The roots of Just Breathe stretch back to 2020 — a year marked by the murder of George Floyd, civil unrest and the isolation of COVID-19. For The Collective STL the need was immediate and unmistakable.
“Wellness is a balance of your emotional, spiritual, your being,” Meyers said. “We have biological, psychological, physical and emotional factors. To get to that point, you have to be aware of where you are within those things.”
That intention is central to The Collective STL — a Black-centered yoga and wellness community founded in 2017 to support the health and well-being of Black residents through culturally aware, trauma-informed programming.
“Everybody was quarantined,” said The Collective STL co-founder Ericka Harris of the program’s origin. “And we were just at home, and it was like, ‘We need to do something, because the community needs to just breathe.’”
The Collective partnered with the Missouri History Museum, beginning outdoors for safety. What started as a response to crisis grew into a tradition. “We kept doing it because we knew people needed it,” Harris said. “We were all wearing masks and literally holding our breath — and in the case of George Floyd, people getting their breath taken away.”
On Wednesday, more than 30 people gathered at the Missouri History Museum as it returned for the sixth year. The weekly June yoga series was created to give Black St. Louisans a space to move, breathe and reconnect. Among the participants was Jimelle Meyers, who sees yoga as a pathway to understanding the full picture of wellness.
“Wellness is a balance of your emotional, spiritual, your being,” Meyers said. “We have biological, psychological, physical and emotional factors. To get to that point, you have to be aware of where you are within those things.”
For her, health is the action that follows that awareness. “If you are in tune with what you need to do physically, spiritually, mentally — even biologically — then your health is the action that leads you to the wellness,” she said. “You can’t have one without the other.”
Meyers describes yoga as a way to return to herself. “Yoga is a work in, not a workout,” she said. “I align my mind, my breath and my movement. If I’m having a hard day — or even a great day — yoga helps me align mentally and physically.” The breathwork, she said, releases tension and helps her “breathe through all the things that are happening within my life.”
Six years later, Just Breathe continues every Wednesday in June — the same number of years that Kayla Heidelberg’s twins, Harley and Omir, have been alive. Their yoga journey began before they were even born, making them the same age as the program itself.
“I started them with yoga pretty much before they were crawling,” Heidelberg said. Her own practice began when she was pregnant with them. “Being a high-risk pregnancy with twins, it was important to take those extra steps to keep my body healthy.”
Harley and Omir joined her for the session, moving through poses with the same ease as the adults around them. “Having that midweek reset is very calming,” Heidelberg said. “I try to lead by example. When they see me doing something, they want to join in.”
Yoga wasn’t part of her childhood, but she’s grateful her children can grow up with it. “We’re learning how to reset our brains when needed, how to calm ourselves down and push through the day,” she said.
Harley didn’t hesitate when asked what she enjoys most. “It calms me down and I like the poses,” she said, naming tree pose as her favorite. “It makes me happy,” Omir added. Now six years in, the twins are eager to share what they’ve learned. “Do your best,” Harley said. “Be excited about it, because it is fun,” Omir added.
Heidelberg hopes their enthusiasm helps others see that yoga is accessible. “Some people feel like you have to have a certain outfit, a certain body type or a certain level of flexibility,” she said. “Just get out there. Even if you don’t have a mat, grab a towel.”
For Harris, the most powerful part of Just Breathe is seeing how deeply the community embraces it. “The most eye-opening experience for me as a Black yogi is how much the people in our community love to do yoga — and that we are amazing at it,” she said. “Even when we don’t know it, once somebody does it, they’re like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Her hope is that people carry the practice with them. “Yoga is transformative,” said Harris, who has practiced since 2007. “It helped me learn myself — to be able to go inside and be still and…well…just breathe.”
She wants newcomers to know they’ll be supported. “Come to The Collective and we will take care of you,” she said. “Body type doesn’t matter. It’s about breathing. That’s where it begins.”
Centering Blackness is intentional, she added. “People come and practice yoga with us and they are relieved to find a space like this,” Harris said. “They can breathe without judgment. They are home.”
And the invitation is open. “There are no barriers,” she said. “It doesn’t cost anything. We have all the equipment you need. Bring your children. Everyone is welcome. It’s intergenerational — and it’s about community.”
Just Breathe continues each Wednesday in June at 6 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
