A 20 Year Journey

By: LaTasha Thomas

May 25, 2025

A 20 year journey…

Let’s go back in time a few years and imagine a young lady who is trying to navigate her late 20’s. She is

in her first management role and is finding it difficult to juggle all the responsibilities of the role, as well

as keeping her apartment clean, exercising, seeing friends and family, and trying to maintain a romantic

relationship. So, to manage the exercise piece she starts attending regular yoga classes, because it is

supposed to help in shaping the body…right?

Yes, that’s true, but for this 20 something you old; something else amazing began to happen. She

started to notice that her body was getting stronger and that if only for that hour, she felt a sense of

calm-within. Unfortunately, the yoga spaces that she would frequent did not feel like home. You see,

this 20 something year old was a Black woman in a bigger body with teachers that did not look like her

or understand how to accommodate modifications for her body type, so she stopped going to yoga for a

bit.

However, during the away from the physical practice of yoga she found mindfulness! Finding

mindfulness practices was a game changer. Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves here…mindfulness was

not easy at first. She had a challenging time in the beginning. During her first mindfulness retreat, she

was so agitated and beat herself up for not doing it right and was continually thinking about all the

things that she could be doing with her time, besides exploring raisins. (A mindful eating practice).

Then it happened…the teacher explained mindfulness as a child-like state and went on to discuss how

children can be so engrossed in an activity that when their name is called, they do not respond, not

because they are being defiant, but because they are present. Light bulb moment! This 20 something

year old now realizes that this has been missing from her life and that she would like a taste of presence,

so she starts meditating.

No, she did not sit down for the recommended 20 minutes a day, to begin with. She did 2–3-minute

increments at a time in guided format and eventually worked her way up to 20 minutes of silence, but

not without challenge. What she learned along the way is that the mind is a thought-generating

machine, it is its job to think, and this cannot be stopped. However, the speed at which thoughts pass

through, and the volume of the mind can be controlled; and meditation/mindfulness practices can help

in facilitating both.

Another monumental thing that was learned on this journey is that the physical practice of yoga or

asana is designed to help prepare the body for meditation! So, she went back to yoga…this time in her

30’s. There was this small, boutique style studio that she started attending. Hot yoga is one of the

offerings, so she embarked on the sweaty journey of finding a different level of ability and confidence!

By now she has changed careers and is now a mental health clinician and is starting to see and

understand the mind-body connection and begins to wonder how she can incorporate these practices in

her work with clients. Simultaneously, the studio is launching teacher training. Bingo!! She enrolled in

the year long program and began the exploration of all thing’s yoga: the 8 limbs, different formats,

anatomy, the spiritual components…the list can go on for a while.

During this time, she decided that she was going to start incorporating what she was learning about

yoga into her work with clients. Helping clients heal using ancient wisdom traditions became her

mission! Fast forward into her 40’s and she has built a therapy practice that integrates yogic principles

into client care, has taught a class titled Yoga for the Lifetime to college students, and continues to

introduce these principles and practices to youth that look and sound like her. She also began teaching

at yoga festivals to be a safe space for those who think yoga is not for them for whatever reason,

whether that be due to age, race, or body type; and focuses on creating classes that are inclusive and

empowering.

I am sure you have figured it out already…I am she and she is me! The last 20 years of my life have

helped shaped and mold me into the woman that I am today and I am ever grateful for my yogic

journey! Hopefully, my reflection helps you look back over your own journey to find the gems. If you

attend my class or see me at the festival, I would love to hear about what you discover!!

LaTasha is a mental health professional and trauma informed yoga teacher, who believes in the power

of the 8 limbs of yoga to help individuals live authentic and empowered lives.

@zen__holistics

www.zenholisticscounseling.com