Racial Justice: Mind the Mat is All In
Incredible changes are happening in the world and at Mind the Mat we are committed to being an active part of the change. Whether it relates to racial justice and Black Lives Matter, LBGTQ rights and Pride, or women’s rights and the Me Too Movement, we are all in. One thing my business partner, Megan Brown, and I know is that we need to educate ourselves well on the issues facing our society so that we can speak, act, and lead in wise ways.
In walks Coach Iyabo. You meet her and you wish she were your next door neighbor, your favorite aunt, your mother, your sister, your boss, your business partner, your advocate, or your best friend. You just want her around. She is compassionate, honest, and wise. We hired her as our coach so that we get to spend as much time as possible in her presence. Check out her website.
Coach Iyabo is an expert on culture and race and her specialty is helping her clients become culturally competent. An example of how we need to become more culturally competent is that one of our deepest values at Mind the Mat is inclusivity, yet we have fallen short when it comes to communicating about and doing the real work that our deepest value requires of us. Our desire to be inclusive has not been readily apparent to everyone who walks through our doors because we assumed that if we believe in inclusivity, people who come to Mind the Mat will automatically feel included. Not true. This is where cultural competency comes in.
We started our coaching sessions with Iyabo several months ago with an assessment called an Intercultural Development Inventory which Megan and I, along with Verveine, the Operations Director at Mind the Mat, were required to complete. It consisted of a series of questions that would give coach Iyabo an idea of how culturally competent we are as a management team. There are five levels of cultural competency: denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. The first three are monocultural mindsets. The last two are intercultural mindsets. Once coach Iyabo measured the results of the assessment she spoke with us at length and informed us that we currently fall within the acceptance category. This means that we need to level up and work on adaptation. Acceptance means that we accept other races and cultures, but we are not skilled at adapting to other races and cultures.
How will we work on our ability to adapt and become more culturally competent? Starting this September, Mind the Mat management team will embark on a 3 month course with coach Iyabo to unpack race and culture. We will be inviting 20 business owners and community leaders in Alexandria to join us on this journey. If you are interested, please contact us at info@mindthemat.com and we will set up a time to speak with you. This work is deep and long, and absolutely vital to our individual, societal, and global health. How can we not be all in?
- About the studio
Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga was founded in 2008 by Megan Brown, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Polestar Certified Practitioner of Pilates for Rehabilitation and Sara VanderGoot, Nationally Certified Massage Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher (e-RYT 200, RYT 500). In their private practices as physical therapist and massage therapist respectively Megan and Sara observed that many of their clients were coming in with similar needs: relief for neck and shoulder tension and low back pain as well as a desire for more flexibility in hips and legs, stability in joints, and core strength.
Together Megan and Sara carefully crafted a curriculum of Pilates and yoga classes to address needs for clients who are pregnant, postpartum, have injuries or limitations, who are new to Pilates and yoga, and for those who are advanced students and are looking for an extra challenge.
2214 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
703.683.2228
