Yogis Uncovered | Meet Risa
In this edition of Yogis Uncovered, we sit down with Risa, a Kansas City native and multi-hyphenate creative whose path spans private yoga, modeling, and a life anchored in authenticity. She shares how yoga became a lifeline, why nude practice helps her feel at home in her body, and the simple mindset that keeps her returning to the mat. Get a glimpse of her grounded wisdom, and meet Risa, in the full interview.
“I can always return home whether that be the city that I grew up in or if I’m out traveling around the world I can always find home within my body. Yoga has a way of creating that home feeling wherever you are.”
Hi, my name is Risa. I’m from Kansas City, Missouri.
What was it like growing up there?
Growing up in Kansas City, I was very fortunate. I was able to hop into a lot of different industries from yoga to modeling that have greatly influenced the person I am today and the fun stuff that I get into.
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I would say either park visits with my dad, we always brought a camera, so we were shooting anything from trees to birds to people we didn’t know, or New York trips. I loved seeing where my mom grew up in New York.
How does your background influence who you are today?
My dad being from Guyana, South America, I didn’t realize as a kid how much it influenced things in my life from the way that I process things, the way that I speak and socialize. I always felt like a lot. Growing up in Kansas City, I talk a lot, I talk fast, I use my hands. So now I understand that that is from having a Latin influence from my Guyanese half on my dad’s side.
What do you do for work?
I do many things for work. I am a jack of all trades. I enjoy teaching private yoga. I enjoy modeling. And then to socialize and get to know the cities that I’m in, I like to bartend and serve because it’s how you get to know the city.
How did you get into yoga?
I got into yoga around age 20, and it genuinely saved my life. It gave me a sense of peace and wholeness with myself. When I found yoga, I took the time to really invest in myself and it taught me the relationship that I could have if I continued to really invest in myself that way. With movement, with eating, with how I intentionally interact with people, it’s greatly influenced me. And then I’ve just kept it a part of my life in different aspects and to different degrees for about 12 years.
What is the biggest lesson yoga has taught you?
I would say the biggest lesson yoga has taught me is that I can always return home whether that be the city that I grew up in or if I’m out traveling around the world I can always find home within my body. Yoga has a way of creating that home feeling wherever you are.
How did you become so comfortable being nude? Have you always been this way or is it a process?
I’m still in the process of being comfortable being nude. I feel like I’ve grown immensely within the last five years. I’ve been in an industry of doing movement nude for a really long time, but as I work with different people and see their levels of comfortability and rawness and authenticity in their just being in their naked body. I’m seeing more programming that I can release off of my shoulders, off my skin, and I am finding myself continuously sinking deeper into that comfortability of being in my body naked and doing yoga.
What advice do you have for someone who might be struggling to stay consistent in their yoga practice?
The advice that I have for someone struggling to stay consistent in their yoga practice is that every time you restart, you are restarting consistency. So no matter how many days, weeks, months, years even, you’ve been away from your practice always come back because your body will remember, your muscles will remember things that you’ve known from early adulthood or childhood or teen years. Your body will remember and it may take a little time, but the mat is always welcome and you deserve that time to get back with yourself.
What are you most proud of yourself for?
Are you trying to make me cry? I think I’ll piggyback on the last question. I’m most proud of myself for always stepping back into movement, stepping back on my mat. Being a dancer, being a gym rat, being a yoga instructor, there’s a lot of shame sometimes around how long you’ve taken a rest, how long you’ve taken a break. But I am a firm believer that no matter how long the rest, how long the break, always coming back to your movement and getting back into your body will always be worth it, no matter how long it’s been.
If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Oh, if I could have dinner with anyone living or dead, it would definitely be my dad. I have a lot more picking of his brain to do so that I can know more about me and my history and what makes up me and my family and my culture.
Where can our viewers see more of your work online?
If you’d like to follow me, my handle is @risapink93 on all platforms!
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity