Today we’d like to introduce you to Kierra Woods.
Hi Kierra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I started practicing yoga for myself 8 years ago. I was a stay-at-home mom with four small children and I was working on my Master’s Degree in Social Work and heading for divorce. During that time, I was having hard time with the amount of weight that I had gained and was struggling with anxiety and panic attacks. After a while, I found out I loved yoga and I used it to help me lose over 80 pounds and heal emotionally after the divorce was final. I felt like a brand-new woman every time I stepped on my yoga mat and I wanted everyone else to have the same experience. I decided to go back to work because I thought there was no way I could ever be a yoga teacher full time and raise children on my own, When I went back to work after finishing up my Master’s Degree I worked as a Program Director for a local nonprofit for four years before finding myself grossly burned out. I had taken yoga teacher training and was teaching private yoga sessions and online classes on the side as a way to help other people alleviate stress and a. little extra money on the side. I kept thinking to myself this is what I would love to do full time plus I am teaching other people how to manage their stress and rediscover life I should do the same for myself. I went on a girl’s trip to New Mexico and spent some time alone hiking the mountains and trails and thinking about next steps of my life. I knew I loved teaching yoga and In October 2021 I resigned from my position as Program Director and used all of my creative energy to take Twisted Yogi to another level. I started with a deep desire to help other black mothers like myself rediscover life through movement and meditation. I knew how life-changing it had been for me to start a yoga practice but I also knew how difficult it was to understand the practice of yoga and to get my body to do things that it had never done before safely. I also knew as a former helping professional just how stressful the work can be and that burnout and compassion fatigue plagues the social work community. I started working with organizations that I had worked with in my role as Program Director as well as using social media to relate to other women who were just like me; women who wanted to tap back into their femininity and thrive instead of just surviving.
I got incredibly consistent with my social media presence but more than anything I am transparent and I never sugar coat my journey. I show people my real body, my real practice, my real life. I am just a mom that decided that I deserved radical self-care in order to truly be a servant leader. In two short weeks, I posted consistent content on social media and a video went viral on Tik Tok. From my online presence to my on-the-ground work I have stayed consistent and I now work with private clients 1:1 in person in DFW and online all across the United States. In addition to offering corporate yoga to businesses and corporations that value their employee’s well-being. I continue to offer online classes as well as I have found that people enjoy the accessibility of being able to practice yoga from the comfort of their own home but also need an actual instructor and a community instead of recorded videos. After class, my students stay on and we chat like a community; just like you might do if you were in an in-person class.
I am a black yoga teacher and representation matters in this community. So many students do not feel comfortable in traditional studios and often find that they are the only people of color in the room. I show that we as black women and men have access to self-care, that we can do amazing things with our bodies and we can take control of our mental health without unnecessary interventions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. I struggled with the technology! I went to school to be a social worker so all this tech stuff has been beyond me. I had to create a website, find an app for scheduling, payments, and video chatting, and then integrate it all into one space. When I first started, I didn’t have the budget for anyone to help me so I did everything myself. I created my own website and figured it all out but I had plenty of tears along the way. I remembered getting so frustrated not being able to figure out how to integrate certain things that I would just burst into tears and want to give up. I didn’t give up I just would stop and take a breath, step away from the computer and remind myself that just like some yoga poses, I can do hard things. Once my website was finished, I had people asking me who did I hire. I’ve also struggled with marketing like most small businesses. I don’t have the budget for ads so I get really creative with what I have and spend a great deal of time researching how to make my business grow. It isn’t easy maintaining students and some months are better than others but I love this and I won’t stop just because of a few obstacles along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Twisted Yogi is a space to heal and rediscover life through movement and meditation. We offer yoga and meditation sessions online and in person. We work with 1:1 client for a more personable experience in the privacy of their own home. We also offer corporate yoga to businesses, corporations, and nonprofits to reduce workplace-related stress and increase social-emotional well-being of employees. Twisted Yogi specializes in Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga and we are most known for body positivity and accessibility. We believe that yoga is for ALL bodies and we create sequences that work for everyone no matter ability. We offer online classes and pop-up events as we believe that yoga should be accessible in many different ways and the ability to pay should not be a barrier.
What sets us apart is our unique approach to yoga. We use the traditional practices of yoga and put our own spin on it by offering nontraditional playlist and being completely unapologetic. We encourage freedom of expression and customizable experiences.
We are also known for our monthly twerk yoga class which is rooted in African culture and focuses on healing trauma through deep hip opening. We are unapologetic in our approach and believe that the practice of yoga is all about the self and doesn’t have the be in a box.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My partner and my best friends have been my biggest supporters. They have shown me that I can absolutely step out of my comfort zone and build a business doing what I love. When I first started teaching yoga so many people told me I couldn’t do it full time, that there was no way I would make enough money to be sustainable. They were right if I would have went the traditional route and only worked at yoga studios, I couldn’t afford to do this full time. My partner and my best friends reminded me that I am creative and I would figure out how to make this work. They always spoke life into me and encouraged me to take risk, spread my wings and fly. Whenever I was scared about next steps, they gave me the best pep talks but more importantly showed up for classes, pointed me in the right direction, mentioned my name in a room full of opportunities and the list goes on. I wouldn’t be here without their support and encouragement. I also have to credit my students. When I first started, they always came back and would tell me they come to my classes because they are different than other classes they’ve attended. I also received amazing feedback from students new to the practice of yoga that loved how I broke it down and made it relatable. Many black women were intimidated by yoga and thought it was only for white women. They loved the fact that I represented something they always wanted to try but didn’t think was available for them.
Pricing:
- 65 1:1 virtual session
- 75 1:1 in-person session
- 40 1:1 mini session
- 11.11 online classes
Contact Info:
- Email: keke@twistedyogi.yoga
- Website: www.twistedyogi.yoga
- Instagram: ms.twistedyogi
- Facebook: gettwistedkeke
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsRC0Y-h4V7dKpu2dzgDyEA
- Other: TikTok: ms.twistedyogi
