Ohio State grad brings inclusive, mental health-centered yoga experiences to Columbus

Denise Cameron
Tue, 08 Sep 2020 04:17:25 +0000
Arts & Life, Features, News, Black and brown bodies, black community, Columbus, Columbus Ohio, Daryl Griffith, exercise, Ivory Levert, meditation, Ohio, ohio state, ohio state university, osu, Soul Flow Sundaze, yoga

Daryl Griffith (left) founded Soul Flow Sundaze, a monthly donation-based yoga experience, in December.? Next to her is yoga guide Ivory Levert.?Credit: Courtesy of Daryl Griffith

Daryl Griffith began practicing yoga at Ohio State, but it wasn’t until she graduated and was working closely with the community that she realized yoga could be used to heal the divide between different cultures and mental health awareness.

Griffith founded Soul Flow Sundaze, a monthly donation-based yoga experience designed to be an inclusive space, especially for Black and brown bodies, to heal through the practice of yoga, Griffith said. Griffith started Soul Flow in December and hosts the events in different locations throughout Columbus.

“There are so many health disparities that plague the Black community. In yoga, getting yourself to take that time can help be a preventative measure. It can be a temporary relief because it’s by no means a substitution for some of these treatments,” Griffith said.

After graduating from Ohio State in 2015, Griffith said she worked as an HIV and STI engagement specialist, which allowed her to develop a better understanding of others’ experiences within her community. Griffith said she focused on studying cultural barriers that are often missed.

“I was working in so many communities and I knew that a lot of people suffered with different mental health issues,” Griffith said. “The awareness around it was almost so taboo that there was no way to actually heal or treat this idea. People have mental health issues and it doesn’t make them any less of a person.”?

Griffith began practicing yoga in college, and after learning about some of the philosophy behind it and understanding meditation, she realized that it could be used as a tool to help with stress.

The philosophy that she focuses on helps individuals become at peace internally. Feelings of frustration and sadness are carried so much inside of our bodies, and yoga is an example of where you can concentrate on yourself, Griffith said.??

Ivory Levert, a yoga guide who frequently teaches at Soul Flow Sundaze, said she started teaching yoga because of her personal journey with the practice.?

“I got into teaching yoga because of the transformative experience that it had for me. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally and helping me to connect deeper to myself — really the whole mind-body-soul connection,” Levert said.

She said the previous times that she attended sessions, it felt like another fitness class, and it wasn’t until she went to a yoga studio that was racially diverse with a Black instructor that she was able to feel that connection.?

“That was huge for me, and I really wanted Black and brown people to be able to experience this. Reconnecting to our minds, our bodies, our breath — to learn and explore more about ourselves,” Levert said.

Griffith said attendees can expect to be greeted with a warm smile and an atmosphere full of candles and flower petals.

“I want to continue to build this community to show that there are people who are Black and brown on yoga mats and it’s not just limited to some of these high-priced studios that you may encounter,” Griffith said.

For updates on the next yoga session, Soul Flow Sundaze can be found on Instagram? @soulflow_sundaze or contacted? by email at sfy.sundaze@gmail.com.