Peace in Practice is expanding the accessibility of yoga in North Minneapolis. Founded by longtime yoga teachers Jaina Portwood and Chance York, the nonprofit launched in 2022 with the mission of creating space for locals of color to engage in yoga, mindfulness, and community-building programs.
Short of a year later, their first Wellness Wednesday of 2025 was packed wall-to-wall with attendees, offering a unique vision of diversity across race, gender, age and size. Portwood and York, who expressed determination to make the narrative around wellness more inclusive and accessible in the Twin Cities, are doing just that.
“I come to Wellness Wednesdays every Wednesday,” said participant Mayah Varnado. “There is no space like this one. It’s amazing to see so many people of color reaping the benefits of being in community and engaging in liberatory-restorative practices. For me, it’s an opportunity to reground and choose to be well within a safe space.”
“Safe space” was a term I heard a lot during their 2025 kick-off event. The environment, which boasted melanin, afros, braids, silk scarves, locs and curls upon bodies of all shapes and sizes, offers a refreshing element to the yoga scene. According to Zippia’s data science team, 85.5% of yoga teachers in the U.S. are reportedly women.
Zippia also has recorded that 71.3% of U.S. yoga teachers are white. These statistics uphold a national statement that western yoga is a particularly white woman space, which co-founder Jaina Portwood says fuels Peace in Practice’s mission: To expand the concept of yoga culture.
“Yoga doesn’t have to look a certain way,” Portwood emphasized. “It’s looked a certain way in the Twin Cities, and we want to change that.”
Portwood, who has been a yoga instructor for over 25 years, says the western-commercial yoga community often markets the practice as a fitness regime. She says while physical health is a benefit of regular yoga practice, that is not to be defined as its sole purpose. She says there are other ways an individual could benefit from exploring yoga, which is why Peace in Practice is designed to center personal empowerment.
“We’re not just practicing yoga shapes or stretching,” Portwood explained. “We’re exploring mindfulness, meditation, trauma-informed practices, and mind science. The goal is to accept who you are in the present moment, beyond physical form, and to use yoga as a catalyst for self-transcendence.”
Portwood says the program emphasizes self-exploration, education, and career pathways through partnerships with local businesses, particularly in North Minneapolis. She says she hopes this will inspire both personal and professional growth in participants while fostering a stronger sense of community and culture in the neighborhood.
Chance York, co-founder of Peace in Practice, plays a large role in expanding the concept of yoga as a male leader in the community. For years, York has led a monthly, now bi-weekly, no-cost yoga class for Black men at One Yoga in Minneapolis to address this major gap. His commitment to promoting yoga as an inclusive practice is reflected in the strong male presence that has transferred into the Peace in Practice space. During the Wellness Wednesday event, over half of the participants were men.
York, who received his own yoga certification through Portwood’s training a decade ago, says he sees the impact yoga has had on his life. “Yoga gave me a new way of relating to myself,” he shared.
“It helped me recognize my self-destructive habits and gave me the tools to see and show up differently. It’s nothing short of magic.” He says the idea that prioritizing wellness is less acceptable for men is why he activates the spaces he does. One attendee, Rumay Ali, says York’s representation gave him another home.
“Every Wednesday I’m here,” exclaimed Ali. “This is my therapy…my peace. Sometimes I can’t wait to get here, maybe because of all the things going on. Here I can just breathe and be in good company. This space is different from any other yoga class or studio I’ve been in. It’s comfortable,” said Ali.
Wednesday Wellness’s are held at the Northside Artist Lofts in Minneapolis and are open to the public. Peace in Practice’s teacher training program, which launched in December 2024, is currently accepting applications for their upcoming training session, which begins February 22.
Both Portwood and York say they believe that as the Twin Cities wellness scene becomes more diverse and inclusive, it will create lasting change — not just for the individuals involved, but for the entire community.
“We are building an ecosystem here,” Portwood said. “It’s a domino effect. When we establish inner peace, it is reflected in our interactions with others. This is bigger than yoga — it’s about transforming our community.”
For more information, visit www.peaceinpracticemn.org.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses to jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.