Rooted and Radiant |  Featured Teacher: Taquice Campbell

As we enter Black History Month, I find myself reflecting on the powers of being rooted in our connections and radiating our energies. For so long, many of us have been taught to see yoga as something outside of our culture, something distant from our lived experiences. But the more I practice, the more I understand that the principles of yoga—mindfulness, breath, community, and connection—have always existed within our lineage.

Our ancestors may not have called it “yoga,” but they embodied it in their movements, in their songs, in the way they communed with nature, and in how they found breath even in struggle. Whether through the rhythmic sway of the body in dance, the sacred pause of a deep sigh after a long day, or the collective energy of call-and-response in spirituals, we have always known how to center ourselves and doing so together. Yoga, at its core, is a return to that knowing and a release of the confines that try to persuade us otherwise.

For Black bodies, ALL bodies, yoga is an act of liberation. The world often asks us to shrink, to hold tension, to carry burdens too heavy to bear. But on the mat, we have permission to expand, to take up space, to breathe deeply and freely – releasing. Each inhale is a rooted reclamation; each exhale, a radiant release.

I often remind my students that the mat is a sacred place—a place where we do not have to perform, achieve, or prove. Instead, we simply arrive as we are, honoring all that we carry and celebrating all that we can open our hearts to. This month, I encourage you to step onto your mat with intention: not just as a way to move your body, but as a way to honor your story, your ancestors, and your place in this lineage of strength.

Asana Practice: Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

I invite you to embody the energy of Warrior II—a pose that speaks to both our strength and our grace. As you step into this shape, ground through your feet, feeling the support of those who walked before you. Extend your arms with purpose, as if reaching into the past and the future simultaneously. Soften your gaze but keep it steady—just as our people have done for generations, standing strong while holding onto hope.

Breathe deeply and let this shape remind you of who you are: resilient, rooted, and radiant.