Female-Founded Tendwell Collective Seeks To Make Wellness Activities Accessible To All

March is Women's History Month and KPIX is highlighting ways Bay Area women are paving a path for the next generation.

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- In 2020, a group of Bay Area women inspired by what they saw happening in the world came together to start a wellness community to create the change they wanted to see.

Through breath and movement, yoga can bring a plethora of benefits to one's body and mind. But for some, walking into a yoga studio can be extremely intimidating.

"Being a black woman in larger body, found it challenging at times to go to a class and feel like I could go to a class and get as much out of it as someone who was thin and able-bodied," explained Tendwell co-founder Taylor Bowman. "And I noticed that not every teacher was attuned to that and would provide ways to alter poses and make it accessible for all."

Bowman is one of a handful of women who wanted to make access to wellness-driven activities easier for all.

"I wanted to be part of creating a space where you can be a full range of abilities, skin colors, and body sizes, and everyone could get something positive out of the practice," said Bowman.

In 2020, the idea for TendWell Collective was born with a goal to create more inclusive wellness spaces for all to enjoy and benefit from.

"With George Floyd's murder and the resurgence of Black Live Matter, it was an opportunity for a lot of discussions that hadn't been had as directly to actually start being had in yoga communities," said co-founder Emily Hedges. "And we were watching a lot of yoga studios be really performative in their responses, outright racist in some of their responses, and even some of our own members being victims of that."

Hedges worked in a yoga studio and saw the formats of these types of businesses made it difficult for many people to learn from classes like these.

"It really, quite frankly, just the way the business model is set up if you're a for-profit company. It's really only accessible to either high-income people or people, you know, who are predominately white," said Hedges. "White, thin and able-bodied is, kind of, the characteristics and we are looking to change that. We are looking to make it available and enjoyable and joyful for everyone."

In the fall of 2021, this group made their idea a reality with the start of their business. TendWell is an online wellness collective offering virtual and in-person classes at various locations. Here you can find yoga classes, community events, therapy, music spaces and more. It is all focused around benefiting the mind and body while being inclusive for all people.

Tendwell works differently by providing a sliding scale to pay for classes. You pay by what feels good to you. So if you can pay a higher rate, it's an opportunity to give others in our community, that may not be able to afford classes, access to wellness and better lifestyles.

"It seems like when you come into a space where they say everyone is welcome and they want everyone to have a full practice, I wanted it to mean that, said Bowman. "That I could really come to a class and feel, like, ok yes, this is a space for me to move my body and feel good in my body and be around other people."

For Bowman, who has worked in a yoga studio and has also been a student herself, something like this is welcoming for people of all walks of life to come together to benefit from these kinds of practices.

"From my own experience, if I see someone who is a Black woman - she doesn't even have to be a fat-bodied person - but just a Black woman, I think she would see me in that class," explained Bowman. "And that is not to say that anybody can't have a wonderful class that feels inclusive and inviting, but it makes a difference. Especially if you have had experiences like myself, where you feel like you are the 'only' of someone in a class, the only Black woman in a class, the only person of color in a class. But if the teacher is a reflection of you in some kind of way, that makes it a little bit easier to dip your toe in and try it."

The Tendwell founders hope to eventually have a physical space for their clients to gather. For now, they are an online wellness community, meeting either virtually or at various locations around the Bay Area.

To learn more about Tendwell and schedule a class visit tendwellcollective.com. Follow Tendwell on Instagram: @tendwellcollective.