More than 10 free classes, from beginner-friendly yoga to tai chi and sound baths, filled Uzazi Village in Midtown Kansas City this weekend as Soul Yoga Fest marked its fifth annual gathering. The event promoted movement for people of all ages, abilities, and ancestries, mixing dance classes and holistic workshops with local vendors selling plant-based food and body-positive resources.
The festival is the brainchild of Dr. Auburn Ellis, who founded Soul Yoga Fest KC and has built it into an annual event, according to KCTV. Ellis said the event is designed to bring wellness to the inner city, and that affordability is central to the festival's mission — the idea being that wellness should be available to everyone rather than a luxury reserved for those who can pay studio prices.
Ellis brings more than passion to the project. She's a CDC-certified lifestyle coach, a Jackson County community health worker, and an E-RYT 500 Kemetic Yoga instructor who also designs diversity and inclusion lectures for regional yoga studios, according to Art and Yoga Flow. Her credentials span health work and movement instruction. Kemetic Yoga is a practice rooted in ancient Egyptian wellness traditions. Asivana Yoga identifies a Chicago festival presented by YogaSkills and recognizes Master Yirser Ra Hotep, according to Asivana Yoga.
A Location Chosen With Purpose
This year's fifth-anniversary festival was held at Uzazi Village in Midtown Kansas City.
Uzazi Village sits at 4232 Troost Avenue, part of a corridor recognized as one of Kansas City's most prominent racial and economic dividing lines, shaped by 20th-century restrictive covenants and manipulated school boundaries, according to KCUR. The site hosted the festival.
Why the Setting Matters for Health Equity
The choice of host site lands amid stark public health numbers. The March of Dimes report card highlights preterm birth as a public-health concern. Maternal health is another part of the health-equity discussion.
The urban core has also lost medical infrastructure in recent years. In September 2025, HCA Healthcare's Research Medical Center, located near Uzazi Village in southern Kansas City, closed its labor, delivery, and neonatal intensive care units — a closure that drew strong opposition from National Nurses United.
Community Turnout and Local Support
Interest in this year's festival was strong ahead of the event: more than 300 people registered for Soul Yoga Fest KC, with class sponsorships and prize packages donated by local fitness studios including CorePower Yoga, Dance Fit Flow, and Mojo Cycling Studio, organizer Auburn Ellis noted in a video posted to Facebook. Local vendors at the festival also offered natural health services alongside the plant-based food and body-positive resources.
The free, multi-disciplinary format stands in some contrast to the broader commercial yoga scene in Kansas City. Data analyzed by Hoodline in 2019 identified yoga as the city's most popular form of group exercise, mirroring trends in cities like Austin and Portland. Soul Yoga Fest offers free classes in the neighborhood where it is held.
Information about future Soul Yoga Fest events is available at artandyogaflow.com, according to KCTV's report on the fifth-anniversary gathering.
