into the people in hopes to enhance their quality of life.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The biggest lesson I had to unlearn is the lesson of not knowing my value. It took me almost 3 years of teaching to begin to charge students a set price. This was due to a lack of confidence in asking students to pay for class. It also brought me joy to do it for free but I now realize the other side of that as at the end of the day, I was offering a service that required my time and energy. If I would have had more confidence in speaking up, it was have been a no-brainer to charge.
Now that I understand this, while I still offer some donation-based community classes, that is not the base of my business, especially now that this is my full-time career. I do not regret running my business this way but instead, see it as a valuable life lesson. I could not be where I am if it was not for the students that supported me through donation-based classes but I now confidently know my value and to maintain a sustainable business, I need to price my services accordingly.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I love this story! In Fall of 2016, I was working at the Apple Store and they knew I practiced yoga and asked that I lead the store in a class. I, of course, accepted but reminded them I had never taught before. They still insisted I teach, so I did. The class went incredibly well with over 20 employees in attendance. My mom and sister also came and suggested I consider getting certified to teach. I was shocked as I didn’t feel like I had it in me to actually continue leading classes as a certified teacher.
Fast forward a few months later, I mustered up the courage to pursue earning my 200-hour yoga teacher certification with a local non-profit organization, Im’Unique with the founder Tyrone Beverly. After which, it took me 6 months to begin teaching. This time was spent simply building the courage to use to voice and figure out how I wanted to offer the practice. I taught my first class as a certified teacher for free at my apartment complex. I continued to teach two classes weekly for free for about a year before I was confident enough to ask for donations. Fast forward to March 2020, I was living in Fayetteville, Arkansas and was asked to teach at a hot power yoga studio, ELXR Yoga Lounge. I started as a substitute but my classes became well-liked so I committed to two classes on the weekly schedule. During this entire time, I maintained a full-time job as a Support Representative at a tech company. In March of 2021, I moved to Austin, Texas, and paused on teaching for quite a bit as I wanted to focus on getting my 500-hour yoga teacher certification. However, the universe had other plans for me.
In January of 2023, my life began to feel stagnant as if I couldn’t grow at the company I was at and I needed something more fulfilling. I decided to leave my secure job and 6 years and take a chance on myself. I decided it was time to pursue yoga as a full-time career. This was always the goal, I just didn’t know when. I now maintain 9 weekly classes at Black Swan Yoga and for my personal business, Connect Yoga, along with private 1:1 and group sessions.
Over time I have built the trust of my current clientele and they continue to trust me and make referrals for new business. I have gained immense amounts of knowledge as a teacher and student over the past several years and have been able to apply that to my business. In cultivating and maintaining consistent relationships with students and clients, I have been able to grow as a trusted business. I continue to evaluate and enhance my offerings to scale my business even more and touch a larger audience.
The biggest milestone so far that has taken me to the next level was getting out of my comfort zone by teaching at a yoga studio. This encouraged me to modify the way I was teaching to better align with the teaching style of the studio which opened doors for my skillset as a teacher. Through this, I have been able to merge the different teaching styles into my unique style which is now a part of my brand.
Though being a full-time teacher is fairly new to me, the knowledge of being an entrepreneur and the opportunities I have been presented with are endless. I look forward to the continued growth and success of my business as well as all of the valuable lessons that will come with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sriamirah.com
- Instagram: @sriamirahh
- Linkedin: Sri Ali
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@connect_yoga
Image Credits
Photos in the black outfit were taken by Nicole Calhoun from ELXR Yoga Lounge.