Biola Akanni considers herself a bhakti, or devotional, yogi, where yoga and dance function as an extension of praise. She lives in Seattle, where she shares what she calls liberation offerings with the aim of gifting others with grace, liberty, and love. Yoga by Biola’s tagline is “Be Liberated.” Do you feel that you were liberated at a specific time in your life? What were you liberated from? The Yoga by Biola tagline “Be Liberated” came in a dream. It was incessant! The whole night I was tossing back and forth as those words continuously repeated. I finally woke up like, “Yooo, Divine God, I hear you!” I had a lot to be liberated from: drug abuse, self deprecation, sexual trauma, victimization, and the list goes on. The main or physical substance I needed liberation from was cocaine. I had a bad habit in college and it got progressively worse after I decided that this was the “thing” that would help me be a confident person. I literally told myself this drug was my answer. I had no idea how to be a greater, better version of myself without it, until I did, so to speak. In the midst of that awakening I woke up to myself – I began to see all of my nuances, my habits, my hurts, and why they were there. It was a process, although I know it’s not done; as I continue to self-examine I learn more about who I am and why I do the things I do. “Yoga is not about feeling good all the time, but moreso gaining self-awareness to compassionately do your self study practice.” I was introduced to yoga ten years ago with a structured Bikram practice which reacquainted me with discipline and helped me develop self-awareness. From there I progressed to an aggressive heated Vinyasa practice which taught me how to feel empowered through the movement my body created. Then I transitioned to Hatha with no heat or music, just me, movement, and breath, which gifted me with self-love and acceptance. That period taught me the difference between sensuality versus sexuality and awakened my divine feminine energy like never before. Forrest yoga has become a great ally and purveyor for the cultivation of my kundalini energy. If Bikram yoga was my coach, Forrest yoga would be my friend or confidante. Now, my practice draws from each of those experiences to create something that’s my own. Overall this journey has brought me to a place of oneness with the Divine God. A oneness that I can feel, that I breathe in daily. It’s gifted me with a liberty that is so nourishing, so satiating and overwhelming, I am compelled to love in it! I can be that confident, courageous woman now, just as I am, not because of some major victory but because I’ve always been her, I just had to remember who I was. How does your personal liberation express itself in your movement practice(s)? My liberation expresses itself boldly in my movement practice, especially when I’m dancing! I’ll allow myself to flow very intuitively when practicing yoga at home, and rarely go to studios for that reason unless I’m taking a very specific class like Jivamukti or Forrest Yoga where I find wisdom in the structure. I add light flourishes to the yoga classes I teach: various watery dance elements, hand gestures, and light touch to help students become reacquainted with their own sensuality. I try to make the practice a visceral experience to help awaken individuals to their authentic selves and connect with the Divine God within them. What inspired you to combine trap music/dance with yoga for your Trap Vinyasa series? I get asked this question a lot and I always find it interesting seeing that practicing yoga to trap-rap music has always been natural for me. My family is from Nigeria. I’m first generation American, born in Atlanta, although the majority of my adolescence was spent in Seattle. Growing up with Nigerian parents I was heavily surrounded by African music: my father is an amazing dancer, and I learned traditional African dance from watching him and my mom at Nigerian parties. At the same time, living in Atlanta (home of trap-rap music and stripper culture), I was immersed in hip hop. My cousins were dancers and taught me how to move when I was very young. It was instinctual for me to combine traditional West African dance with modern hip hop and I’ve been dancing like that ever since. When I started practicing yoga a decade ago my practice was fairly militant, as I was becoming reacquainted with discipline and gaining self-awareness. As my practice developed, I found more expression in the asanas when I flowed to trap rap, RnB, or West African music. I wove dance elements into my home sequences and allowed my body to move how it wanted to. It felt very intuitive to do so. I also found more self-expression and acceptance in my practice when I moved that way, as the music supported my exploration. Now that I’m aware of my connection with the Divine God I don’t have to think about it — it is and I am. How do you connect with the divine authority you mention? I connect with the Divine God in everything that I do. I am never apart from Divine Spirit, I never feel apart, and my awareness doesn’t know of a place where the Divine God is not – so as a result there is no place that I am that Divine Energy Source is not. The education about that connection first came through a religious practice where I rarely felt, if at all, connected to God because my perspective of Spirit was limited. As I matured out of religion, I developed a practice of connection through awareness, really being aware of who Spirit is and who they are inside of me. From there, it progressed through breath. We have no idea how divine the breath is, fa real! Now that I’m aware of my connection with the Divine God I don’t have to think about it — it is and I am. What kinds of emotions do you feel when you practice yoga? Do you feel similarly when you are teaching yoga? I feel all the things or emotions when I’m practicing and teaching. Although I’ll say it’s when I feel the worst (whether practicing or teaching) that I have the best class! Yoga is not about feeling good all the time, but moreso gaining self-awareness to compassionately do your self study practice: to see yourself and decode toxic behaviors to eliminate the suffering you inflict on yourself and ultimately the world. It’s to help you become aware of your infinite connection with the Divine God (love), to begin to heal and partake in the nature of the Divine. Sometimes when I practice I feel a high that takes over my body and mind. My joy jumps through the roof and I can actually taste happiness. Other times the heaviness of the trauma that rises up in a pose is thick and sticky like silly putty and murky brown like shit. Like I said, I feel all the things. What is your favorite part of getting dressed for the day? My favorite part of getting dressed is definitely finding my kicks for the day. Shoes give me life!
