Instructor Alicia Dugar Stephenson comes off stage to greet a young student after Hip Hop Yoga class. Photo by Taylor Schultz.
On any given week this spring, Hip Hop Yoga could bring more than 250 Houstonians to Discovery Green.
Marketing director Frankie Ortega said the audience for programming at Discovery Green is “as diverse as Houston is.”
This is different from what CDC research on typical yoga attendance shows. As of 2024, when compared to non-Hispanic Asian and White adults, significantly fewer Black and Hispanic adults practice yoga. This aligns with research that says non-White people perceive yoga as uninclusive.
Alicia Dugar Stephenson, Hip Hop Yoga’s instructor, said her class is a place where students “can just be themselves and have a great time. And connect to themselves and take deep breaths.”
Stephenson said this isn’t “something that is prevalent in hip hop culture in general, is like self-reflection, self-connection, and non-judgmental spaces.”
She said a desire to create those spaces inspired the intersectionality of her class.
Stephenson said she hoped to be inclusive of everyone. She noted that her Hip Hop Yoga class is now attended by men, wheelchair users and people of all ages and backgrounds.
Nora Narcisse, a 72-year-old Hip Hop Yoga student, said attendance has been steadily increasing as Stephenson builds community with her story and spirit.
Ortega agreed, calling Stephenson an artist who truly believes in Hip Hop Yoga being able to thrive at Discovery Green.
Ortega also said financial accessibility of Discovery Green’s free programming is a factor in Hip Hop Yoga’s success in attendance and inclusivity.
While yoga practice is shown in CDC data to strongly increase with increasing income, one of five Houston residents live at or below the federal poverty line. Stephenson’s class at Discovery Green creates financial accessibility to yoga for these Houstonians.
As part of UTHealth’s fitness in the park series, Hip Hop Yoga will continue to be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. through June 30th.