How Will You Be Involved?

Nov 08, 2020 12:01 pm

Dear ,

Oh my my what a week, what a year, what a world we live in. No?

I hope this love letter finds you doing okay as you navigate your current waters, whatever level of relief, joy, weariness, and murk they may be.

I am writing you from back home, where Benji lay at my feet, the sun graciously popping its soft head out, out, out.

Brief candle.

I wish joy for you, I wish peace for you, my dear. I wish peaceful piano, and spirits that guide you to a remarkable forward feeling of presence.

For you, I wish love. I send love. I feel the love today. I heard the horns on the streets.

I love you.

But I also know that individually, and collectively, we are stressed.

Ranging from hyper to empty, now more than ever it is important for us to show up for ourselves in a way like never before.

You comfortable?

I think showing up for ourselves and caring for ourselves must include not just acknowledging discomfort, but picking your discomfort up every day and putting it in your lap and maybe inviting this sentence in…

How am I involved?

It’s just a question. Could be a new mantra. That is up to you of course.

Because showing up for yourself isn’t just about you. We know this, right?

It is the very absolute fabric of the way in which you are able to show up for others.

Read that line slowly again to yourself, if you feel pulled.

And while we can, and will, help each other, the level to which you commit to holding your own self accountable will influence the way in which you participate in the journey.

Have courage.

It will influence your next step, forward.

This can apply to your practice both on and off the mat.

My gut is telling me that this is a hard and good time to look at the ways in which you can create more awareness of your practice off the mat.

Look again.

How are you involved?

And remember just how much we obsess over the how in class?

While I will post it in the postscript of this message, instead of highlighting today’s featured YWA video, I want to share some of the work that a friend of mine, Sinikiwe Dhliwayo, has been doing at Naaya Wellness.

While I have been called to this work from what feels like childhood, I never thought I would find myself in a position that yielded influence in the forefront of the modern/current wellness world. (Nor certainly during a global pandemic.)

And, while I also personally work hard to push back against the industry that makes new descriptions for wellness and takes it away from those who need it the most but get it the least, Naaya is teaching me that I should not be surprised that I have influence or power in this narrative at all.

I have always been conscious of the ways in which western wellness seemed to mean white wellness. Coming from a darker skinned mother, and witnessing her journey, YWA has always been on a mission to create inclusive space with free tools and a certain energy that says, yo - yoga is for everyone - not just the flexible or the affluent.

If you’re beating, breathing, and whether you feel ready to begin or not, pull up a spot with us. Nothing but you is required. No fancy mat, no pricey pants that claim to sculpt. Come as you are, we dare you, we beg you, we admire you, we appreciate you. Find what you need and find what feels good for you - today.

This has led to the YWA community being one of the largest and diverse yoga communities on the planet.

But as I take a look at the hard truths on the table, reflecting on just how much rocket fuel 2020 has put in the tank, and as I cross the threshold into whatever lies ahead, I am determined to keep showing up to help redefine narratives that currently promote division, exclusivity, and that seem to continue to favor sharing available “love and light” to the preferential light skinned.

Naaya exists to redefine this narrative into one that holds and centers BIPOC people. (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.)

While I continue to work to make yoga accessible to all, the work that Sinikiwe is offering through the educational branch has truly asked me to look at how I can move from solidarity to action.

If you are interested in furthering your way into conversation and understanding so that you can respond to the call for action, you might join me for the conversations that Naaya offers HERE.

If you can only afford one right now, I suggest the Power Dynamics of White Women and Women of Color Salon, tier 2. This is a powerful conversation with EbonyJanice Moore and Layla F. Saad and offers a lot to chew on if you are wanting to invest time in anti-racism work in any area of your journey, and learn from people of Black identity.

I am not here to tell you how to take your practice off the mat, the same as I am not here to tell you how to feel in a pose.

But the invitation is here.

They are being written daily.

Send your RSVP inward.

And show up.

Beyond the conversations, talks, and salon style offerings, Naaya is doing amazing work with young adult, teens, and adults alike. (In fact, the next goal for 2021 is to provide access to therapy for 30 young people, free of charge!)

If you are BIPOC, you might like to learn more and sign up to receive updates on virtual offerings by visiting the homepage HERE.

Sinikiwe, if you are reading this, thank you for the blessing to share this in my love letter, where I cherish the connection and ritual to community most right now during these wild, wild times.

And you, dear friend. Yes you…

Thank you, dear reader, for being here, for sharing space, and for choosing to honor me the way I so honor you.