Arts educator, storyteller, and yoga practitioner Iyanifa, Reverend Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson, M.Ed., conducts programs globally. Through a unique blend of story, dance, and yoga, she keeps alive stories from the African Diaspora. Audiences of all ages have described her programs as spirit-filled, inspiring, and energizing. In June 2017, Abigail was ordained as an inter-spiritual and interfaith minister by One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City. Abigail is certified in Kripalu Yoga, Karma Kids Yoga, and Yoga 4cancer; she has traveled to Egypt with Master Teacher Yirser Ra Hotep to certify in Kemetic Yoga. Abigail has also traveled to Cuba, Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, and India to collect stories and to study. Most recently, she returned from South East Asia (Vietnam, Bali, and Thailand), where she taught English and shared Yoga Dance.
Abigail has served as the Manager for the Schomburg Center’s Teen Curators, an adjunct professor for Lesley University’s Creative Arts in Learning Program, and a teaching artist for Brown University’s Arts Literacy Program.
A resident of Harlem and a founding member of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers, Abigail has released a beautifully illustrated children’s book titled Imani’s Heart: The Dancing Angel. She serves as a first year dean for One Spirit Seminary, and owns and operates Abby’s Attic Harlem, an online boutique, specializing in vintage and upcycled clothing, jewelry and artifacts.
