Why I took my practice to the next level.

My personal story: Faith, Family, Love & Light

I am a wonder seeker of all God's great gifts, focused on my faith and the ability to learn more as I grow into the best version of myself. My greatest accomplishments are being a wife to my high school sweetheart, a mother to our five amazing young humans, and three fur-babies. The best decision that I have ever made in my life is authentically accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I am a prayer warrior and worship leader, a certified yoga teacher, a lover of the arts, an aspiring author, and a photographer with a passion for empowering others to go after their dreams. Sometimes I am baffled by the challenges of this life. The daily roadmap is my necessary journey, and I am confident that there is a lesson to be learned from every experience. I believe that God is the author of my storyline all of those I encounter in the next chapter arrive for a reason, season, or a lifetime.

As a passionate student of yoga and now a certified yoga teacher, I endeavor to share my authentic self through the blessing of the asanas, breathing, meditation, and prayer by focusing my attention on advocacy for our youth, young mothers, and our community. In April 2001, I lost my father to a brain aneurysm. I was 21-years old and engaged to be married. When I was 10-years old, I knew that my mother, who was raising me the best way she knew how breathed hatred towards me. Even at that age, I knew that no matter what I did, it would not change how she viewed me in that time of her life or our lives growing up together. The painful, mental, and physical effects of losing my father and the reality that my mother held such contempt for me revealed how internally broken I was. Practicing yoga became a tool and an outlet for the release of my generational bondage, depression, suicidal ideation, how I was treating my body, and the ways that I did or did not accept myself. I slowly began to transform and find my breath the more I practiced. I believe that through the practice of yoga, we can live a life of true intention and purpose, sharing and teaching the ethics of the practice In our harmonies breath.

I hope to inspire others, empowering them to break through the generational chains of bondage that can settle in and take shape in our bodies, mind, and spirit by stepping out on faith, inspiring the body, mind, and spirit through careful class planning and energy reading in and outside of the classroom. I intend to offer the community safe space, free of judgment and build a foundation of hope as we create space in our bodies to breathe authentically. I believe that every beautiful human can grow and come to learn the importance of healing power when we learn how to breathe in the most difficult, joyful experiences in our lives. As a community, we can break stigmas, share our journey of truth, allow for each of us to cultivate body awareness, know that our life is valuable as we develop courage in the body, flexibility, mindfulness, strength, love, and light. Every day is a beautiful gift of new beginnings, self-acceptance, and feeling refreshed in every class offering, breathing life into the best version of ourselves, and walking into our generational blessings.

With gratitude,

Latisha A. Roland