There’s a new movement taking over Atlanta. It’s called Moving Art Experience, and it’s a combination of yoga, art and hip hop, used to aid individuals in their journey to finding balance, peace and release their everyday stressors.
It’s no secret that our nation is plagued with an overwhelming sense of contention, disbelief and doubt over this year’s grueling presidential campaign – all things Moving Art Experience founder, Allen “Rome” Batty, says contributed to the creation of his company. Moving Art helps people maintain their mental and emotional health by way of the holistic healing technique. So, where did his love for yoga begin?
“I was soul searching when I found yoga,” Batty, who hails from Atlanta’s Ben Hill neighborhood, recently told BlackDoctor.org.
“I had always been into art but yoga was new to me. It helped free me and center me. It got me into a new way of thinking. In our culture I think we are so driven to define ourselves through material objects and possessions. The idea of rejecting this theory as the center of my purpose inspired me,” said Batty.
“I knew that if it could help me in that way it would help a lot of people that wouldn’t even consider practicing yoga. Especially people from neighborhoods like where I grew up,” Batty continued. “There are so many distractions and things that come at you while you’re just trying to survive that it’s hard to conceptualize that there are other ways to live life beyond the streets, pain, violence and poverty that you see outside of your window.”
Meanwhile, Derrick Townsel, a popular yogi and Moving Art participant tells us, “Yoga reduces tension because your practice is a time for you to let go of any issues of the past that cause stress, and take your mind away from future tasks that cause anxiousness.
Townsel explained, “Yoga allows you to live in the moment, the only moment that you have control of. You control your thoughts, your control your actions, you control your outcome. If your mindset during your practice is happiness, you are happy. Only you can change that.”
Yoga as a profession and practice has proven beneficial for Townsel as well as others. “People who have taken classes with me always tell me that they feel great afterwards. They feel a weight lifted off their shoulders. The thing they don’t realize is the weight they feel is self-implemented and can be lifted the same way,” Townsel said of the feedback they’ve received.
While Moving Art is doing well for itself, selling out events in markets like Atlanta, New York, and Miami, drawing a diverse crowd “of people who believe in unity, growth and elevation,” and collaborating with master yogis like Townsel, Tae Noir and Renee Watkins to name a few, the plan is to go global.
“I’d like my work and my journey to inspire the world. Inspire people to see their reflection in others and genuinely care for the next person. I want to open people’s eyes to see the power and unlimited capabilities that they possess within themselves. I want to inspire the masses to realize that the universe resides in everyone,” said Townsel.
As for people on the fence as to whether yoga is right for them, these two master yogis shared a few go-to moves for beginners, sure to get you hooked. Their top poses for beginners include downward dog, warrior 1 and plank. These are fundamental poses that help build strength, flexibility and full body alignment.
See #MovingArtATL in action below.
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