In December 2015, Adrianne "Ajax" Jackson created a GoFundMe campaign to help bring her dream of owning a yoga studio to life. A year later, Jackson is successfully sharing the healing art of yoga with the New Orleans community and its many visitors inside of Magnolia Yoga Studio. Magnolia Yoga Studio is the first Black-owned yoga studio in New Orleans.
"I'm doing my best to uphold that honor and to hopefully inspire people to check it out and see what it's all about," Jackson said in a recent video feature from WDSU News.
After moving to New Orleans a few years ago, the California native and 12 year yoga practitioner saw the need for more diverse representation in the yoga room, particularly more teachers of color and full-figured women.
Jackson also wanted to help people like her parents.
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"My father was diabetic with high blood pressure. He suffered from a stroke, amputations, had a lot of medication; and my mother suffered from cancer twice and migraines on a regular basis."
She knew all too well that African Americans, particularly Black women, suffer disproportionately from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression. Jackson wanted to change the statistics and not become one ins the process.
"I learned that yoga not only treats many of those things but it also prevents many of those things."
It took Jackson eight years to open Magnolia, nearly giving up along the way because she didn't believe owning a studio was "in the cards" for her. Thankfully, she pushed through!
Magnolia Yoga Studio offers a variety of hot yoga classes - all levels - including her popular "Music Mondays" class. Childcare is also available.
"At Magnolia Yoga we believe in the miracle of saving the world, one yoga class at a time."
Visit Magnolia Yoga Studio at 301 Basin St, Suite 2 New Orleans, LA 70112. Learn more at www.MagnoliaYogaStudio.com and follow on Facebook.
