 photo by Zoha Van de aarde written by Sherae Adwoa Moore
Lately, I have caught myself staring into the mirror. I have been examining the person in the mirror as if I was looking at a total stranger. As if I was trying to determine if I liked the reflection staring back at me. Somehow, this person was familiar yet unknown. Now, in all fairness, I did ask her to reveal herself to me, but I didn't realize this journey would be utterly life-changing. I have yet to be the same, and that's a good thing. So far, she and I have been in this newfound relationship for a little over six months. She and I have been joined at the hip ever since and people have taken notice of my work, home, friends and family. Sis is giving me life! Our relationship isn't easy, but it's beneficial for both parties. She doesn't hide, and I am no longer afraid of my own shadow. Reasons Black Women Should Meditate1/16/2020 1.7k PICKS  written by Elise Williams
As Black women, we deal with racial and gender related stressors such as racism and sexual discrimination. These stressors can affect our overall health and can increase our risk of chronic diseases. Chronic stress can affect the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. Constant stress over time can lead to chronic health issues such as hypertension, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. According to various research studies, Black American women are ranked high for these chronic health issues. In addition to chronic health issues. As a result from systemic oppression, Black Americans are affected by anxiety and depression. Medical researchers are finding that the use of meditation practices can reduce stress, depression and, anxiety amongst Black American women. Healing Black Sisterhood1/11/2020 800 PICKS  written by Leandra Williams
Inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant once said, “We are women. Everything we do matters. I am not my sister’s keeper. I am my sister.” With society disproportionately painting negative images of Black women interacting with one another, it’s no wonder that we continue to have issues with effectively communicating with each other and treating our sisters well. As a Black woman, I strongly feel we want a closer bond with our sisters, but with institutionalized classism, colorism, and ageism, society continues to dictate what we believe Black women should look and act like. Often, this stops us from making a genuine connection with other black women. The Importance Of Exercising For Black Women11/26/2019  written by Erika L Harper, LPC
One of the main areas that Black women are behind the eight ball is with our health. In 2019, despite decades of marketing pushes about eating healthy and working out, Black women still rank higher than women of other races for dying from various cardiovascular-related diseases. Simultaneously, we have made progress. Even though we are the most likely to be afflicted with heart disease, there are still fewer of us dying from these diseases than ever before. With that being said, we still have a lot of work to do. 1.1k PICKS  written by Leandra Williams
Angry, irritated, aggressive, loud… we’ve all heard these words before. However, these terms hit differently when describing the “behavior or actions” of a Black Woman. Historically, we as Black Women have been conditioned not to display any type of hostility or irritation towards anyone (other than our Black Men of course); or we risk being labeled as “The Angry Black Woman”. Even in 2019, when there’s been a pivotal shift in the way we love and view ourselves; I notice one aspect of ourselves that we haven’t given ourselves permission to do, which is to be free in our feelings, and yes… that means being rightfully angry sometimes. Today we’ve been able to bathe in our success, our different shades of skin color, admire Black Love, and education.  Oluremi Adebayo written by: C. Nzingha Smith, M.S., RYT 200
Journaling, meditation, talk therapy, your Sunday brunch date with your favorite girls, positive affirmations, and listening to uplifting podcasts are all wonderful ways to aid you on your healing journey. However, there comes a time when talk and all the mental focus might not be enough. You might feel like I did, where you are all talked out and feel like there is something else needed to really go deeper. 333 PICKS  Spike Lee: She's Gotta Have It written by Jada Walton
In 2018, I started seeing a therapist and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. First, just know that therapy never gave me any miracle breakthrough moment like in the movies, that’s not real. It did provide numerous moments of clarity, good advice, and self-reflection. It also helped me better understand myself and why I do certain things (trauma that comes from years of being a giver and having too much pride to ask for help). Most importantly, it provided me with validation, reassuring me that I wasn't "crazy" when things got too intense for me to comprehend. 823 PICKS  written by Nadine Olu
Black women are underrepresented in yoga. When we look at yoga publications and settings, there is an undeniable gap that has been created. Diversity and inclusion is not a complicated problem; there are decisions that are intentionally made which exclude Black women from being represented. For example, if there is a yoga magazine and there are 12 magazines published per year, then for each month there should be someone on the cover of a different nationality or culture. However, if the cover of the magazine predominantly showcases white people or constantly excludes Black women and people of various complexions, body types and backgrounds, things become problematic. Yoga, in terms of diversity and inclusion, has been poorly represented by yoga studios and yoga publications. The dangers of this is that if Black women do not see themselves being represented in the practice, little Black girls will grow up to believe that something incredibly healing and transformational, like yoga, is not for them. The reality is that the lack of inclusion of Black women stems from capitalism. 2.1k PICKS  written by Women Of Color Healing Retreats
There is no battle against the common understanding that black people originated in Africa. Black people, in their most natural essence, lived in nature. Women’s bodies were viewed as holy-- women didn’t feel pressured to cover their naked breasts, because this was an acceptable sign of nurture and life. This was the understanding of nature before colonization was imposed upon black people, which created a society where a woman’s body was seen as something strictly sexual. Black people walked barefoot, and ate nutritious fruit from their surroundings. Tribes practiced tribal dances and spoke their own languages.They heard hymns from the trees and bathed in rivers: they were at one with nature, the ultimate healer of life. 1.1k PICKS  written by Erika L Harper LPC
Strong Black Woman Syndrome (SBWS) is not a technical term but right away most of us are aware of the description. Over time it has morphed into an extremely damaging stereotype but it was originally created by us to protect ourselves from the horrors afflicted upon Black African families during American slavery. Many women today suffer from this syndrome due to our ancestors unknowingly and devastatingly passing down their trauma genetically into us. The trope of the strong Black woman is the reason why Black women have always been viewed as physically stronger, less prone to pain and more verbally aggressive compared to our white counterparts despite there being no evidence to support these claims. It is for these reasons that Strong Black Woman Syndrome is the perfect shield for masking persistent depressive disorder. |