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Celebrating Black History month in February encompasses the birthdays of two great Americans who played prominent roles in shaping black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively.

Leaders come in all colors and sizes. Representation matters because what we see is what we can become. It’s important for children to be exposed to toys and leaders that look like them. It inspires them to become who they want to be from a fire-fighter to a broadcaster, an artist to an entrepreneur, and anything else they can dream of. Mindset practices in yoga can help make dreams come true. But yoga has a diversity problem, and black-owned studios like Black Kids Do Yoga and Black to Yoga are changing that.

The practice of yoga originated over 2,500 years ago in India and was originally designed by men — for men. Yoga has been heavily whitewashed since coming to the United States in the 1920s. It has become a synonymous with thin white women in expensive leggings posing on a beach.

This is NOT yoga. Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not something we even do and certainly not something we wear. Yoga is something to practice and it belongs to everyone because everyone has a body, a mind and a heart. That’s all you need for yoga.

We teach children from all backgrounds from the highest privileged neighborhoods to the most under-resourced areas. It’s fundamental to expose all children to the skills they need to succeed because stress does not discriminate.

Our children are in a mental health epidemic and it’s affecting our families, our friends and our futures. Access to yoga for every child is our mission. We train leaders from all backgrounds all over the world. You can join our team and increase your impact (and your income).