West Reading Peeps
Just An Earth Guide... Meet Monisha Knight of Hot Yoga West Reading By Denise Drobnick
F
or Monisha Knight, becoming the owner of Hot Yoga West Reading, 120 S 3rd Ave, on November 15, 2021 was the realization of an intention set the year before – during a pandemic, no less – and the culmination of a lifetime journey. But it was just the beginning for this business owner, mother, budding community activist, nurse, yogi, and “earth guide.” Let’s get to know her better…
Born in Red Bank, NJ, Monisha Jefferson was the eldest of 7 children. The family moved around quite a bit, with a mother who struggled with drug addiction and at times found herself incarcerated. Monisha was pulled in and out of schools so frequently, that some of them didn’t want to take her back. Although Monisha said that like most kids, she just wanted her mom no matter what, there was instability and uncertainty in her everyday life. Around age 7 or 8, she remembers seeing 8
Avenues Spring 2022
people hurting other people on the news and asking, “God, why am I here?” She felt a sense of not belonging anywhere, and felt confused when people told her she resembled her mother. Around this same time, Monisha was molested by her mother’s boyfriend, and she and her younger sister, Aja, were sent to live with their great grandmother in Middletown, NJ. Great grandma Mary Louise was a nurse and a fiercely independent woman who taught the girls that they needed to be self-reliant and not count on others to take care of them. She ran her home like a boarding house, often taking in other senior citizens in need of care. There were animals – goats, lambs, geese, rabbits and dogs – and Monisha developed a love of the outdoors and nature. There were also rules, such as if you missed church on Sunday, you lost your privileges for the week. There was stability here, and Monisha took in all the lessons her great
