September 25, 2012
Yogapreneur: Dianne Bondy Turned Her True Love Into a Business
When doing Yoga do you feel a greater spiritual connection and how do you incorporate that in your daily life?
Absolutely. My Yoga practice teaches me I am not alone, to breathe when life gets tough and to live in the moment. I only want to focus on what is happening right now on my mat. It’s the same off the mat. I try to be in the moment, slow down and appreciate life; to focus and enjoy. I have learned through Yoga to enjoy and embrace life’s lessons, as hard and difficult as they may seem. Before I complained more, I fought more, I was angrier and I was less connected to myself and to God.
Being that you are one of the few Black entrepreneurs in the Yoga industry, do you feel that you have inspired other people of color to practice Yoga?
I certainly hope so. I try to put myself out there as much as I can. I need people of color to see me so that they know they can do it too. I’m working with a friend and amazing Yoga Teacher, Dara Brown from South Carolina on how we create more diversity on the mat. We are creating a Yoga Teacher Training Inspired for Teachers who are looking to increase awareness and bring diversity to the mat. We need more teachers of color putting themselves out there.
How do you encourage/promote health and fitness specifically to people of color?
By letting them know that Yoga transcends all the man-made feelings and belief structures related to “Race, Color and Creed.†Yoga aims to take you deep within yourself; a place of complete self-acceptance and love for all. That, and it will keep you strong, healthy and “on top of your game,†for a long time.
Do you have any tips on how to incorporate Yoga into a person’s hectic daily schedule?
Just remembering to breathe in your everyday life is part of doing Yoga. Even practicing as little as 10 minutes a day can improve your outlook on life, increase vitality and reduce your stress. A Yoga practice can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours, or more.
What advice can you give aspiring entrepreneurs who would like to enter into the field of Yoga/wellness?
Know your craft so that you can truly help people. Have a plan. Yoga and wellness is a real business and should be respected as such with proper training and business management. Be a professional. Know who you want to serve and create plan to serve them well. Yoga can change the world and effective positive change.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to make sure that I serve my local community well. I would love to continue to train teachers both nationally and internationally. I want to help raise the vibration of the world. Help people find their strengths and their passions for life through yoga retreats, writing and teaching yoga.
Connect with Dianne on Facebook and Twitter
Next Yogapreneur: DC’s Faith Hunter