Local project that pays people of color to do yoga is thriving

In 2020, Joanna Colwell launched a radical program at her yoga studio in Middlebury. The Yoga Equity Project would pay people of color to take classes there. The idea was to make Otter Creek Yoga a more inclusive space by breaking down two of the barriers that prevent some Black and Brown folks from taking yoga classes: the cost, and the fact that most yoga classes, especially in Vermont, are primarily filled with whiter, wealthier people.

“Yoga For Every Body” is a slogan that the Otter Creek Yoga Studio started using earlier this summer. It is meant to capture the Middlebury studio’s mission to ensure that it is a space that is inclusive and welcoming to all. 

The weather is marvelous, parties are being planned and large-scale events are happening again this summer. We have arrived at the beautiful and freeing unfolding of post-pandemic life. And yet, there’s pain, sadness, anxiety and uncertainty that lingers … (read more)