We’re looking forward to introducing you to Keirst Ferguson. Check out our conversation below.
Keirst , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Now more than ever, I feel called to share my voice on big industry gaps in the yoga space.
I noticed very early on some of the huge gaps in the yoga space, from teachers hustling to make a living in a system designed to fail them, to studio spaces becoming more exclusionary and leaving behind the very traditions and history that the practice is built upon.
I believe strongly in the traditional model of sharing this practice. One that simply can’t be learned in the span of 200 hours but must be practiced over a lifetime with several mentors who can highlight our shadows for us.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a yoga teacher and small business owner in Tucson, Arizona. Our focus is making yoga more accessible to folks who may never ordinarily stumble into a yoga studio due to fear or exclusion.
We do that by partnering with the local community to provide yoga outside of the studio space, bolstering both our community as well as the local businesses that are the heart & soul of it.
We also host both international and domestic yoga retreats where we often include contrast therapy, sound healing, and outdoor movement as part of our retreats.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
While studying Biology throughout my undergraduate career, I supported myself by picking up side hustles. As a natural caretaker, one of those side hustles became nannying.
Tara, the mother of a small family in Athens, Ohio immediately took me under her wing. She expressed a kindness that I hadn’t ever felt or experienced up to that point in my life. She carried a sense of respect for everything in her path, large or small.
She spent time getting to know me, and showed me what presence really felt like. I became a part of their family during my time with them, and suddenly Athens began to really feel like home.
At the time, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself. I was healing from trauma while juggling a rigorous course load, spending too many nights in the bars with friends in my spare time.
Her genuine presence and nurturing stopped me in my tracks, and encouraged me to slow down. She saw me beyond a young, searching college student.
Her values around family, kindness, and genuine presence became engrained in me. We never lost contact, although I’ve moved 6 times since college and spent most of that time living across the country.
I often reflect on this experience because it was simple, yet profound. Our presence can change the trajectory of others lives, even if we don’t realize it.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me that we cannot know light without exploring our own darkness.
It gave me a deep sense of compassion for the world, and for each and every person in it.
Without knowing suffering, I don’t believe I could meet people as deeply as I do in my work as a yoga teacher.
I am not afraid of presence in the midst of despair, because I know that on the other side is light just as vast.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The yoga industry can be a real oxymoron.
Yoga itself was never designed to be an industry. So while we’ve modernized the practice and formed it into something tangible, repeatable, and profitable – we’ve lost the deepest roots of the practice that allow for healing to happen.
Those roots focus on inclusion of all people with an emphasis on philosophy and morality rather than posture.
Our industry needs a remembering of its roots.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Most days, I can honestly say YES – I really am!
The work we do to bring yoga into communities and curate healing weekend retreats energizes me and inspires me.
I get to witness lifelong connections form, and watch communities develop over time.
Every day that I walk away from teaching or leading a class, I feel immense gratitude to be doing this work.
It’s not always “easy” work. Retreats can bring up old wounds, trauma, and tough conversations. Being in service to this type of work brings me joy and pride because we are ultimately creating a space for others to take off the mask, and receive care in a safe container.
These short weekends may be the beginning, middle, or end of a chapter for someone, but I’m grateful to be a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Afternoonyoga.com
- Instagram: @afternoonyogaco
Image Credits
Cody Ferguson
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