Meet Joneitra | Heyy!
Why Yoga?
Joneitra, also known as Nee Nee, has been a student of yoga ever since she was introduced to the practice in 2018. Her interest started during a time when she was seeking self acceptance and thought becoming flexible would fix that. But as you know she quickly realized that her struggle with confidence was more mental then just physical. She began to see the benefits in yoga from the connection of breath to movement and mindfulness.
Joneitra started Bare U Yoga to share her personal experiences from her own yoga practice. In addition to traditional yoga, Joneitra loves finding ways to use yoga to create movement to release emotion. Dance is one of her favorite ways. She continuously says "In the name of spinal health" as she twerks around her mat before, during and after her practice (LOL). Her technique allows her students to feel connected in a safe space, which empowers them and helps them get closer to inner peace.
She aims to embody and share subtle aspects of yoga through breath work, meditation and asanas (physical poses). Joneitra sees the practice of yoga as an opportunity for us to cultivate awareness of our own experience as we learn and grow.
Yoga for my People
Yoga (Yoh-guh): To unite the spirit and physical body and assist us to become aware of, and connect with our divine nature.
When I began to fall in love with Yoga, I started to noticed that black yoga teachers were hard to find. Seeing yoga in my culture just did not exist and it was disappointing.
When I connected with a friend who just finished yoga teacher training, my confidence to continue with yoga expanded. She was a women of color and represented a demographic I felt safe connecting to. Yoga has become a huge part of my life and I want to share and create an environment for other folks color to come together & feel safe and seen. Yoga has given me that and hopefully by seeing me here, as a yoga instructor, you might feel free enough to join me on this journey of healing and enlightenment.
As a woman, a black woman, it is important to me to give children, women and men the toolbox to develop healthy habits to deal with their mental health. My goal now is to create a circle of healing for people of color who have shared experiences, where they can speak freely about stress, anxiety, depression or race based trauma.
Michelle Obama
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”