Gainesville Yoga Sankofa

09/03/2026

08/31/2026

Running late on my way sharing a car is hard

08/22/2026

🐜🌿 A tiny wilderness drama is unfolding right in my garden!

At first, I thought I was looking at a spiderweb—but this is actually a silk shelter created by a leaf-rolling caterpillar. It pulls leaves together to make a protected little home where it can hide and eat.

But look closely: a group of red-and-black ants has discovered the hideout and appears to be raiding it, possibly searching for the caterpillar, its eggs, or other tiny insects inside. Nature is beautiful, fascinating…and absolutely ruthless! 😳

Have you ever seen anything like this? What do you think the ants are after?

08/17/2026

Dear Yoga Sankofa family,

Class is canceled for the week

08/15/2026

Woke up craving this?! ♥️

07/22/2026

This morning I missed Community Yoga at Bo Diddley Plaza without notice, and that weighs heavily on me. If you came expecting class, I’m truly sorry.

I also want to share something I don’t talk about very often. Community Yoga is a volunteer offering. I’m the instructor, organizer, setup crew, and cleanup crew. There isn’t a substitute teacher if life happens, and sometimes balancing family, work, my own health, and this labor of love is more challenging than people realize.

There have also been many mornings when I’ve shown up, waited, and no one came. I still keep coming because I believe this community is worth investing in.

One challenge we’ve been trying to solve with Bo Diddley Plaza is communication. Many people learn about the classes through the Plaza’s page, but they don’t always see updates that I post on the Yoga Sankofa page. I’m hoping we can improve that so everyone gets timely information.

Thank you to everyone who has practiced with me, donated, encouraged me, or simply cheered this program on. Your support is what keeps free community yoga alive.

I’m human, and today reminded me of that. I appreciate your grace, and I hope to see you on the mat again soon. 💚

06/29/2026

🌿 ROOTS OF THE PRACTICE — Week Five 🌿

This week we explore the fifth limb of yoga:
✨ Pratyahara — The Practice of Turning Inward ✨

Pratyahara is often described as the withdrawal of the senses.

Not escaping the world…
but creating enough quiet to hear yourself clearly.

In a world full of noise, notifications, pressure, and distraction, Pratyahara invites us to pause and gently return home to ourselves.

This practice may look like:
🌿 sitting quietly without scrolling
🌿 stepping outside and listening to the wind
🌿 resting without guilt
🌿 noticing what drains your energy
🌿 choosing softness instead of overwhelm

Sometimes healing begins
when we stop constantly reaching outward.

This week’s personal practice:
Create one moment of intentional quiet each day.

Even 5 minutes counts.

You do not need to disconnect from life.
Only reconnect with yourself.

— Gainesville Yoga Sankofa
Community yoga rooted in healing, breath, and belonging.

🌿 Free Community Yoga
📍 Bo Diddley Plaza — Gainesville, FL
🕘 Mondays & Wednesdays at 9 AM

06/24/2026

🌿 ROOTS OF THE PRACTICE — Week Four 🌿

This week we explore the fourth limb of yoga:
✨ Pranayama — The Practice of Breath ✨

Pranayama means working with life-force energy through the breath.

Before we change the world around us…
we first learn to regulate the world within us.

Breath can:
🌬 calm the nervous system
🌞 energize the body
🫀 soften anxiety and tension
🌊 bring us back to the present moment

The breath is always with us.
A bridge between body, mind, and spirit.

This week’s personal practice:
Pause and breathe with intention.

Try:
🌿 taking 3 slow breaths before responding
🌿 breathing deeply before sleep
🌿 placing one hand on your heart while breathing
🌿 noticing how your breath changes with emotion

You do not have to force peace.
Sometimes you simply begin by breathing.

— Gainesville Yoga Sankofa
Community yoga rooted in healing, breath, and belonging.

🌿 Free Community Yoga
📍 Bo Diddley Plaza — Gainesville, FL
🕘 Mondays & Wednesdays at 9 AM

06/17/2026

🌿 ROOTS OF THE PRACTICE — Week Three 🌿

This week we explore the third limb of yoga:
✨ Asana — The Practice of Embodiment ✨

In the modern world, yoga is often reduced to poses…
but traditionally, Asana simply means creating a posture that allows us to sit with steadiness, awareness, and ease.

Asana is not about perfection.
It is about relationship.

Relationship with:
🫁 your breath
🧠 your nervous system
🫀 your emotions
🌎 the ground beneath you

This week’s personal practice:
Move slowly and listen deeply.

Maybe that means:
🌿 stretching gently in the morning
🌿 taking three conscious breaths before standing
🌿 resting when your body asks for rest
🌿 noticing where you hold tension without judgment

Yoga is not performance.
Yoga is presence.

What helps you feel most connected to your body lately?

— Gainesville Yoga Sankofa
Community yoga rooted in healing, breath, and belonging.

🌿 Free Community Yoga
📍 Bo Diddley Plaza — Gainesville, FL
🕘 Mondays & Wednesdays at 9 AM