Experienced yoga teacher, intuitive tarot reader and witch residing in Denver, Davidia Turner is a woman of many powers. Her work is informed by over nine years of professional experience with holding space for others, years of personal and continuous study and work with her teachers, spirit, ancestors and guides, according to her website.
“About nine years ago, I found a yoga studio back at home in Ohio. They fused a lot of yoga philosophy with veganism, and at the time, that was something that was really important to me,” Turner said.
“I did a yearlong yoga teacher training, and prior to that, I had been practicing for six months. I had a very baseline knowledge,” Turner explained. “Throughout this year, I learned philosophy, the spiritual aspects, and then I learned how to teach the physical, what is called Asanas in yoga.”
That first training catapulted her into her career as a yoga teacher. She has since studied various styles and pulls different ones into her own teaching.
“There’s a difference between a lineage and a style. I don’t come from a particular lineage, which would be studying with a particular guru or swami or going to India,” Turner said.
Turner explained that when most people practice yoga, they are most likely thinking of the style of yoga they are practicing.
Turner has completed training in the Vinyasa style: the conscious linking of postures through breath and awareness. She is also trained in Yin yoga, which is a slower paced practice that focuses on deepening the breath and body connection. She integrates Pranayama, or breathwork, and meditation into her practice as well.
“Yoga came into my life, and I knew it was something I wanted to share with others because it has been profoundly helpful to me in managing all different parts of my life, but also really accepting my physical body and being able to connect with my body in a way that I hadn’t been able to prior to that,” Turner said.
Turner believes that caring for yourself, as well as for those around you, is beneficial for everyone, especially right now. “[By] stepping away to take an hour-long yoga class or do a breathwork session with somebody or get a reading, whatever it may be, you get to then show up for everything that you do a little more grounded in your sense of self.”
“Know that these practices allow us to be more resilient. COVID is not going to last forever, the world isn’t going to look like this forever, but if we can cultivate a sense of resilience, our ability to bounce back, our ability to be healthy and well, through these practices, we will be so much better off,” she continued.
Turner is hosting a Winter Solstice Gathering via Zoom on Dec. 20 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. The cost is $44. Sliding scale spots are available from $0-$22, and preference will be given to Black, Brown, Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ individuals first. If you are interested in one of these spots, email [email protected].
Turner expressed how she likes to work with the phase of the moon, the archetypes of the Zodiac and the four quarters of the year. “I really enjoy holding space for the transitions, like really honoring what is happening, what our bodies need at this time to feel supported, how we can align ourselves and where we can see where we might be out of balance.”
“The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, so we are really honoring our own personal darkness. Can we sit in the dark? Can we be okay? And can we also know that the sun is going to come again?” Turner said.
Turner livestreams Yin Yoga via Zoom every Tuesday from 6:15 p.m. – 7 p.m. Drop-in rates are $5, $10, $15 or $20. More information and registration can be found here.
You can also join Turner on Friday mornings from 10 AM – 11 AM for a Hatha session. Hatha is a practice focused on balancing the Yang (sun, warming, active) aspects of ourselves with the Yin (moon, cooling, passive) aspects. Drop-in rates are $5, $10, $15 or $20. More information and registration can be found here.
“You don’t have to have taken a lot of yoga classes; you could have never taken a yoga class ever — all my services are open to any who wants to learn. I try to create offerings that meet people where they are,” Turner said.
For a full list of Turner’s services, including her Intuitive Tarot Readings, visit her website at https://www.davidiaturner.com/.
