Photo by Victoria Kovios
Age:
32 Hometown: Seattle, WA Gig: Yoga Instructor & Wellness Entrepreneur
Follow her: @yogabybiola
Growing up as a Nigerian-American woman in a predominantly white state was daunting for Abiola, and she was riddled with insecurities, eventually leading her to substance abuse, a crutch for the confidence she couldn’t find within herself. But in 2008 when she hit the yoga mat for the first time, it wasn’t just a healing experience for a back injury she was nursing, it also nourished the understanding and compassion she had for her very self.
“I want a large enough soapbox to stand on so that when I speak change, my white counterparts have to listen.”
"For the first time ever, I was able to alchemize my shame and insecurity into an ascension point,"she says. Becoming a registered Yoga Teacher in 2015, Abiola found true fulfillment and purpose, and as her classes evolved into a full-blown career, her message has always been to promote inclusivity while helping students access their highest selves. "Evolved thinking isn’t reserved for the white elite, and you don’t need a guru or a shaman to guide you," she says. "You simply need to return to yourself."
