Shante Webster, yoga instructor, wellness leader, and ICU nurse, and that’s not all.
One of Shante Webster's yoga students pulled her aside after class this week. "I just look at the people in your classes," the woman told her. "Every kind, every type, every body shape, every fitness level. And you just make them feel so comfortable and safe."
Shante didn't pause to take the compliment. She just nodded. "That is the goal. That is always the goal."
If you've ever taken one of her classes at Solstice Yoga in Durham, you already know what that student was talking about. Walk into Shante's classroom, and you'll find the competitive runner next to the person who's never done a downward dog — both feeling like they belong. That's not an accident. That's by design.
From Philly to the Mat
Shante Webster spent 36 years in Philadelphia. She was an athlete from the start — running track through AAU, staying in the gym, always moving. She earned her nursing degree, went into the ICU, and built a career taking care of people through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
But ICU nursing takes a toll. The hours are strenuous. The emotional weight of watching people fight for their lives — and sometimes lose — stays with you. "It's taxing on the body, taxing on the mind, taxing on the heart," she says.
When her son went off to college, Shante made a decision. She took her show on the road. Travel nursing brought her to San Diego for eight months, then to North Carolina on an assignment she kept renewing. Eventually, she bought a house nearby, and that was it. She was home.
That experience buying a home also sparked a connection to real estate — but wellness has always been her center of gravity. And she'll tell you nursing isn't going anywhere either. "I worked very hard for that degree," she says. "And I'm a nurturer by heart. I don't think I'll ever stop being a nurse."
The Moment That Changed Everything
Shante had taken yoga before, casually, the way a lot of athletes do. But the real turning point came when she walked into a class and saw a Black woman teaching.
"There are not a lot of African-Americans in yoga spaces," she says. "And that's just what it is. I talk a lot about that because I like to bridge that gap — to let people who look like me know that it's accessible. Representation matters in these spaces."
Two of her friends were already enrolled in teacher training programs — one in DC, one in New Jersey. And sitting in that class, watching an instructor who looked like her, something clicked.
She signed up. And it changed everything.
"When I tell you it reshaped my life — it gave me the tools to be able to navigate this crazy world. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had."
Some people go through yoga teacher training and never actually teach. They do it for personal growth. Shante could have gone that route. But she had a reason to show up in front of a room.
"To represent us," she says. "And to build community around yoga."
What Happens in Her Classes
Every class opens with meditation. Shante grounds the room — gratitude for showing up, because showing up is always the hardest part. Then she walks through breathing techniques you can carry with you through the practice. Your breath is your anchor.
From there, she moves through physical sequences, yes, but also philosophical. She'll hold you in a pose long enough for you to have a conversation with yourself about discomfort. "Being comfortable being uncomfortable — that's where change happens," she says. "And that's not just yoga. That's life."
If you can't touch your toes, she doesn't care. If you need to skip half the class and lay on the mat breathing, she fully supports it. "Where you are is where you're supposed to be. And that is totally fine."
She teaches power flow on Mondays and a slower "slow and strong" class on Tuesdays — both at 4:45 PM at Solstice Yoga in Durham. The Tuesday class is built for people who might be newer to yoga or don't want to move as fast but still want to feel like they got a real workout. And she prides herself on her playlist. That part is non-negotiable.
The Bigger Vision
Shante holds a master's degree in exercise kinesiology and sports injury prevention. She's a certified personal trainer who used to coach speed and agility. She's RYT-200 certified. And she has a dream that ties all of it together.
She wants to open a wellness center.
Not a gym. Not a yoga studio. A full-service center where you can get physical therapy, train on a turf, take a yoga class, swim, do a spin class, attend nutrition workshops, or join a Silver Sneakers session for seniors. A place where a nutritionist can talk to you about heart disease prevention and healthy eating — not dieting, because Shante doesn't believe in diets. She believes in lifestyle.
"Exercise isn't one-size-fits-all," she says. "Neither is diet."
She mapped the whole thing out in her master's program as her capstone project. The vision has been with her for years. And she's clear about where she wants it: right here in the Triangle.
Maybe she'll land it in Chapel Hill. One can hope.
She's also honest about something most fitness professionals won't say out loud: if you're not ready to change how you eat, it might not be the right time to train. "You can't outwork a bad diet," she says. "There's just no way. Eighty percent of it is what you're eating. And if you're not mentally ready to commit to a healthy eating plan, you won't see the results you want."
That's not gatekeeping. That's the ICU nurse in her — meeting you with the truth because she actually wants you to get better.
How She Keeps It All Together
Two nights a week at the hospital. Yoga on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Marketing and real estate work on dedicated days. She lives by her calendar and has streamlined her schedule down to the hour so that the evenings belong to her fiancé, her pit mix Dolo — who goes on Trader Joe's runs and occasionally scares herself with her own gas — and whatever trail or gym calls her name.
"I prioritize my fitness, and that is my sweet time," she says. "I created life balance for sure."
It took time to get there. But she's there.
Catch Shante This Month
On Saturday, May 16th, from 2–6 PM, Shante and three fellow practitioners are hosting Reset. Restore. Reconnect. — a 4-hour wellness retreat experience in Durham. The retreat features yoga, Reiki, and energy work with Andrea Mangum, a session with certified yoga instructor Precious Stepney (RYT-300), and clinical herbalism and nutrition coaching from Melanie Yukov. It's a full reset — not just physical, but mental and spiritual. Tickets are $65. Location: 1906 Hwy 54, Bldg. 200C, Durham, NC 27713.
Then catch her teaching Yoga For Runners at the Bull City Yoga Fest on Friday, May 30th, 10 AM – 6 PM at 1822 Hwy 54 in Durham. Tickets at bullcityyogafestival.com.
And this September, she heads to Richmond, Virginia, for Sweat With Your Sole — the national Black Girls Run convention — where she'll lead her "Restore & Rise" post-run yoga session for 200 to 300 women. More at sweatwithyoursole.com.
For weekly classes, find her at Solstice Yoga in Durham — Mondays and Tuesdays at 4:45 PM. And visit qtwellnessnc.com to learn more.