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Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s “Melanin-Centered” Yoga Class Relieves Stress

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — At first glance, Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga class may seem like any other. The lights are dimmed to help participants relax. Attendees are donning leggings with tank tops or t-shirts and sitting cross legged atop their mats. But this is no ordinary yoga class. Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes are “melanin-centered,” meaning the classes focus on relieving minority stress. The classes also seek to make yoga more accessible to people of color and the LGBTQ community. Though Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are open to all, the classes are designed specifically for “black, brown, indigenous, trans and queer people,” said Wolfe-Sisson, who identifies by the pronouns they, them, and their.

Published

7 years ago

September 5, 2019

Oakland Post

Trap yoga instructor Tori Wolfe-Sisson (Photo by: Ameera Steward | The Birmingham Times)

By Javacia Harris Bowser

At first glance, Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga class may seem like any other. The lights are dimmed to help participants relax. Attendees are donning leggings with tank tops or t-shirts and sitting cross legged atop their mats.

But this is no ordinary yoga class. Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes are “melanin-centered,” meaning the classes focus on relieving minority stress. The classes also seek to make yoga more accessible to people of color and the LGBTQ community. Though Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are open to all, the classes are designed specifically for “black, brown, indigenous, trans and queer people,” said Wolfe-Sisson, who identifies by the pronouns they, them, and their.

Wolfe-Sisson’s classes often focus on relieving tension in the hips and thighs, which is where they believe minorities carry the most stress.

“The type of micro and macroaggressions that we face on a daily basis, that we try to convince ourselves that we’re not holding, that’s what we’re releasing in that space,” Wolfe-Sisson, 29, said.

Even the location of the classes is intentional. Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are hosted at The Hub. A program of AIDS Alabama, The Hub is a community center created to be a safe space for young gay, bisexual, and transpeople of color. The Hub offers HIV/AIDS testing and education but also hosts a variety of events on any given night, from exercise classes to concerts to poetry readings.

“The Hub is like your auntie’s house or your grandma’s house,” Wolfe-Sisson said.

While yoga class is happening in one room, someone may be setting up for a party in another, with the scents of homecooked food and the sounds of D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Goapele, Maxwell and Jill Scott wafting through the air.

Wolfe-Sisson teaches a class called Mela-Zen Yoga at The Hub every Wednesday at 7 p.m. and on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Wolfe-Sisson teaches Trap Yoga, a class that combines traditional yoga moves and poses with lo-fi hip-hop beats. Trap Yoga even features a DJ.

Phree Moon, 27, has been attending Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes, including Trap Yoga, since February 2019.

“The music helps you keep going through the poses,” Moon said of Trap Yoga. “You’re not judging yourself. You’re not judging anyone else. You’re just comfortable.”

Moon says that hearing those same beats elsewhere, even while driving, brings back the sense of calm she felt in class.

“I can bring that peace with me,” Moon said.

Wolfe-Sisson, a Las Vegas, Nevada native, has been practicing yoga since childhood and started sharing yoga with friends during their college days at Tuskegee University. Wolfe-Sisson became a certified yoga instructor earlier this year.

Click to view slideshow.

Yoga In America

Despite these years of experience, Wolfe-Sisson said that when they attend other yoga classes, the instructor often assumes they’re a beginner because of the stereotype that black people don’t practice yoga.

“Yoga in America has a really racist culture,” Wolfe-Sisson said, adding that yoga students of color are often not treated the same as other students in class and that yoga teachers sometimes unnecessarily touch the hair of students of color or adjust their bodies without consent.

For these reasons and more, Wolfe-Sisson understands why many people of color don’t feel comfortable in yoga classes.

“The only fix that I can see is for there to be more of us at the front of the room,” Wolfe-Sission said.

The proceeds from Trap Yoga are used to provide scholarships for yoga teacher training to women of color.

Trap Yoga is a part of Wolfe-Sisson’s organization BLK Pearl, which they founded in 2016 with their wife Shanté Wolfe-Sisson, a DJ known as BLK Alchemy who often provides the music for Trap Yoga.

The mission of BLK Pearl, Wolfe-Sisson said, is to provide “wellness through visibility and economic development for black, brown, indigenous, transgender and queer women and gender neutral and gender non-conforming people.”

Moon, who has been practicing yoga since 2015, plans to start yoga teacher training in the fall with the help of a BLK Pearl scholarship.

“I’ve always wanted to become a yoga instructor,” Moon said, “but after meeting Tori and coming to their class it definitely gave me the mindset of ‘You can do anything.’”

At the end of many of their classes, Wolfe-Sisson, with permission, will help students relax by massaging their temples with essential oils and helping them stretch their neck and legs. Wolfe-Sisson often reads poetry from renowned black authors like Nikki Giovanni, too.

“The poetry that Tori reads to us is very empowering,” Moon said. “I embody it and I take it with me outside of my practice.”

Wolfe-Sisson believes that challenging the notion that people of color don’t practice yoga also requires a conversation with the black church.

“There’s a lot of demonization of yoga,” they said. But to anyone who believes spirituality shouldn’t be combined with movement as it is in yoga, Wolfe-Sisson asks, “What then is praise?”

Wolfe-Sisson knows that body insecurities can also keep people away from the mat. That’s why they’re a fan of yoga teacher and body positivity advocate Jessamyn Stanley.

“Seeing her can wrap your head around the things your body can do,” Wolfe-Sisson said.

One of the quintessential poses in yoga is called the lotus flower and, in this flower,

Wolfe-Sisson finds the perfect symbol for why African-American culture should be fused with yoga as it is in classes like theirs.

“A lotus flower blooms out of the muck,” Wolfe-Sisson said. “What have we been doing here for the past 200 years?”

Tori Wolfe-Sisson teaches Mela-Zen Yoga every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at The Hub, 2217 6th Ave S. Birmingham, AL 35233 and hosts Trap Yoga classes on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., also at The Hub. To learn more visit blkpearl.org/tours.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

September 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 yards. During the final drive Hurts went 6-8 with 61 passing yards and the touchdown. Titans defensive tackle — and team captain — Jeffery Simmons said this week that the way to defend Jalen Hurts is to make him “play quarterback.”

Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

Caleb Williams leaves game against Vikings with apparent lower-body injury

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

Jayden Daniels gets carted off after apparent arm injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half in his game against the Dallas Cowboys. During the play, Daniels got stepped on, braced himself for the fall, and his elbow bent the wrong way. Daniels draped a towel over his head as he exited the field on the cart.

He was later ruled out.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win

Master the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework with Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt. Learn every stage, tactic, and win!
The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

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Oakland Post

Negotiation framework stages, tactics, and winning strategies from AutoNetwork

Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt deliver the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework in Episode 8 of The Color of Our Money Is Green. This episode covers the three foundations of every effective negotiation, the full seven-stage negotiation sequence with exact language for every stage, and five of the most common dealership tactics with the specific response each one requires.
What You Learn in This Episode:
The three foundations that make every negotiation tactic work
The complete seven-stage car-buying negotiation sequence
Exact language for every stage of the dealership conversation
Five common dealership tactics — the turnover, the four-square, the packed payment, spot delivery, and forced add-ons — and how to counter each one
Why signing preliminary paperwork isn’t the same as signing the final contract
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“The Color of Our Money Is Green: A Buyer’s Guide to What Cars Actually Cost” — stan.store/RGist
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AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.

How to use the channel:
Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

AutoNetwork.com
CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts

Stay toasty in the CX-90! Plush Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, and a memory-equipped heated steering wheel deliver ultimate luxury.
The post Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Oakland Post

Mazda CX-90 interior with heated seats offering premium comfort.

Experience ultimate comfort in the CX-90. Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, 8-way power adjustments, and memory settings for both front passengers. The heated steering wheel with memory tilt/telescope adds premium convenience.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EH5A4eQ4ipY