Who this is for:
This practice is to address my rage, grief, shame, and internalized feelings of being “less than” in response to systemic racism. This practice is open to all, but is made to address my perspective as a non-black POC working as an ally to counter the effect of anti-black racism and violence in our society. It is meant to help me get past my emotions in order to move forward into action from a grounded place.
MANTRAS:
In this practice I offer a few mantras, or sayings, that I find helpful in grounding my body while I am doing healing practices:
In this moment, I am safe.
In this moment, I love and accept myself as I am.
In this moment, I am powerful. In this moment, I am grounded.
These mantras are not meant to deny your feelings or any situation that you are in. I invite you to find the words that feel right for you and cultivate what you want in your practice and life.
Time Signatures: Intro, Prep at 2min, Practice starts at 4 min
A NOTE ON TRAUMA: I am not a ‘trauma-informed’ teacher. I am an anti-racist organizer and yoga teacher who is sharing my healing journey and who believes in making healing accessible to all.
LANGUAGE: In this practice, I refer to “we” and “us” as a form of community, and I refer to “you” as an acknowledgement of your presence. It is not meant to infer that you will be or should be doing any particular action with your body, so please disregard what doesn’t feel applicable to you. I have also tried to offer options and modifications.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: This practice is moderately active, that is, not completely gentle, nor “power yoga”. It is helpful but not necessary to have experience with yoga. The practice includes positions lying on the back, lying on the belly, on hands and knees, and some standing poses. I give options between level changes but most are not guided so each person can get from lying, kneeling, standing in a way that feels good for your body. (In the future I will post videos with varied degrees of activity.)
PRENATAL: This practice is not meant for those pregnant, but if you are pregnant, please avoid lying on the belly and twisting.
DONATIONS: If this video is helpful to you and you would like to make a monetary contribution, please make a donation to organizations uplifting Black leadership, wellness, and/or reparations. For more information, visit: https://www.northstarhealthcollective... If you are able to donate further and would like to make a contribution towards my labor, I welcome it at @Alicia-Ohs at Venmo. I also accept words of encouragement, emojis, likes, and acts of community care as contributions!
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: In this video, I name the land I am on, Brooklyn, as the “home of the Lenape people.” Later, while editing I realized how deeply colonized this language is. It is, rather, the land stolen from the Lenape people. I invite you to take a moment at the beginning of your practice to acknowledge whose land you are on.
LIABILITY: This video is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. By participating, you accept full responsibility for any liability, injury, loss, or damage in any way connected with your participation in this video and release Alicia Ohs, Grow Yoga, and all associated from any and all claims, actions, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, and expenses, including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, in any way arising out of, or resulting from, your participation in this video.
Pictured: a mixed-race Asian person wearing a mustard-colored beanie and black T shirt with “Asians for Black Lives Matter” in white. The floor and backdrop curtain are white with a dog, yoga mat, chair, and plant in the background.