By Jared D. Childress | OBSERVER Staff Writer

Watch the full filmed discussion below.

8 Limbs of The Black Yogi Conversation x Drip Coffee

Radio host Ms. Wanda had to put the panelists “on ice” before the start of the discussion.

“On ice” is a term sometimes used in reality television where cast members are asked to remain silent unless the cameras are rolling – a tactic used to avoid missing any moments.

And the yogis featured in the article “The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi” had a lot to say.

Following The OBSERVER’s recent publication of the article, which discussed representation in yoga, Yoga Moves Us President Kirsten Johnson organized a community engagement event to keep the conversation going. It was held at Drip Espresso, a Black woman-owned coffee shop in downtown Sacramento, on April 30.

The event brought together five of the eight yogis in the article: Leon Willis, Domynique Herndon, Monique Goldfried, John Winston, and Kirsten Johnson. Although featured together in the article, it was the first time some of them met.

Panelists John Winston, Leon Willis, Kirsten Johnson, Monique Goldfried, Domynique Herndon, and Jared D. Childress with moderator Ms. Wanda, host of “Full Circle” on 97.5 FM, at Drip Espresso on April 30. Louis Bryant III, OBSERVER

“Even though some of us just met that day we were all so connected in the spirit of yoga,” Johnson, 57, said following the event. “That to me is an example of what yoga is: the community, the connection – all of the personal stories we shared were from a place of healing.”

The hour-long conversation, accompanied by snaps, claps, and laughs, was moderated by Ms. Wanda. The host of “Full Circle” on 97.5 FM volleyed with the panelists, who elaborated on personal stories covered in the article.

The event was filmed by photographer Louis Bryant III, who also shot all of the visual assets for the article, “The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi.” Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER
The event was filmed by photographer Louis Bryant III, who also shot all of the visual assets for the article, “The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi.” Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER

Johnson spoke of practicing yoga as a curvy, differently abled person; Herndon spoke of using yoga to find herself as a young person; Willis spoke of bringing yoga to prisons as a formerly incarcerated person; Goldfried spoke of her confidence being tested when walking into spaces as the sole Black woman; and Winston debunked the myth that yoga is just for women.

Winston was the only yogi featured in the article who was not an instructor. The 60-year-old veteran lives with diabetes and has spent most of his life in a blue-collar career.

During the interviews involved in writing his portion of the article, he often stated that he was at a “loss of words” and questioned what he could add to the story.

But upon release of the article and now at the panel, he spoke with ease about how he practices yoga both on and off the mat.

“[Being] a grandparent, husband, and father comes with all kinds of things [thrown] at you,” Winston said during the panel. “Just being able to breathe through it and know that life is a journey. You take it one day and one step at a time.”

Charmaine Winston, 32, supported her father, panelist John Winston. Charmaine Winston introduced her father and mother to yoga in 2015 because mindfulness “wasn’t really a thing growing up,” she says. Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER
Charmaine Winston, 32, supported her father, panelist John Winston. Charmaine Winston introduced her father and mother to yoga in 2015 because mindfulness “wasn’t really a thing growing up,” she says. Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER

His daughter, Charmaine Winston, was in attendance. The nurse and certified yoga instructor introduced both her parents to yoga in 2015.

“I don’t normally hear a ton from my dad about how he feels and sometimes it’s hard to get answers,” Charmaine Winston, 32, said to The OBSERVER. “So it was really great to hear what yoga has done for him and how he uses it in his normal life and as a grandfather to my kids.”

The panel also was opened to audience participation in which attendees told personal testimonies and posed questions on topics ranging from self-care to feeling imposter syndrome when walking into yoga spaces.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological condition in which one doubts their own abilities and fears being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of ongoing success.

Johnson said she gets imposter syndrome “all the time.”

“I was at an event, nervous … and I reminded myself: this is what you do,” Johnson said. “You wouldn’t be invited if this is not what you do. You would not be chosen and asked to be there if this isn’t what you do. Remind yourself that this is what you do. Be in that, affirm that, and then do it.”

Tonisha Barnes (right) is a war veteran who has practiced yoga with her friend Kirsten Johnson (left) since 2017. She said Johnson’s accessible “style of yoga is helpful for me because I have certain ailments that I don’t look like I have.” Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER
Tonisha Barnes (right) is a war veteran who has practiced yoga with her friend Kirsten Johnson (left) since 2017. She said Johnson’s accessible “style of yoga is helpful for me because I have certain ailments that I don’t look like I have.” Jared D. Childress, OBSERVER

Johnson’s vulnerability resonated with attendee Tonisha Barnes.

“That was great to hear because I don’t normally speak about those feelings,” Barnes, 40, said to The OBSERVER. “Now I can apply their answers to myself when I’m in those moments.”

Johnson had to hold back tears throughout the event. The conversation had been a dream of hers since she became a yoga instructor in 2017.

“I felt so isolated in the beginning and I don’t feel that now,” Johnson said. “I know there’s a community around me and there’s a community out there for us.”

Read the article that started it all, The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi