Instagram story viewer> @afroyogaqueen> Posts

ALICIA DUGAR STEPHENSON, ERYT500 Houston Yoga Teacher Trainer

@afroyogaqueen

32.6K

followers

3773

following

I certify and mentor Yoga Leaders
🌍 Mission: Win Nobel Peace Prize
👩🏽‍🏫 Adjunct Yoga Professor
🎤 TEDx Speaker
👇Join the Movement

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

To my colleagues and fellow leaders, I am honored. Being able to team with Yoga Journal on this informative piece means sharing the wisdom I have learned in over a decade of study, teaching, and service in this field… and that feels fulfilling.

To the practice of peace, from the inside out!

Peace,

Alicia Dugar Stephenson, ERYT
Yoga Professor

Thank you to the amazing team that coordinated media: @imurjpr
Media: @yogajournal
Article by: Sarah Bence by @afroyogaqueen

Thank you @uplift__her for this acknowledgment of the work I love to do in the community.

Award: Wellness Hero 2025

In video
@afroyogaqueen [awarded]
@aamwahouston
@thesydneyalexandria
@phoenixgiselle [awarded]
@theamandasapp [awarded]
@hollycotton_ [awarded] by @afroyogaqueen

Big thank you to @fox26houston for featuring Phoenix and celebrating her journey to becoming @guinnessworldrecords youngest certified yoga teacher.

Watch the full interview and celebrate this moment with us! by @afroyogaqueen

Laughing with my favorite meditation partner. 😂🤎

So much for a quiet meditation session when your 150lb yoga buddy is also your biggest source of laughter!

Hercules reminds me that mindfulness doesn't always have to be serious. Sometimes, being present means letting yourself laugh, enjoy the moment, and appreciate the little things that make life beautiful.

A little laughter, a little love, and a whole lot of Hercules. 🐾

Who says finding inner peace can't be fun? by @afroyogaqueen

Here's why another certificate won't quiet that voice in your head 👇

Most yoga teachers chase confidence by signing up for the next training. Then they walk into the next class feeling exactly the same.

Confidence isn't something you collect. It's what's left over after you've proven to yourself, class after class, that you can handle what walks in the door.

How to build competence on purpose:

1. Pick one skill a month. Cueing in March, modifications in April. Depth beats a pile of weekend workshops.

2. Teach it on purpose. Write down the 3 cues you want to sharpen and use them in every class that week.

3. Ask for real feedback. One honest student or mentor beats a hundred "great class!" comments.

4. Prepare for the hard moments. The injury, the student in tears, the room that isn't following. Those moments are where presence is built.

What not to do:
✗ Wait until you "feel ready" to call yourself a professional
✗ Hide behind the sequence when the room needs something else
✗ Measure yourself by hours instead of by what your students can feel

Your passion got you into the room. Competence is what keeps you standing in it.

If your confidence doesn't match your passion, follow me.

#yogateacher #yogateachertraining #yogainstructor #traumainformedyoga #yogabusiness by @afroyogaqueen

A happy hour with no hangover required. 🕺🏽🎶

Your Wednesday plans are calling! Join us for Hip-Hop Yoga on October 28 for good music, feel-good movement, and a midweek reset.

We’re flowing every Wednesday until our finale class on November 25th. Don’t miss your chance to move, sweat, and vibe with us!

📍 Discovery Green — Anheuser-Busch Stage, Houston
📅 Wednesday, October 28
⏰ 6:30 PM

Comment “RSVP” and we’ll send you the details. Bring your mat and a friend!

Alicia Dugar Stephenson, ERYT
Rice University Yoga Lecturer
Mission: World Peace Through Inner Peace by @afroyogaqueen

Details ⤵️

We have perfect weather for a free yoga in the park!
Join me and your Houston Community downtown for a fun and hangover free happy hour for all ages. Cause Real happy hours should be for everyone.

Bring your mat, bring a friend, and get ready for good music, good energy, and a little peace in the middle of your week.

📍 Discovery Green — Anheuser-Busch Stage
📅 Wednesdays until the finale 25 Nov 26
⏰ 6:30 PM

Comment RSVP to get more details.

Mission: world peace through inner peace,
Alicia Dugar Stephenson, ERYT.

PS: there are a lot of construction downtown, so plan to arrive early and grab a parking spot. If you’re late, you still welcome to join us… Cause a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing🫶🏽 by @afroyogaqueen

The feeling after graduation that nobody warns you about 👇

You did the hours. You passed. You have the certificate. And the first time you stand in front of a real room, it feels like you know nothing.

That's not you failing. That's you seeing clearly how much there is to learn.

What to do with that feeling:

1. Teach anyway. Small classes, friends, a community room. Reps build skill faster than waiting.

2. Pick one gap at a time. Cueing, sequencing, modifications. Go deep on one before chasing the next.

3. Find someone a few steps ahead of you. A mentor shortens years of guessing.

4. Write down every moment you didn't know what to do. That list is your study plan.

What not to do:
✗ Sign up for the next certificate just to feel ready
✗ Hide the gap by copying someone else's flow word for word
✗ Quit because the first year feels hard

The teachers serving at the highest level didn't stop at 200 hours. They kept going.

If you finished your 200-hour and feel unprepared, follow me. That honesty is your starting point.

#yogateacher #200hourytt #yogateachertraining #newyogateacher #yogabusiness by @afroyogaqueen

Sometimes, the most important part of practicing yoga is noticing when you’re about to react instead of respond.

Maybe you’re raising your voice, feeling frustrated, or letting road rage take over.

That moment of awareness is your opportunity to pause.

Take a deep breath. Give yourself a moment to reset. Remind yourself: I’m okay. I’m here.

You don’t have to ignore your emotions. You can acknowledge them without letting them control your next move.

Yoga isn't just what happens on the mat. It's how you show up in everyday life.

Peace,
Alicia Dugar Stephenson, ERYT
Rice University Yoga Lecturer
Mission: World Peace Through Inner Peace by @afroyogaqueen

Mommy's favorite kissing target. 😂🤎

150 lbs of Cane Corso, a big head, and absolutely no chance of escaping my kisses. 🥹🐾

People ask how I can kiss a dog this much. My question is, how could I not? Look at that face!

Sometimes, happiness is as simple as loving your fur baby a little extra and not caring who thinks you're spoiling him. 😂

Does your fur baby get this many kisses, too? by @afroyogaqueen

What to do when a student starts crying on the mat 👇

It happens more than teachers admit. A long hold, a deep breath, a quiet savasana, and suddenly someone's shoulders are shaking.

Most of us were never trained for that moment. So we freeze, or we rush in.

How to hold space when it happens:

1. Stay calm and keep your voice steady. Your nervous system sets the tone for the whole room.

2. Don't stop the class or put them on the spot. Quiet is often exactly what they need.

3. Offer permission out loud to everyone: "Whatever comes up is welcome here."

4. Check in gently after class, one on one. A simple "how are you feeling?" is enough.

5. Know when to refer. If it keeps happening, point them toward a counselor or therapist.

What not to do:
✗ Try to fix or explain what they're feeling
✗ Ask them what happened in front of the group
✗ Pretend you didn't notice

When someone feels safe enough to release in your class, that's not a problem. That's the work.

If moments like that happen in your classes and you don't fully understand why, follow me.

#yogateacher #savasana #traumainformedyoga #holdspace #yogateachertraining by @afroyogaqueen

What if this were true? 😂

I've been teaching yoga for a very long time. Apparently, I just have a really good skincare routine.

But seriously, what's more important to you: that I know what I'm doing or how long I've been teaching?

Peace,
Alicia Dugar Stephenson, ERYT
Rice University Yoga Lecturer
Mission: World Peace Through Inner Peace by @afroyogaqueen