Welcome to our three part series celebrating the Latinx healers, creators and wellness advocates making an impact in our communities. Wellness is multi-dimensional, as it consists beyond the physical, but also mental, spiritual, financial, environmental, and social aspects of our lives. These are the stories of role models making bienestar (wellbeing) una prioridad (priority) for all. 

I recently attended a community run to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY. Our guide, Nicole Espinosa, took us through several iconic Hispanic/Latinx landmarks to share the history behind each one. She made a remark que me impacto (made an impact) and inspired this piece.

“There’s a space for everybody, and if it doesn’t exist, create it”. 

It is important to share the stories of Latinx individuals beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, as it inspires others to create their own narratives. This series consists of real stories of inspirational Latinx individuals creating safe spaces for connection, community, and self-care through the power of wellness. Before we kick this off, let’s start with some self-reflection.

How does wellness show up in your life? 
How are you creating spaces of wellbeing for others? 
What does the future of wellness look like? 

EVOLVING BEYOND THE ASANA

Julie Villa

COMMUNITY IMPACT:
I focus on actively nurturing the Sui Yoga community, cultivating meaningful relationships with students, teachers and team members.

WELLNESS JOURNEY:
When I started practicing yoga in 2009, day by day, practice after practice, I slowly started to understand what it meant to truly feel healthy. I became motivated to make small changes that I needed in my life. I was fortunate to find a beautiful community at Modo Yoga NYC, which encouraged me to deepen my practice in a safe space surrounded by wonderful humans.

After doing my yoga teaching training with Modo Yoga, many seeds were planted which awakened my desire to dedicate my heart and soul to create a safe space for others to experience connection and transformation. The name Sui comes from sui generis, in Latin, it means ‘one of a kind’; we honor and embrace each person’s unique qualities and accept everyone as they are. After meeting my partner Sven, 4 years ago, we started dreaming together about how we would birth Sui Yoga, by joining our skill sets, intentions, aligning our offerings and practices with many values and philosophy of yoga, Sui Yoga was born. Our focus on community and connection is one of our strongest driving forces. We envision to continue growing our community and contribute to the creation of more conscious wellness spaces around the world.

THE FUTURE OF WELLNESS
Our team and students are a beautifully diverse group of humans, many are latin people. I love and appreciate how much Spanish is spoken around the studio. We have become a chosen family and we have the opportunity to create wonderful memories everyday on and off the yoga mat. Some people came to discover yoga for the first time, seeing them come back again and again is a very fulfilling feeling.In the near future, we will offer yoga in Spanish. It is one exciting project to work on, the intention is to bring more awareness and accessibility to people that either may not speak English fluently, or to people who simply enjoy the Spanish language. We are also working on supporting ways that make yoga and wellness as accessible as possible to our latinx community in NY.

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About Ingrid Baquero: Ingrid envisions an inclusive, joyful world, inspiring her community through the power of well-being.As a Colombian-American, and Queens, New York native it is an honor to serve the people of Queens through yoga, running and mindfulness. She is a dedicated runner, wellness program curator, community leader and dance and music aficionada.Outside, catch Ingrid on the run. She co-leads a 5k community social run within the Astoria/LIC area. All bodies and paces welcomed. Right now, Ingrid is dedicated to her wellness work, passion project: SOL YOGA PROJECT, and volunteer work with Yoga Love Magazine. 

If you have a story to share or know someone you’d like to celebrate reach out to us for a Latinx in Wellness: solyogaproject@gmail.com

Welcome to our three part series celebrating the Latinx healers, creators and wellness advocates making an impact in our communities. Wellness is multi-dimensional, as it consists beyond the physical, but also mental, spiritual, financial, environmental, and social aspects of our lives. These are the stories of role models making bienestar (wellbeing) una prioridad (priority) for all. 

I recently attended a community run to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY. Our guide, Nicole Espinosa, took us through several iconic Hispanic/Latinx landmarks to share the history behind each one. She made a remark que me impacto (made an impact) and inspired this piece.

“There’s a space for everybody, and if it doesn’t exist, create it”. 

It is important to share the stories of Latinx individuals beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, as it inspires others to create their own narratives. This series consists of real stories of inspirational Latinx individuals creating safe spaces for connection, community, and self-care through the power of wellness. Before we kick this off, let’s start with some self-reflection.

How does wellness show up in your life? 
How are you creating spaces of wellbeing for others? 
What does the future of wellness look like? 

SELF-REFLECTION THROUGH ART & CULTURE

Spotlight: Victoria Fernandez Forero

COMMUNITY IMPACT:
I’m a motion graphic designer who loves sports. One of the things I enjoy the most is to create connections using my strengths to create visually captivating designs. I recently completed a project ’24 Days of Yoga’ where I illustrated 22 people (me included) practicing yoga. These illustrations are on display in a yoga studio in LIC. The connections created were magical!

WELLNESS JOURNEY:
Wellness has played a significant role in my life, starting from an early age.
My mom encouraged me to engage in physical activities creating the habits of exercise and healthy eating. By being part of a team and community, I have experienced the benefits of social connection and support. Nowadays, I have a better understanding of what my body needs to feel good. I love helping people feel the same. Creating a goal or intention at the beginning of a yoga practice, race or workout is my way to help others to a path of wellness.

THE FUTURE OF WELLNESS
One aspect is the emphasis on community and family support. Hispanic communities often prioritize spending time with loved ones and engaging in activities together, which can contribute to overall wellbeing. In addition, the connection with nature and the use of natural resources for wellness can be traced back to indigenous cultures like the Mayans, who had a deep understanding of the environment and its impact on health. I would like to create an impact by continuing learning and observing past cultures, honoring their wisdom, and actively participating in community engagement.

’24 Days of Yoga’ project – instagram.com/reel/Cty5BZXABC5/
Website – holavicky.com

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About Ingrid Baquero: Ingrid envisions an inclusive, joyful world, inspiring her community through the power of well-being.As a Colombian-American, and Queens, New York native it is an honor to serve the people of Queens through yoga, running and mindfulness. She is a dedicated runner, wellness program curator, community leader and dance and music aficionada.Outside, catch Ingrid on the run. She co-leads a 5k community social run within the Astoria/LIC area. All bodies and paces welcomed. Right now, Ingrid is dedicated to her wellness work, passion project: SOL YOGA PROJECT, and volunteer work with Yoga Love Magazine. 

If you have a story to share or know someone you’d like to celebrate reach out to us for a Latinx in Wellness: solyogaproject@gmail.com

Welcome to our three part series celebrating the Latinx healers, creators and wellness advocates making an impact in our communities. Wellness is multi-dimensional, as it consists beyond the physical, but also mental, spiritual, financial, environmental, and social aspects of our lives. These are the stories of role models making bienestar (wellbeing) una prioridad (priority) for all. 

I recently attended a community run to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY. Our guide, Nicole Espinosa, took us through several iconic Hispanic/Latinx landmarks to share the history behind each one. She made a remark que me impacto (made an impact) and inspired this piece.

“There’s a space for everybody, and if it doesn’t exist, create it”. 

It is important to share the stories of Latinx individuals beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, as it inspires others to create their own narratives. This series consists of real stories of inspirational Latinx individuals creating safe spaces for connection, community, and self-care through the power of wellness. Before we kick this off, let’s start with some self-reflection.

How does wellness show up in your life? 
How are you creating spaces of wellbeing for others? 
What does the future of wellness look like? 

Creating Safe Spaces for Connection, Community, and Wellbeing:
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING

Spotlight: Julia Azcona

COMMUNITY ROLE:
I lead a community-based running group in Ridgewood, Queens where we welcome all pace levels.

WELLNESS JOURNEY:
I did not fully understand how impactful wellness was until experiencing two traumatic events in my life: my father passed away due to a brain tumor and two years later I miscarried twins at six months.  When a woman goes through a miscarriage, one often carries a profound sense of guilt and an overwhelming grief that is not only beyond comparison but also truly impossible to put into words.

Running became my outlet. Eventually, I started to educate myself about proper training and was introduced to running groups. I joined Adidas Runners NYC and my life changed for the better. I found a community of beautiful humans inside and out, that because of their energy, my wellbeing improved. It was a heartwarming return to a place of pure joy. I loved it.

In December 2022, I felt inspired to create a running community within my neighborhood. By April of this year, Ridgewood Runners came to life.

THE FUTURE OF WELLNESS

In our culture, when it comes to wellness, we still have some work to do and undo. Hay cosas que no se hablan, there are things we’ve yet to learn how to communicate and process. For example, while pregnancy loss is common it’s not often discussed openly or publicly. As a Latina woman I was taught to “stay strong” and move on. Instead in my experience, I was ashamed and kept so much inside for so long which affected my life in so many ways. It breaks my heart to think of women who suffer in silence.

How does the running community come to play? I found a purpose to create a space for people to just be, for women to feel safe, for a community that can come together and support one another. That is a start. I showed up that one day and it changed my life and I hope to inspire others to show up.

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About Ingrid Baquero: Ingrid envisions an inclusive, joyful world, inspiring her community through the power of well-being.As a Colombian-American, and Queens, New York native it is an honor to serve the people of Queens through yoga, running and mindfulness. She is a dedicated runner, wellness program curator, community leader and dance and music aficionada.Outside, catch Ingrid on the run. She co-leads a 5k community social run within the Astoria/LIC area. All bodies and paces welcomed. Right now, Ingrid is dedicated to her wellness work, passion project: SOL YOGA PROJECT, and volunteer work with Yoga Love Magazine. 

If you have a story to share or know someone you’d like to celebrate reach out to us for a Latinx in Wellness: solyogaproject@gmail.com