Today we’d like to introduce you to Serita Colette.
Hi Serita, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was 19, I moved to Los Angeles and began working at a drop-in center in Venice for youth experiencing homelessness. We provided everything from mutual aid, dental care partnerships with UCLA, massage therapy for Black trans women and a needle exchange program for people struggling with addiction. It was by far the most impactful experience to be in space with people who looked like me and recognize what was possible for people minoritized by systemic racism and infrastructural failures. There was a deep embodied sense during this time where I truly recognized healing and building spaces for people to heal was not only possible but necessary to how we are able to live and thrive in the world that often tries to erase us and that I was being called into this work, the universe made it so. Fast forward, after my time in college studying gender, race, class and sexuality, I started the first people of color yoga practice in Minneapolis in 2014.
I currently lead Rest and Liberation retreats, dharma talks, consultations, panels, and performances across the U.S.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There has always been this glaring absence of spaces built for people of color within the yogic world. The challenge was evincing midwestern folks with privilege, power and equity that we exist and also deserve care, respite, and retreat. I would sit in front of would-be investors that could not fathom why people of color needed their own retreat or space to thrive, meanwhile violence against people of color and Black and indigenous people specifically was escalating and there was little if any resource within the yoga world to say: “not only do we see you, but we are going to fight for your care.” When I took that position myself, I was sent angry voicemails, emails and even threats from people who read my work in newspapers and online that felt unnerved that I would provide a space of healing for people of color. My truth remained steadfast. This is my dharma and calling. We deserve care, but also a way of living in the world that is truly joyful, peaceful and with ease.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my organization completely on my own and have been running it ever since from the desire to create healing space, teaching yoga on and off the mat while upholding the responsibilities that come with community care. I’m known for building retreats for Black and indigenous people, people of color, queer and trans people.
This past year I’ve grown an unwavering desire to create meditation music. This is something that came to me in the pandemic as a way of reaching people from afar when we were all in the midst of quarantine. I’ve studied music since I was twelve playing in concert band and performing on stage throughout my youth. I became an admirer of producers, composers and musicians who not only inspired me but pushed me to take this leap into music for the purpose of healing. I will be releasing my debut album “Healing Ourselves Deep” later this year and I can’t wait to share my collaborations, dharma and offerings with the world.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Success comes with staying true to my calling. When ideas, people, institutions stop aligning with my purpose, it will show up in every aspect of my life especially my emotional responses to life events and capacity and investment to myself and others. When I’m true to my calling, I have so much space to breathe and discern what is best for me. Making decisions not based on what others think is best, but what I know is best for me always lands me in the right direction. I want a life of abundance, care and joy. Staying committed to my dreams continues to take me there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seritayoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seritacolette/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeritaColette
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcBCzBq5oat-NgtbqH6FMQA/featured
Image Credits:
Photo of Serita looking up and surrounded by plants taken by Nancy Musinguzi All else by Serita
