Interview with Heart: Embracing Yoga, Activism, and Healing

Heart and I met through the Yoga festival community in Asheville. We were excited to support Heart and get to know what they are up to. An activist, teacher and yogi, heart embodies compassion and self acceptance, no doubt the heart chakra is affirmed here but also the crown!

We all have people we meet along the way, connect with and know we adore. As we share what we are up to we create a vibration and lock into areas of compatibility.

Q: Tell us a little bit about you, your company and your company's mission.

A: I am a Queer, Trans & Fat Yoga Instructor, Space holder & Trans Allyship DEI Trainer. I am the founder of Trans Yoga Teacher and I am on a mission to help other QT & fat folks feel good in their bodies and feel safe accessing them. For many, the combination of dysphoria and dysmorphia can be overwhelming and thus anxiety (and depression) can prevent folks from being embodied.

I teach yoga and hold healing spaces for LGBTQIA+ folks to come together and see themselves reflected in each other. It's a judgement free zone where people can share their most intimate struggles while feeling validated and held.

I am launching a 10 week group coaching program this month called WORTHY for individuals to step into their power and feel a sense of increased self-worth. I have worked to love myself over the years and it didn't always come naturally.

My yoga practice has enabled me to feel my power and agency over my life and I thus want to share that feeling of empowerment with my community.

With the many anti-trans laws popping up all over the US (and world), our bodily autonomy and existence is being threatened which makes it even more important that we have each other and hold each other.

I am so excited to be hosting my first ever Queer & Trans Joy & Healing Retreat in Hot Springs, North Carolina this May 7-11, 2023. It will be a healing space for community, connection to nature and our bodies where no one can shame us or judge us and we can be our full selves there.

If you're not Queer or Trans but would like to support QTBIPOC scholarship spots, I'm seeking sponsorship from individuals, corporations and small businesses to help make healing accessible for those who most need it.
Q: What is your superpower? Tell us about a moment you recall that your superpower served you?

A: I am calm in times of chaos. Moving to the South while coming out as trans has been difficult and it's been during the pandemic, so it's been a time of upheaval. I have returned to my body through the aid of the mountains and the healing that can be done through connecting to source and oneself while alone in nature.

I have started leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings in the pandemic, with so much unpredictability, and that is because I know we have to stay on our paths and serve no matter what is going on outside of us. I am determined to make the world a better place and even though I don't always know where life will take me, I remain committed to serve and educate folks about the Queer & Trans community & how to show up for us.

My calm allows me to serve my community while working on my own self-healing. My fire (Aries rising) helps me get it all done even though I don't have an assistant, which I so desperately need!

Yoga has provided me a sense of self that enables me to show up as I am, no matter what room I walk into.

I know who I am and will be myself, no matter if I'm on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (my hometown) or the mountains of Appalachia. And my sense of humor allows me to cut through layers of illusion and remain lighthearted on the path to collective liberation for all.
Q: What are your rituals for self-care, healing or de-stressing? Is there a special place you go?

A: I love taking time in the morning for myself. I don't turn on my phone in the morning for at least an hour (which yes means I turn it all the way off at night) and I tap in. I draw some [oracle] cards, I journal, meditate, do some gentle movement, and breathe.

I just learned how to make lavender simple syrup and it's so simple! And I got some Rose petal powder from Mountain Rose Herbs which is heart medicine, so I've been making homemade lavender oat milk rose lattes at home which has been luscious. The Taurus in me loves it.
Q: With which Chakra do you most identify and why?

A: I have a strong throat chakra, but I am healing my heart chakra this year. I renamed my name Heart recently because I am so driven by what's in my heart. It can sometimes cause me pain, because I have such a big heart, but it also allows me to connect with others because I'm such an empath.

I am very motivated by healing my heart this year so I can live more open heartedly and continue to show up for my community with an open heart. I want to be more heart centered in my work and not allow pain and anguish to drive me as much as love and hope.

Check out the Live interview with Heart, don’t forget to check it out!