Posing for Change
LIVING G iving Back
“We make yoga more accessible for everyone,” says Ali. “It’s some of the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done because there’s something incredibly special about being able to provide safe spaces to people where, when I was growing up and even now, I didn’t feel there was a space for me.” “The wellness and yoga space is currently very white and affluent, but it was not originally meant to have this big price tag and brand attached to it,” Ali continues. To help make the practice of yoga more inclusive, Ali volunteers as Warrior Yoga’s Spectrum Committee Team Lead and BIPOC Committee Volunteer Coordinator, and she’s proud of the organization’s unique approach.
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BY CATHERINE CLARK instagram twitter @catherinejclark PHOTOGRAPHY BY TED SIMPSON instagram twitter @ted_613
42 ottawaathome.ca SPRING 2022
li Arbeau has been doing yoga for most of her life. “It’s such a beautiful way to connect with yourself, disconnect, or work things out,” says Ali. “Being more in tune with the way your body moves, or the way your mind works is so much more important than people think it is.” However, as much as Ali loves yoga, she did not often see herself reflected in those practicing around her. That was particularly true when she decided to become a yoga trainer. “I’m a person of colour, someone who is Queer and a bit bigger, and none of those qualities were represented in the industry in 2019 when I did training,” she recalls. When Ali learned that Warrior Yoga, an organization that helps make yoga more accessible for all people, was looking for volunteers she knew she’d found her calling. Warrior Yoga is a non profit with a focus on bringing meditation and yoga to vulnerable populations. It helps make the practice more financially attainable and provides a space for people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and abilities to feel safe and welcome.
