Rasheda Charles, MS

Rasheda Charles, MS, is a PhD student in Kinesiology with a concentration in Psychosocial Kinesiology at Oregon State University. A first-generation PhD student, she earned her master’s degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, and her undergraduate degree from the HBCU Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD.

As a Trinidadian American, Rasheda brings a global and grounded perspective to her teaching. She is a multi-certified yoga instructor trained in Radiant Child Yoga (Kundalini-based practice), Vinyasa, and Bikram yoga (the original hot yoga). She has taught Bikram yoga on every continent except Antarctica. She enjoys climbing and has conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro. Her academic and personal interests lie at the intersection of exercise psychology, spirituality, meditation, and resilience.

Now based in Oregon, Rashed looks forward to exploring the state’s many hiking trails and supporting students in having a meaningful experience in class. She intentionally avoids the title “yoga instructor,” as she understands yoga to be an ethical practice and a way of living, not merely a physical discipline. The practice on the mat is an extension of how we choose to care for our physical bodies; yoga itself happens off the mat in how we move through the world, treat others, and align our actions with our values. In this course, Rasheda will guide students through asana sequences, continually reminding them that yoga truly begins when you roll up your mat.