Today we’d like to introduce you to Britt Abundant.
Hi Britt, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Britt Abundant, a student and teacher sharing the practice of yoga as a pathway for community care and collective liberation.
My story is rooted in curiosity—trying to understand why I’m here, what I value, and where I fit. Growing up biracial (Black and white), born on a cusp, and an only child to separated parents, I often felt split in two. I longed to belong but no matter where I looked, I struggled to see myself reflected.
After my father passed away, the feeling of fragmentation deepened. I felt like I’d lost half of myself and my identity. It was around this time that I was introduced to yoga. The practice gave me a sense of home within myself and connected me with a community committed to living an embodied and compassionate life. I began studying not only the physical practice but also yoga’s spiritual and philosophical roots. I was drawn to Buddhism and meditation as well, and I found myself resonating with the shared values among these traditions.
I experienced a season of personal bloom in 2020 when, amidst collective and individual uncertainty, I seized the opportunity to move from a predominantly white community in Denver to vibrant Los Angeles. I’d always craved being surrounded by people from many different walks of life and diverse backgrounds, and my heart is happiest by the ocean. My family called this the start of my faith journey—learning to bravely follow my heart and trust myself.
Over the next four years, I balanced two identities: full-time product manager and part-time yoga teacher. It was a familiar sensation, moving between worlds, and for a while, it worked. Even though I knew the corporate ladder wasn’t the one I was put here to climb, my ego was satiated by the title I’d pedestalized and the “big girl salary” I was taking home. And I was able to do what I loved on the side. I’d begun practicing and teaching at shefayoga Venice, coming into my own as a teacher, developing an authentic voice and style, and being in a community that helped me shake loose the boxes and labels I’d felt constricted by for so long.
One day, during a routine instagram scroll, the universe shook me awake with an unexpected and powerful message. Bright red and in all caps: “THE PLANET DOES NOT NEED MORE SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. THE PLANET DESPERATELY NEEDS MORE PEACEMAKERS, HEALERS, RESTORERS, STORYTELLERS, AND LOVERS OF EVERY KIND.”
This quote became my guiding light, and the motivation I needed to eventually trust fall into the universe, say “peace out” to Corporate America, and pursue teaching yoga as my career. It wasn’t the safest choice, but it was the right one. Today, I get to share the healing practices I hold so dear—somatic movement, sound therapy, and meditation—with students in group classes, private sessions, workshops, and on retreats.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all. One of my biggest challenges has been unlearning internalized capitalism. In my early days as a product manager, I was fortunate to land at a startup technology company whose focus was to expand access to mental healthcare. While the work didn’t exactly excite me, the mission was something I could get behind.
But as the company changed, I didn’t change with it. Each acquisition took it further and further from its original mission, and sadly, I no longer felt aligned with the ethos. The logical voice in my head was telling me to stay in the corporate world, keep climbing, keep earning, even though I was completely unfulfilled. I’d tied so much of my identity and self-worth to my title and the numbers in my bank account, though, that when those things got shaky, I found myself in a real dilemma—and one of the darkest depressions I’d ever experienced. It scared me.
While I couldn’t see it at the time, this was a fertile season to plant new seeds. And like any new seed, I first had to be dropped into dark earth and carefully tended to. It was during this time I got really honest with myself about what I value and what a life that felt good on the inside would be, regardless of how it looked to anyone else.
Around the same time, I read “A Year to Live” by Stephen Levine, where the author recounts his experience working with the dying. One insight in particular struck me: many people stay on the path they’re taught to follow, only to reach the end of their lives filled with regret. They lived under the illusion that they had time, while it quietly passed them by. All the money and the stuff—they can’t take it with them—but they never took the risk or booked the trip. So I did just that; I took a mental health leave, traveled, and rediscovered what actually matters to me. I had experiences and made connections that reminded me the most important things in life are rarely ever things. What I value most isn’t money or titles, but rather living a life of purpose, being a peacemaker, a healer, a storyteller, and a lover. It’s having the space for my own practice and the things I enjoy like slow mornings, being in nature, playing guitar, skating, and spending time with my beloveds.
Experiencing joy and meaning in my day-to-day is paramount.
While I’m still finding balance in living a life of service, getting clear on my values has helped inform what I say yes and no to. Over the last year, I’ve started to feel the fragmented parts of myself coming together in harmony.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the core of my work is helping people create the conditions to feel safe and at home in their own bodies. I aspire to resource students with the tools they need to feel their feelings and stay regulated. I’m humbled to share practices that I truly believe can create a more empathetic, equitable, and just world for all of us. What I’m known for—and what I’m most proud of—is teaching in a way that is honest, embodied, and unafraid to name the truths that live beneath the surface of wellness culture in the West.
I’m also proud to say that I’m not for everyone. I use my role to advocate for what this practice really asks of us, and that doesn’t always look like “love and light.” Sometimes it looks like feeling sacred rage, getting uncomfortable, and taking a stand in the face of injustice. I don’t claim to be the authority on yoga, but I do my best to live the teachings and share them in a way that feels authentic to me.
A major throughline in my work is representation and accessibility. For me, yoga is not about palatable self-care. These practices come from Black and Brown lineages, yet in the West they’ve often been stolen, sanitized, commodified, and resold at a premium—leaving the very communities they originated from on the outside. As I’ve moved through the yoga and wellness landscape here, it has become increasingly clear who feels welcome, who feels safe, who is represented, and who is missing entirely from the conversation. What sets me apart is that I refuse to separate practice from liberation.
As a student, I’m intentional about who I study with, and as a teacher, I’m intentional about the message I share. I hold space with an acute awareness of the systems we move within, knowing I represent a minority. While this journey has been a profound blessing in my own life, it has also illuminated the systemic imbalance that exists on a larger scale, and how urgently we need to expand not only access, but also the faces, voices, and stories centered in yoga and wellness.
I’m grateful to teach and be in community at Black Being, a nonprofit studio dedicated to providing exquisite care for the Black community. I’ve always wished yoga wasn’t for sale, and finding home in a nonprofit studio has been incredibly refreshing. Instead of striving toward a traditional for-profit structure, Black Being offers donation-based classes and accessible rates—a model that actually supports the physical and mental wellbeing of the people who need it most.
I’m fortunate to also teach at a number of other studios around town. No matter where I am, my focus remains the same: holding safe, intentional space, fostering community, and sharing from the heart.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Y’all, reading this, I have Tina Turner’s iconic bop “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” playing in my head! I don’t think luck has had much to do with my successes or failures. I feel lucky to be bridging passion and purpose with livelihood. And you could say I got lucky having a family and friends who feel like family, people who support me unconditionally, though that feels more like a blessing than luck.
Ever since I was little, I’ve felt safe to challenge norms, ask questions, try new things, make mistakes, and change my mind often. My people have always been there to celebrate my victories and remind me to keep my head up when things don’t go my way. As I continue walking this path, I feel grateful to know I have such a wonderful support system in my corner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brittabundantyoga.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britt.abundant/
