Niecey Peace was born in Atlanta, Georgia and
spent a large chunk of her life living with family in West Virginia. Supportive
parents, close siblings, and a handful of friends kept her entertained without
skipping a beat. She was always active and enjoying every experience to the
fullest! Once she graduated from high school, she attended college at Johnson
and Wales University concentrating on Marketing, Consumer Behavior and Strategy
Development. Today, Niecey is gearing up for a Masters Degree in Psychology and
her 200hr Vinyasa Yoga Certification for 2017! She is also an aspiring Live Art
and Nude Model, with dreams to create a masterpiece with her body.
How long have you been on your journey?
I've been on this
journey, consciously, since about 2013, which would be over 3 years. It started
with my desire to create a relationship with something similar to the one I had
with Dancing. I also wanted to try out the natural (hair/fitness) lifestyle,
and Yoga seemed to be a great compliment to my big chop lol.
How did you discover yoga?
I discovered Yoga
through Dance. I was forced to take my first class ever in 2009 by a very
strict Dance Instructor who I would love to hug today, lol. For years we used
what I now know to be influenced by Vinyasa Yoga as a warm up before class. It
helped me to work on my flexibility and was also a fun way to connect with
friends before we got serious. I also took Yoga in gym class and occasionally
after school. I lost my little connection to Yoga once I went to college in
2011, but I slowly discovered it again, sticking to it in 2013 😊
How often do you practice?
At the very least I
practice a full sequence about 3-4 times a week. I pretty much bounce on and
off of my mat throughout the day even if it's an unorthodox routine. I'll pop
into poses at gas stations or grocery stores as well. In my opinion, you can
practice ANY and everywhere!
What type of yoga do you practice?
While I do have a rather
consistent Vinyasa practice, I don't consider my practice very traditional at
all. I've recently learned to incorporate more fluid movement into my home
routines and it helps me to understand what my body desires better. I like to
call it Sensual Yoga. It's basically combining the practice of asana and dance
to stimulate the mental, emotional and physical pleasures (I took a lot of time
defining it a loooong time ago😂.) Being a dancer for so long made movement
apart of my healing process. I love everything that a traditional Vinyasa flow
has to offer, but it satisfies me on a far deeper level to add dancing as well.
Sensual movement, to me, is ideal for confidence building, physical therapy and
channeling creativity. I think it's important to take our Yoga practices and
really make them our own, because that's where the light shines. I also
practice Acro Yoga with my best friend a couple times per week. I adore Acro
because it teaches me to trust outside of myself. It is a great practice to
establish new friendships, improve relationships, and it forces you to
communicate! You have to tell your partner what works and doesn't.
What have you learned from your practice? What
has it done for you?
Oh wow... I've learned
to let go and enjoy the moment, most importantly. Sounds cliche, I know... but
hear me out! Originally, I struggled to see progress because I was just forcing
it. I wanted to reach the end expression so bad that I completely ignored the
journey. It wasn't until I took appreciation in the prep poses and warm ups
that I really began to understand myself, how I handle situations and what
truly makes me happy day to day. This realization completely liberated me. It
allowed me to deal with my problems when they came up as opposed to letting
them fall to the side. It taught me to find strength in myself for how far I've
come and also taught me to accept and forgive the negative moments of my past.
What is your favorite and least favorite pose or
type of pose?
My favorite group of
poses is definitely hip and hamstring poses because I've found the most comfort
in them. My least favorite group of poses are backbends, I'm hoping to find
some inspiration to start practicing them again, but I just find them so
intimidating.
What keeps you motivated throughout your
practice?
I would definitely say
the connections I've made through social media are what motivate me most. Not
only has it brought to light SO MANY people who inspire my practice, lifestyle
and creativity, but it has allowed me to provide inspiration as well. When I
reflect on my everyday life, I'm a loner with 4 friends for the most part lol.
Social media has put me in contact with people that live extremely similar
lives, believe similar beliefs and most of all accept me for exactly who I
present myself as. At the same time, we're all so different and we have
completely different styles. It's just so cool to know that there actually are
people out there I can relate to. I feel like there aren't many around my
parts.
What do you think about the increase in black
women getting into yoga?
I adore this increase! I
definitely think it has affected our community as positive as the Natural Hair
movement. I never even took note in how rare it was to see other black women in
class until I found the IG Yoga Community back in 2015. I've witnessed nothing
but positive interactions between fellow black yogis and the love is so
genuine.
Who are your yoga inspirations?
@iamreneewatkins HANDS
DOWN, she is the person who helped me make my Naked Yoga debut. Her confidence
and unapologetic nature sparked action in me to go public. I've always
considered myself a nudist. I have always found comfort when I have little to
no clothes on, I just always felt I had to cover up to avoid judgement of
others. I realize now, thanks to Renee, that I am not here to live for anyone
but myself. She's also incredibly strong, flexible, confident and STUNNING 😍 Another person I consider a "role
model", if you will, is @her_naked_truth... Not only is her beauty
completely captivating, but I really admire her knowledge of sexual health. I
can definitely relate to her views on sensuality, and I just really love her
approach to life!
What do you find most challenging and most
rewarding?
I think the most
challenging part about my Yoga practice is knowing when to dial back on a pose.
I often push myself further than my physical body can handle. After
experiencing my last two injuries, however, I will definitely be more mindful
to what serves me best. On the flip side, I find that when I'm not in
hyper-training mode I see the most progress. It's like my body just decides to
do a pose one day after I spent weeks working on it. As soon as I'm not paying
attention, I get it 😂 It makes practicing
fun, spontaneous and definitely rewarding!
What do you think about the increase in naked
yoga and sensual yoga?
Let me just say I LIVE
for this. I get to see so many diverse bodies taking such artful forms! It's is
so satisfying to my heart. The naked body is probably my favorite thing to
observe and learn. This increase represents an awakening, in my opinion. Taking
nudity in a completely different direction than it is normally portrayed.
Displaying our poses in the nude showcases raw strength, beauty and purpose.
Naked Yoga helped me to accept and love my body 100%. I can't hide from
anything when I'm nude. For most of us, clothes cover the scars and body parts
we're ashamed of. You can wear certain colors and garments to alter your
appearance in its natural state. People who are willing to take their clothes
off AND post it to Social Media are saying 'thank you' to the scars for helping
them grow. They're saying 'I appreciate you' to the stretch marks, cellulite
and rolls. That's bravery! That's LOVE!!
Contact Niecey:
Instagram:
@nieceypeace_
