Meet Missy Goss-Coln | Jamaican American Yoga Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Missy Goss-Coln and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Missy, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
Prioritizing healing has been one of the most significant things I’ve done for my little one. There’s an Indigenous belief that when we heal, we heal 7 generations before and 7 generations after us.

Before I even met my husband, I wanted to look within myself with curiosity and nonjudgment to learn what has caused me to be the way I am. To process my pain and trauma—big “T” and little “t,” intergenerational and personal. Not only for myself, but also for my future partner and any children we’d have.

Therapy and yoga have helped me gain self-awareness and tools to release thoughts, attachments, and patterns that aren’t serving me or my relationships. While yoga isn’t a substitute for therapy, it’s been a holistic way for me to unlock healing even when sessions with a therapist haven’t been accessible.

Before I knew the depth and expansiveness of yoga, the ancient tradition allowed me to process my suffering somatically by getting into my body through asana (poses/postures). As I learned about yoga off the mat, practicing yogic observances like svadhyaya (“self-study” in Sanskrit) has enabled me to deepen my self-understanding.

This introspection has helped me recognize how I can reparent myself and become the type of mother I want to be. If I have acceptance, peace, and joy within me, I can sow those seeds in my child.

What should our readers know about your business?
From my upbringing as a daughter of immigrants to my experience earning an MBA (and beyond), I have heard so many definitions of “success.” It’s taken deep internal work for me to discern which of my expectations and aspirations are my own versus family’s, friends’, and/or society’s.

As a Black woman, I’ve often found myself in spaces where I’m what Shonda Rhimes calls an F.O.D. – a first, only, or different – including “elite” private schools and industries like tech. Through self-inquiry I’ve realized how, by being in those environments, I in some ways internalized not-enoughness and shrunk myself and my dreams to fit other people’s limitations of what they think I’m capable and worthy of.

I know now that I am inherently worthy and I don’t need other people to validate me or my existence. I have nothing to prove.

Self-determination is one of my core values and every day I choose to exercise agency to define myself and the life I live. I believe we all should be able to take charge of our own lives, and that includes healing on our own terms.

I founded Justflo Wellness since I feel called to hold space for not just healing, but also liberation through yoga. Though I’ve been a yoga practitioner for nearly two decades, I never had a teacher who looked like me till almost 10 years in. Yoga is for everybody/every body – all races, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, etc. – but ironically, Western yoga can have an air of exclusivity and perpetuate the same messages of superiority and inferiority as broader dominant culture. It can turn folks off by not acknowledging and affirming our intersectional identities.

I’m passionate about cultivating containers where yoga practitioners feel a sense of authenticity, belonging, and community. Containers where there’s no spiritual bypassing; I don’t believe in “good vibes only.” When you join me for practice, I want you to unmask and feel like you can be real. My cues for poses, breathwork, and meditations are invitations so you can choose what feels best for you in that moment. I want you to do you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d of course go to Candler Park to take a class at Conjure Yoga & Ritual, a studio where I teach. It feels like someone’s living room. I love how my fellow yoga instructors create inclusive and welcoming environments and affirm students’ choices.

We would also go to LIT Essentials, a local Black-owned aromatherapy business, for an essential oil blending class where we can make our own product like a roll-on or body butter. (Full disclosure: LIT Essentials is a Justflo Wellness collaborator.)

Then, we’d head to the Westside to fill up our bellies at more Black-owned spots: Local Green and Urban Grind. Local Green has some delicious plant-based and pescatarian grub that even meat eaters enjoy. And I can’t speak to the coffee since I’m a tea drinker, but Urban Grind has some yummy pastries and other bites. Depending on the day/time, we could stay for one of Urban Grind’s events like open mic night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I knew not one soul in Atlanta before moving here about a decade ago, and I planned on moving back to New York after graduating from business school. They say “We plan, God laughs.”

I’m thankful for ATL making my husband and I cross paths. He’s been one of my greatest teachers and sources of both inspiration and growth. I wouldn’t be where I am now without his unconditional love and support. With my husband, I’m home.

Website: https://www.justflowellness.com

Instagram: @justflowellness @iammissygoss

Image Credits
JAR Productions