Bri Turner: Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master, Author, and More
Becoming a yoga instructor wasn’t Bri Turner’s initial plan, especially after she didn’t enjoy her first experience. After being reintroduced to yoga in a different way, she found she loved it and decided to train to be an instructor.
Inspired by her healing journey, Turner started ‘Spiritually Divine Bri,’ and now offers weekly virtual yoga classes and helps others on their own spiritual journeys in several ways.
“I had a love-hate relationship with yoga when I first started,” Turner said. “The first time I tried it was in 2006; I was insecure about it and didn’t know there were other types of yoga. I first tried Vinyasa and hot yoga, but the class didn’t feel very welcoming; everyone was skinny and already knew the poses, so I didn’t know what I was doing. I never went back to that class.”
Ten years later, while interning at a pole dancing studio, Turner got to take free classes.
“Certain days had stretch classes, and I loved it!” she said. “The instructor played calming music, burned incense, and we all did stretches. I didn’t know we were doing yoga because it was very slow.”
She later discovered that the studio did not call the class a yoga class because teaching yoga requires a license.
“I loved how I felt after. I thought we were just stretching, which I enjoyed,” Turner said. Learning that she’d unofficially done a type of yoga planted the seed of renewed interest in the practice.
“When I moved to Vegas, I started this whole spiritual journey here. Spirit was like, ‘Take a yoga training program. You’re on this journey; learn about yoga and other things’,” she shared. So she challenged herself to learn more about spiritual healing, like Reiki, chakras, and healing stretches. In 2019, she enrolled in a yoga training program.
Spiritually Divine Bri now runs a business offering yoga classes, reiki sessions, and tarot card readings. She also makes her own jewelry and is a published author of a fictional drama series, ‘Urban Sweetz.’
Becoming a Yoga Instructor
Signing up with Sin City Yoga, Bri Turner planned to start class in March 2020.
“I was so nervous, wondering, ‘How am I going to manage this intense class, four hours after work, four days a week, and a whole eight-hour day on Saturdays?” she said. “As it happened, the first day of class, Vegas shut down because of the pandemic.”
Turner shared how the instructor didn’t know how it’d affect them. The class required a certain number of hours reading and learning about the history of yoga and a certain number of hours in the studio at some point.
“The class turned out to be online, which ended up being a breath of fresh air; I didn’t have work due to the shutdown and now had months to work on learning yoga,” she said. “I quickly discovered several different types of yoga and found yin yoga, which I love. I started practicing that in 2020.”
For the final, Turner and her classmates were required to teach their own yoga class and invite family and friends to take it. After completing the four-month course and nerve-wracking final, Turner graduated in July 2020. Sin City Yoga invited her to teach a weekly class that same summer.
“I was shocked they asked me to come on,” she said, sharing she didn’t feel like she was the most experienced person in the class. “I still teach there once a week online because the type of yoga I teach isn’t the most popular; yin yoga is very slow. But, with my job that picked back up after the shutdown, once a week works well for me right now.”
Inspiration Behind Spiritually Divine Bri
Diving more into what inspired Bri Turner to take this path in life, she shared that being on her spiritual journey led her to it.
“After learning more about how certain stretches heal the body and about chakras, I wanted to interpret those forms of healing into my own spiritual practice,” she said. “My main inspiration is to empower women. I initially leaned toward helping Black women, but I encountered many other women who felt broken or needed to feel empowered. I found that people can lose themselves along the way, whether it’s your relationships, kids, jobs, or whatever.”
Turner explained that the type of yoga she teaches includes her spiritual work to help empower other women and help them heal from their trauma, love themselves more, and live the life they deserve.
Challenges Bri Turner Overcome
Leaning into her spiritual journey and where it was taking her, Bri Turner found that the biggest challenge she had to overcome was herself.
“I feel like I was my biggest challenge. I wanted to be the yoga instructor you see who does everything perfectly. My biggest challenge was always comparing myself to other instructors,” she said. “I finally got to a point where I was like, ‘I’m going to be my own type of yoga instructor.’ I wanted to be a beginner-friendly yoga teacher, so I focused more on how you move into the next pose instead of just saying the poses.”
Turner then shared a learning moment from her classes, when she overcame her insecurity in teaching.
“I’d write out my entire class, detailing what we do and when, this time, this pose, that pose, and so on. During her first class, one of my students logged off in the middle of it, and I felt so bad. She kept coming though, and eventually, we started talking after class,” Turner said. “Eventually, I learned to trust myself and the process and stopped worrying about whether people like me. I stopped planning classes and went with the flow instead, doing whatever my spirit felt was right.”
Looking to the future, Bri Turner plans to teach more classes eventually and even hold retreats.
“I’ve held a couple before with friends and family, but I want to branch out and reach a larger base,” she said. “One day, I want to open my own studio catered to women.”
Favorite Parts
Bri Turner also shared some of her favorite parts about being a yoga instructor and yoga in general.
“My favorite part is the impact I have and the type of yoga I teach. I very commonly teach people with anxiety and other mental health issues, and after a class, everyone is like so calm,” she said. “People tell me they haven’t been calm like this in a long time or slept well after class.”
Turner explained that going through each pose and holding it for a long time forces one to train one not to let stuff bother them by sitting with their discomfort.
“You have to sit with it, and then when you move on and realize it didn’t kill you, it has a very healing aspect,” she said. “It forces you to be present and not worry about the past or the future, just that moment and in that time. And it forces you not to be so fast-paced, which messes up your attention span. You focus on your pose, just breathe, and quiet the mind. Afterwards, you feel so good.”
At the end of her classes, during the final breathing, Turner tells her students to think about what they are thankful for and what made them smile this week. She also tells them to thank themselves and their bodies for what it just did and to find gratitude in the little things.
“People often only share the best facets of themselves. So, don’t focus on the negative, focus on the positive,” she said. “It’s a form of mental health care.”
Spiritually Divine Bri – Yoga and Healing Services
Taking a Yoga Class With Spiritually Divine Bri
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga (as exercise) that incorporates principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Its asanas (postures) are held for longer periods of time than in other yoga styles. Advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. Its roots stem from India and China, with long-held postures used in India’s Hatha yoga and China’s ‘daoyin.’ (Wikipedia)
“Depending on the class length, you’ll move through about ten poses in about an hour of yin yoga. We start, go through the series, and then finish with the end pose, called the ‘Shavasana’ or ‘corpse pose.’ This pose takes about 15 minutes,” Turner explained. “The reason we end with the corpse pose is that the old you is supposed to have died. Then, we say ‘Namaste’ at the end to greet yourself as a new person.”
Spiritually Divine Bri teaches her classes online on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM. Buy tickets through Sin City Yoga on their website. Register before 6 PM to ensure you receive your link in time for the class.
Tarot Readings
After joining a friend for a tarot card reading and getting one herself, Bri Turner found it another healing practice to incorporate into her healing journey.
According to the tarot section on her website, Turner said, “One of the ways I was able to heal was through tarot card readings. When you are on the journey of healing, you have so many questions and thoughts roaming through your head. And it’s funny because your spirit knows exactly what you need, and your spirit will lead you exactly where you need to go to find clarity and peace. I like to tell people that God uses different resources to communicate with you, and tarot is one.”
She later acquired her own deck of cards, and in her journey of helping others heal, she began offering readings.
“I have felt tremendous joy being able to provide clarity and empowerment to people on the receiving end of my readings,” Turner said on the tarot section of her website.
Since she began in 2020, Turner has conducted hundreds of readings. She charges $65 for a 60-minute session.
Misconceptions About Tarot
Turner also spoke about people’s misconceptions about tarot cards.
“I think many people are afraid of tarot. But there’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said. “Let me be clear: I am not a psychic; my tarot is about helping you get through what you’re experiencing and what you need to do to move out of that or embrace it.”
When people ask Turner for a reading, they usually have a question in mind or a big decision to make. Turner shares what the selected cards mean, but the person must interpret that meaning or message for themselves and how it relates to their intent for the reading.
“When you get a reading from me, you get a healing journey. Don’t be afraid of going on that journey. You deserve more,” she said. “The space you’re in right now is very empowering, and this is how we’re gonna get you out of it. Are you still grieving? Do you need to do ‘X, Y, Z’ to escape or change something?”
Turner explained how fear can stem from people’s pain, trauma, insecurities, and anxieties, which might surface during readings. However, Turner said it’s part of the journey.
“Sometimes, bad things can surface in the reading, but it’s only as honest as you are with yourself and your situation,” she explained. “If you really listen, you can do some self-work, which can be so freeing.”
Turner also encounters religious folks who believe tarot cards are akin to devil worship or witchcraft.
“To the religious people, I tell them, sometimes God is giving you messages, and you don’t see them. How do you know he isn’t using me to help deliver the message?” she suggested. “Maybe I can give you a different perspective or a clearer view of the signs from that message.”
Reiki Healing
Spiritually Divine Bri also offers Reiki healing sessions. These sessions help people align their chakras and release any blockages they may have.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation and reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing.”
“As a Reiki master, I heal with my hands, cleansing chakras and removing stagnant energy in your body. The body holds a lot of energy, and that energy can turn into or exacerbate illnesses,” Turner explained. “Through Reiki, I use my hands to move around your body and touch certain points; I move that energy, unblock chakras, and feel the energy myself.”
After the session, Turner discusses the experience in depth with her clients. “We’re able to talk those things out as a form of healing.”
Jewelry Crafting
Spiritually Divine Bri also offers hand-crafted, wire-bound crystal necklaces and earrings. She shared what the process of making her jewelry pieces has been like.
“At first, it took me a few hours to make a piece of jewelry,” she said. “Now, I usually wrap something up in about thirty minutes.”
The experience is a large part of her ongoing spiritual journey.
“It’s very grounding and a healing process for me. It’s a time when I’m not in control,” she said. “In my mind, I want it to look a certain way, but sometimes, when I make jewelry, things don’t go as planned. I can have a design in my head, but if the crystal isn’t cooperating that day, it’s not happening. So it forces me to allow whatever happens to happen.”
Moreover, Turner shared that the activity helps her when she’s stressed, anxious, or going through something challenging by taking her mind off things.
“Creating jewelry makes me not think about what I’m going through, and I often forget what I was upset about an hour ago,” she said. “I’ll be too busy being frustrated because the crystal slipped or the wire’s not bending in the right direction you want it to bend. But I make it work. And by the end, I’ve made something beautiful. It’s an emotional journey every time.”
Check out Spiritually Divine Bri’s Etsy store to browse her available jewelry. For custom-made pieces, contact her via DM.
Turner added, “I plan to get out there more and do more outdoor markets in the future.”
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Urban Sweetz
Bri Turner is also a two-time self-published author. Published in 2014, her book, ‘Urban Sweetz,’ is a drama typecasted as an erotica. It follows four women who join a Facebook group called Urban Sweetz and their individual growth through that experience.
To write her book, Turner borrowed ideas from stories she’d read in a similar group she’d joined. Inspired by those stories, she created a fictional drama series to share the resiliency of the women. Later, becoming another part of her own healing journey, she published the sequel, ‘Urban Sweetz 2,’ in 2016.
“I started writing my first book before my spiritual journey, and the second book I followed up during the spiritual journey,” Turner said. “The first part is full of drama, based on some stories I read in a similar group I joined. The second book shows how these women could grow and not be constantly consumed with drama.”
Turner shared that writing the first book took her about seven or eight months. She already had the beginning, middle, and end in mind and just had to fill in the spaces in between. The second one took a couple of years to write.
“Everyone loved the first one so much that I felt more pressure to write a good book. But I was in a different space then, so it took a while,” Turner said.
Inspiration Behind the Book
Initially writing the first book, Bri Turner felt inspired to tell a fun story. The stories she read from people in her group were relatable, moving, and heartbreaking, eliciting all types of emotions. Turner wanted to share that experience with others while adding more depth to the characters’ lives she used to tell the stories. Changing the names and any potential identifying information, she created alternative backstories for characters living similar experiences.
Writing the second book included a lot of her own spiritual journey.
“I found in real life that people often don’t know how to change,” Turner said. “Because I was changing, I wanted the women in the group to show growth and be capable of change. I wanted people to know they don’t have to live these drama-filled lives with bad men. They can change despite their history or the life they had.”
Both ‘Urban Sweetz’ books are available on Amazon in Kindle e-book and paperback formats. [1, 2]
Bri Turner’s Writing Goals
While she hasn’t begun writing anything else yet, Bri Turner shared that she intends to write more books, just not for the ‘Urban Sweetz’ series. Instead, she’s interested in writing a romantic comedy, one of her favorite genres.
“I thought I was done writing. But as a writer, I have a few more stories to tell. I just need to sit down and write them. I haven’t set anything in stone for a new story, but Urban Sweetz is done,” she said. “I’ve just been so engrossed in my spiritual stuff that writing wasn’t on my mind. But at the start of this year, it was on my mind a lot.”
In general, Turner aims to share different and sometimes complex scenarios she encountered reading about other people’s stories. From there, she aims to help readers who might relate to those experiences and perhaps find healing from the character’s journey.
In one such example, Turner shared that she was nervous about including some concepts in the books. One story that resonated with other women in the group she joined stood out, and she wanted to include it despite the potential for controversy.
“There’s a section in the book where one character has trauma with men, so she considered herself a lesbian. She had a lot of hatred towards men, and she had work through that on her journey of healing,” Turner explained. “I hope people don’t take that the wrong way. It’s just one of the stories I used that resonated greatly with people in the group. I wanted to share that person’s journey in case others related to it, too.”
Being a Self-Published Author
Bri Turner also shared a little about her experience self-publishing her books.
“My favorite part is the creativity of it all. Sometimes, I’m in awe of myself. I accomplished something; I wrote two books!” Turner said.
Turner said it was amazing to write those stories and see the reactions and people relating to the characters.
“It made me realize how you can impact people. When people read the first book, they said, ‘That felt like it was about me.’ Some parts made them cry like they were angry and could feel the character’s pain they went through,” Turner explained. “They empathized with the characters. So, in the second book, I wanted readers to see how they, too, are capable of change and growth. Getting that reaction from people and knowing I did that is the best part.”
GetinMotion with Bri Turner and Spiritually Divine Bri
There are several ways to support Spiritually Divine Bri and Turner’s healing endeavors.
Follow her on Instagram and Facebook, like and share her posts, and check out her website to learn more about her services and book an appointment. You can contact her here or by email at bri@spirituallybri.com.
Her website also features a blog called ‘Soul Food,’ which discusses healing from trauma and doing shadow work with yourself.
To attend a yoga class, visit Sin City Yoga’s website to sign up for one of Turner’s virtual classes on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM.
To purchase her hand-crafted crystal jewelry, visit her Etsy store or message her for custom pieces.
Lastly, read Turner’s erotica drama series, ‘Urban Sweetz 1 and 2,’ available on Amazon in paperback and as a Kindle e-book.
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