Today we’d like to introduce you to Samario King.
Hi Samario, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story starts as a Software Engineer in RTP who worked down the street from a newly built Cookout. My coworkers and I made several weekly trips for burgers and shakes but I soon gained weight from this diet and lack of physical activity. I started going to farmer’s markets so I could eat better and met, Louisha Barnett, a yogi in Durham who invited to her class. One trip was all it took and I was hooked. I started doing yoga with her then eventually made it part of my daily routine after I noticed the physical and mental benefits it provided. I wanted to share this experience with my community so I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training at Franklin Street Yoga Studio and became cerrtified in 2019. I taught pop up classes and earned another 200 hour certification in 2022. I started teaching regular yoga classes in 2023 and I’m currently teaching Power Flow and Men’s Yoga at Bull City Yoga Festival Studio and Kemetic Yoga at People’s Solidarity Hub.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, but that is what has brought out the best in me. I was laid off in 2023 and used that time to teach yoga, study the practice and learn more about wellness entrepreneurship. I found employment after 8 months and now I balance my daytime tech career and my extra time yoga business.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I really enjoy active yoga. I became certified in Vinyasa Power Flow because it seemed like a cross between High Intensity Interval Training and Deep stretching. I like to bring this same intensity to my Vinyasa Classes and make them more athletic to highlight strength, flexibility and endurance.
I am also known for Kemetic Yoga, which is from Ancient Egypt. I visited Egypt in 2019 and noticed several new yoga poses as heiroglyphics. I came home and studied Kemetic Yoga as a deep meditative practice that tied breath, movement and intention together.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think there will be a big push for yoga as the need for stress relief and physical wellness grows. Yoga builds communities as well as muscles and endurance. The more technology isolates us the more people will yearn for connection and yoga can fill that physical and social void.
Pricing:
- Donation based classes are normally free
- Yoga Brunch for $40
- 5 Class Pass at Bull City Yoga Festival Studio = $30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/august-meeting-of-the-yogis-tickets-1508082869459
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingsamario/
