Oneika Mays, LMT, E-RYT, is a multi-hyphenate facilitator whose wisdom and instruction are deeply rooted in the Buddhist and yogic teachings. She offers students practical applications to heal and transform in order to achieve personal and collective liberation. She transitioned to yoga and meditation from a 20-year career in corporate retail leadership and has used that experience to support social justice non-profits and teach meditation/yoga inside jails.
Today, Oneika is the first mindfulness coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. At Rikers, she works one-on-one with community members in a therapeutic setting. These sessions help people foster resilience and agency. She believes that our justice system needs to focus on transformation and restoration rather than punishment.
This idea of liberation and compassion is woven into Oneika's work, whether it’s in a jail, speaking to audiences (as a featured presenter at the Sedona Yoga Festival), or teaching meditation. In addition to teaching meditation and yoga, Oneika facilitates workshops and trainings centered around resilience, liberation, and compassion. She believes that meditation, movement and mindfulness practices can forge a path to freedom.
Currently Oneika is working on a scripted project she created, Blur, a story about two atypical teenagers navigating their identity in the 1980s. She is also the co-host of the podcast But You Don’t Sound Black with Rasheed J. Daniel. She can currently be seen on TBS’ Lost Resort.