Rice University yoga instructor and alumna Alicia Dugar Stephenson is bringing wellness to the forefront through a unique yoga initiative that connects the Rice campus with the broader Houston community. In partnership with local nonprofits and Rice’s Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning, Stephenson co-launched a pilot program that offers culturally informed yoga teacher training and community wellness sessions — all while gathering data that could inform the future of inclusive wellness education.
From the Moody Center for the Arts to downtown Houston, Stephenson and collaborators hosted a series of four community yoga events this summer. Each served as a culminating project for aspiring yoga instructors training through a partnership with nonprofit Breathe Free and internationally recognized yoga school, the Gold Yoga Institute. Supported by Rice, the program offered participants a path to certification while encouraging research-based teaching rooted in cultural understanding.
The events included a Father’s Day wellness session in collaboration with the nonprofit CoolxDad, a Juneteenth celebration at Discovery Green that drew more than 100 attendees and an International Day of Yoga gathering at Rice Village. The finale, held June 22 at the Huff House, honored 5-year-old Phoenix Hicks, who officially became the youngest certified yoga instructor in the world, according to the “Guinness Book of World Records.” Hicks began co-teaching yoga as a toddler alongside her mother, Sydney Hicks, one of the program’s organizers.
“For me, this project was deeply personal,” said Stephenson, who was diagnosed with lupus as a Rice freshman. “I didn’t know how to cope at first, and yoga became a lifeline. Now, I get to help others — especially those who’ve felt unseen in the wellness space — find support and healing through culturally relevant yoga.”
At each event, participants completed anonymous, facilitated surveys that allowed them to share their experiences, both written and spoken, with the trainees. The research, conducted in partnership with CERCL, aims to explore how representation, relatability and access impact participants’ sense of belonging in wellness spaces.
“We asked questions like, ‘Do you feel like having a teacher that’s relatable to you is beneficial? Why or why not?’” Stephenson said. “This wasn’t just about gathering data — it was about giving people a voice.”
The initiative reflects Rice’s broader 10-year strategic plan, Stephenson noted, which emphasizes health, research and community connection.
“As an alum looking at Rice’s vision for the future, this project is a direct response,” she said. “It shows Rice cares — not just by hosting yoga at the Rec Center, but by taking wellness into the community.”
With filming and interviews underway for a forthcoming documentary about the initiative, Stephenson hopes the pilot program will serve as a foundation for ongoing research, public engagement and perhaps an annual wellness series.
“This is a nonprofit effort, a passion project,” she said. “But it’s also something bigger — it’s Rice helping to change what wellness looks like, for everyone.”
