They lift your spirits, prompt you to think, make you feel grateful and inspire you to do more. They connect you to our community, shining a spotlight on what's good about our city. They're stories that are Uniquely Milwaukee.
When Lorenzo Edwards first began practicing yoga, he used it as it was a way to escape the stress of his job. A regular practice turned into attending classes. Attending classes turned into becoming a certified instructor. Then he noticed who was typically in the classes.
And, more importantly, who wasn’t.
“Prior to making a concerted effort to have practice with Black men, I seldom saw them — or us — in that space,” Edwards said. “If you can see yourself in the instructor, see yourself in the class, hear things that bring relief or the vibrations you need through music from your culture, it can help.”
So, in January of 2023, Edwards created He Do Yoga as a space for Black men of all ages to experience the exercise at no cost, with classes centered around connection and healing. At 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at Embody Yoga, he begins with the “Talkin’ & Testifyin’” portion, covering a different topic each week.
“I am encouraging you to become undisciplined, do things outside of what is normally or typically expected of you, and you might find greater degrees of freedom,” Edwards shared with a full class on a recent Sunday. “For example, if you are not used to choosing a hairstyle that is unapologetically Black in a professional white space, choose it. If you find yourself in Black male groups that you find yourself reluctant about talking about yoga, talk about it, share about the goodness of it.
“If you feel you can’t be your best Black queer self at your Black barbershop, be your best Black queer self at your Black barbershop.”
This part keeps a lot of men, including Prescott Marshall and Xavier Thomas, coming back. “With every prompt, it provided me with an opportunity to heal my inner child,” Marshall shared.
For Thomas, attending He Do Yoga started as a break from family life. But the more sessions he attended, the more companionship he found. “I felt comfortable in this space for some reason, and I’m not usually comfortable in a lot of spaces,” he said.
“During all the discussions … I never said a word. And we moved here, and I still didn’t talk. Then, all of the sudden, I started talking and haven’t stopped since. It’s a brotherhood that I always wanted but didn’t know how to find.”
While Thomas values the connection aspect the most, he finds the practice of yoga to be a positive change factor in his personal life. “I have become the best parent and husband I can be at home, and that’s outside of here,” he said. “My breathing changes. My attitude changes. I really just resort to where I’m at on my mat. I can feel like this on my mat, so I can feel like this in real life.”
The program not only provides a space for Black men to find representation in yoga, but it also breaks down cost barriers seen at many studios. Longtime attendee Don Johnson noted, “One of the things I really appreciate about … Lorenzo and the He Do Yoga organization is not the facilitated questions, not the great conversations, but it’s really the accessibility the yoga has given into this community.”
Another member, Mykaell Bratchett, wasn’t sure about starting but found that He Do Yoga has made a lasting impact on his mental and physical well-being. Asked what he would say to others who shared his hesitation, Bratchett kept it simple: “This is the space for you, truly.”
“I didn’t think so myself,” he continued. “In fact, as an All-American football player and star athlete my whole life and through college, I thought yoga was a square practice. I thought it was excessive stretching. It’s so much deeper than that. This is a space for me, as it is for you.”
He Do Yoga, hosts free classes at Embody Yoga at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday, with additional summer programming at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Alice’s Garden. The classes at Alice’s Garden covers topics such as food justice and also provides childcare for participants. To register for a class at either location, email your name and phone number to besafebesettled@gmail.com.
